Crocodile Striploin Appetizers

Our unusual meat Christmas meal (I've previously posted on the roast peacock and grilled water buffalo steak) was rounded out by some wonderful appetizers using Australian crocodile

striploin meat. 

The striploin meat comes from the tail of the crocodile and it looks and tastes very similar to alligator sirloin that I've cooked previously.  For a twist, I grilled some red, yellow and orange peppers, some Poblano peppers and some Anaheim chilies. Then I spread on a nice helping of spreadable garlic and herb boursin cheese. 

Then I sliced the crocodile meat into smaller pieces so that it would grill more evenly, 

put on some olive oil, salt and pepper, and grilled the meat on our outdoor gas grill. I learned from the alligator meat that it should not be over-cooked as it gets very tough. It is delicious fresh off the grill and has a flavor and consistency similar to lobster. 

Then I put a piece of crocodile on each portion of grilled pepper and cheese. 

These were a hit. Many family members thought that these were the best part of our meal. 

Several days later, we were invited over to some friends house for an actual Christmas Day dinner with their extended family. So I cooked some more peppers, grilled up the rest of our crocodile and took a large platter of the appetizers over for dinner (I also put some peacock pieces on some of them). 

It turned out to be a very colorful, tasty and fun to talk-about appetizer.