Beef

Roasted Marrow Bones with Parsley Salad & Toast

February 26, 2018
4.3
3 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

If you eat meat and haven't tried this—you must, at least once. It doesn't get much easier than roasting marrow bones, whose centers, in a high-temp oven, practically turn into pudding. Spread this onto charred toast, top with a bracing parsley salad, and don't hold back on the crunchy salt. You should be able to find the bones at any butcher counter—either split lengthwise into canoes or chopped into tree trunks, both around 4 inches. —Emma Laperruque

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: Roasting Marrow Bones at Home Is Way Easier Than We Expected —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds beef or veal marrow bones
  • 1 shallot, very thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 2 cups barely chopped parsley leaves
  • 1 tablespoon drained capers
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cornichons (about 5 pickles)
  • Rustic bread, thickly sliced
  • Flaky salt, for sprinkling
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 450° F. Line a sheet tray with foil. Add the marrow bones—canoes like they're swimming, trees like they're growing. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the marrow is hot and bubbly.
  2. Meanwhile, make the parsley salad. Combine the shallot, vinegar, and salt in a big bowl. Add the parsley, capers, and cornichons. Don’t toss.
  3. Toast the bread any which way: in a toaster, in a pan, under the broiler, on the grill. You can butter or oil it, but it's not necessary, since the marrow is so rich.
  4. When the marrow is ready, pull from the oven and sprinkle with flaky salt. Add the olive oil to the parsley salad and toss. Serve the marrow with the teeniest spoon you have, plus the parsley salad and toast alongside.

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Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

2 Reviews

FrugalCat March 2, 2018
My mom and I love marrow. We would suck out the center of the bones like a secret at family dinners. My dad and brother would not be interested in the marrow. And although you only get a tiny bit, lamb marrow is the absolute best.
Sauertea February 27, 2018
Sounds amazing. My grandmother used to make what she called boiled beef in the pressure cooker. It was marrow bones, beef and vegetables. The best part was the marrow spread on bread and sprinkled with salt. This seems much easier but no less flavorful!