The bones may be a bit greasy from the marrow drippings, so be careful to grip them firmly so they don’t slip out of your hands. When you order bone marrow in a restaurant, it will traditionally be served with toasted bread and a small side salad. The salad is used as a palate cleanser and the bread is an accompaniment to the marrow.
When eating bone marrow, keep in mind that you won’t be eating any of the actual bone and should avoid any hard bits that may have come loose in the cooking process. Simply set any hard pieces off to the side. The action of scooping out marrow is similar to scooping out the insides of a zucchini or squash.
If you don’t have chopsticks, you may be able to use a knife or the tines of a fork, though those instruments may still not be able to fully get into the smaller crevices.
The salad paired with bone marrow is normally very light and should have a bright, citrus-based dressing.
Jameson Irish Whiskey is typically paired with bone marrow.
Bone marrow is normally a more expensive dish, and no one is going to fault you for relishing every last bit of it.
If you decide to use bone marrow that is unsliced, that is okay! You will cook it the same way and just use chopsticks or a small spoon to get the marrow out of the bone once it’s done cooking. If you are going to split the bone marrow at home yourself, you’ll need a meat clever or a band saw and a steady pair of hands.
The aluminum foil makes cleaning up a lot easier—there will be a lot of juices from the marrow that flow out once it starts cooking.
You definitely don’t have to include a garnish if you don’t want one! A lot of people enjoy bone marrow simply roasted with salt and no other garnishes. You could also add in other fresh herbs, like basil or even a little bit of cilantro.
Use fresh lemon juice if you can, but if you don’t have any then it’s okay to use bottled lemon juice. If you don’t like extra virgin olive oil, you could also use avocado, grape seed, or other oil alternatives. If you don’t like capers, try switching them out for the same amount of minced garlic.
If you’re nervous about over-salting, just add a thin coat to the marrow before you cook it. You can always add a pinch of sea salt to each bite of marrow if you find it needs a little more.
You can leave your oven tray at whatever level you usually use.
If you’re cooking unsliced bone marrow, cook it for the same amount of time but at 450 °F (232 °C). If you’re nervous about over-cooking the marrow, set your timer for 15 minutes and check it at that point to see if it needs more time. If it’s still hard, it needs to keep cooking.
In addition to tasting great, the garnish also adds a really nice pop of color to your plate which makes the presentation look even nicer.
If you have leftover parsley, you could even make a fresh, light tabouli to pair with the bone marrow.
Keep in mind that bone marrow is very rich, so you won’t want to pair it with other heavy foods, like potatoes or pastas.
Add the butter to the bone marrow before cooking or spread it onto the marrow once it comes out of the oven.
You could also use goat cheese (or even an herbed goat cheese) for another flavor component.
