Flinders Island chef treats locals to his special wallaby schnitzel sandwich
A wallaby sandwich for Australia Day? You would have to travel to a remote part of the country to try it.
In a small food van tucked away in a corner of the windswept town of Whitemark on Flinders Island, Mikey Yeo whips up one of his locally acclaimed wallaby sandwiches.
Sourced straight from the local abattoir, the wallaby has been foraged on saltbush for added flavor. It is a native bush that is abundant on Bass Strait Island.
Nutritionally, wallaby is a high-protein, low-fat meat that has been a staple food for the local Palawa people for millennia.
It’s uniquely Tasmanian, and the island state is the only place in the country where it’s legal to process environmentally sustainable meat.
For Mikey, wallaby is his favorite meat.
“A good sandwich is damn hard to find,” says Mikey.
“[But a] Good sanga is a great menu item, I think.”
Mikey lays out fresh white bread, an essential ingredient for a soft sandwich.
“To a degree, there’s nothing better than a little white bread sandwich,” says Mikey.
“So for me, the first thing is the texture when you eat, right? It’s all about the texture.
“The whole wallaby schnitty sanger should have crunchy, warm, salty, sour, soft flavors and the white bread complements it.
“It’s quite a lean meat so it needs to be cooked well and it’s plentiful here on the island.
“We’re lucky to have the abattoir and they do a lot of wallaby. It’s a great choice of meat. It’s healthy and sustainable.”
Spices and fillings all homemade
Mikey’s next tip is about seasoning. Can’t get enough of them and they have to go to the top and bottom of the sandwich.
He makes his own hot sauce mix of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard made with Dijon mustard, vinegar and olive oil.
A key ingredient is the addition of a crisp fresh salad, preferably locally grown.