I learned to appreciate “weird” foods from the French side of my family. While my Southern/Scotch grandmother filled our bellies with her chili and soups, cookies and fudge sauce — the Caribbean/French side swooned over things like boudin noir (blood sausage), accras (codfish fritters), calves liver, and marrow. In fact, once when I was ten, my grandmother, Madou, served a whole calves brain topped with tomato sauce for dinner one night. Picture that… and then picture my horrified 10-year-old response.
However, the boudin noir is amazing. I still love calves liver, the accras is a family-wide favorite and I always claim any leftover marrow bones from dinner.
For those of you who’ve decided to stick around, you’re gonna love this. 
My first recollections of marrow came from my grandfather who would always greedily pick the beef bones from the pot or platter and noisily suck the marrow out. It’s like intense umami butter – with a fatty richness that coats your tongue. I can’t get enough – so much so – that whenever I see them on a menu or in the market, I get them.
Restaurants can source the long bones and butcher them vertically, like a long narrow serving dish for the heavenly marrow. Diners scoop out the marrow and spread it on bread or toast points. My butcher doesn’t cut the bones vertically, so I work with the cross cut bones and that’s just fine. I like to rub a little garlic on grilled bread and finish with fresh parsley and a little lemon zest – kind of like a gremolata. With a glass of red wine or bubbly, it’s positively DECADENT!
How to Prepare and Serve Bone Marrow
1. Preheat the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Prepare the Marrow Bones
- Place the marrow bones cut-side-up on the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with kosher salt.
3. Roast the Marrow Bones
- Roast the bones in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The marrow should be soft and starting to pull away from the bone.
4. Grill the Bread
- While the bones are roasting, heat a grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F / 200°C).
- Grill the bread slices on both sides until browned and crisp, with some charred bits for added flavor.
- Transfer the grilled bread to a sheet pan.
- Rub one side of each bread slice lightly with the raw garlic clove. The crispy bread will act as a grater, infusing it with garlic aroma and flavor.
5. Prepare the Garnish
- Finely chop fresh parsley.
- Zest a lemon.
6. Serve the Marrow Bones
- When the marrow bones are done roasting, transfer them to a serving platter.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon zest.
7. Enjoy!
- Serve the marrow bones with the grilled garlic toasts.
- Use a small spreader knife to scoop out the marrow and spread it on the bread, like butter.
- Enjoy immediately while warm.
Recipe Notes
- Bone Marrow Cut Lengthwise: If your marrow bones are cut lengthwise, adjust the roasting time to about 15 minutes. The marrow should still be soft and pull away from the bone easily.
- Garlic Flavor: Don’t overdo the garlic rubbing; a light touch gives the perfect hint of flavor.
How to Prepare and Serve Bone Marrow at Home
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Rich, buttery bone marrow, simply roasted and served with crispy garlic toast. A sophisticated yet easy appetizer.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (907 g) marrow bones
- 0.25-0.5 tsp kosher salt
- 4-5 slices bread from a boule or country loaf with a sturdy crust
- 1 clove garlic
- Chopped parsley
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
For the Soup
- Place the marrow bones cut-side-up on the foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Roast the bones in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The marrow should be soft and starting to pull away from the bone.
- While the bones are roasting, heat a grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F / 200°C). Grill the bread slices on both sides until browned and crisp, with some charred bits for added flavor. Transfer the grilled bread to a sheet pan. Rub one side of each bread slice lightly with the raw garlic clove.
- Finely chop fresh parsley. Zest a lemon.
- When the marrow bones are done roasting, transfer them to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon zest.
- Serve the marrow bones with the grilled garlic toasts. Use a small spreader knife to scoop out the marrow and spread it on the bread, like butter. Enjoy immediately while warm.
Notes
- For richer flavor, soak the marrow bones in cold water for 30 minutes before roasting.
- If you don’t have a grill, you can toast the bread in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown and crispy.
- Leftover roasted marrow can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and enjoyed cold or reheated.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bone
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 200
- Fat: 22
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 10
- Cholesterol: 100
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Frequently Asked Questions
What type of bones should I use for bone marrow?
You can use cross cut beef bones, as they are widely available, or if you can find them, long bones cut vertically for better presentation.
How do I prepare the grilled bread to serve with the marrow?
Rub the grilled bread with a little garlic and finish it with fresh parsley and lemon zest to enhance the flavor.
Can I use any type of fat to spread on the bread instead of marrow?
While marrow offers a unique richness, if you don’t have it, consider using a high-quality butter or a spread made with similar umami flavors, but it won’t replicate the experience.
I love bone marrow, and this is such a great guide to cooking them!
Mix the roasted marrow with soft homemade or grass fed butter. Spread on fresh bread.
That’s probably the best butter in the world, Jill! :D
First time making bone marrow, and it turned out amazing. Thanks for the clear instructions!
This was my first time eating bone marrow, and I’m hooked. The flavors were incredible.
Can I boil the marrow like I do with ham hocks
You can, but that would sort of defeat the purpose. By roasting or grilling, they get a slightly crispy surface and a succulent interior.
Absolutely stunning. Suggestions on leftover marrow? Serve warm or cold like butter? I will toss the bones into a pot with aromatics for bone stock.
There will be no leftovers!
Drizzle some oil on top and pour those over our steaks to get the seasoning and flavors before drizzling it on top of the bone marrow serving plate. Sooo good.
I read that you have to soak the marrow bones first for 24 hours to remove impurities and blood …is that what you did ?
I do not think that is necessary unless you are getting the bones unprocessed/packaged.
Hi Mimi,
I’ve been eating and cooking bone marrow for a long time. No need to soak. If it’s from a clean butcher or grocery store, there shouldn’t be any ‘impurities’.
Enjoy!
Not required, no. The 24-hour soak is mostly a restaurant thing for when you want that pristine white presentation for service. At home you can skip it and the marrow still tastes exactly the same — just a touch less pretty visually.
This is awesome! I have learned so much!!! Thanks u so much
Just bought a bunch of marrow bones.Ill try anything .Thanks for telling me how to prepare and eat them. I remember my German mother using them as dumplinss in her FAMOUS soups. Had baked marrows in fancy eateries all over Europe and ENJOYED them ! Guten appetit, to me .
I have never tried bone marrow before, but saw it on Bar Rescue, and everyone who was eating it, was very complimentary on the taste. Do I looked it up and your recipe came up and it does sound delicious and I am going to give it a try. Thank you.
I bought some frozen. Do you thaw first or cook from frozen??
Thanks!
I’d thaw them overnight in the fridge. Cooking from frozen is possible but you lose control of the render — the outside overcooks while the center is still cold, and the marrow gets grainy.
I make it with spinach. Like oyster Rockefeller the best
Tried this recipe and served with slightly toasted buttery garlic rolls. Yum!!
huh, the oyster rockefeller angle is clever. I might try a few breadcrumbs and butter on top and run it under the broiler for the last minute.
If the butcher cuts the marrow bones in one or one and a half inch rounds, which side is cut side up when placing on the foil lines baking sheet? Just wondering. The pictures show them cut in rounds not cut oblong like a baguette.
I would put the side that exposes the marrow the most to the oven heat UP.
Today I found (and bought) eight marrow spoons from a junk/antique shop. I’m dying to get home to order some bones from my butcher. He loves a challenge. What a great starter it will be.