SPICE CRUSTED
LAMB CHOPS
With a Vinegar Habanero Cilantro Sauce
Beautifully crusted lamb ribs served with a bright and punchy cilantro sauce. A perfect summer special occasion meal!
Total Time : 1 hour
Spice Crusted Lamb in a Vinegar-Habanero Cilantro Sauce
Yield: 2-3
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 29 MinTotal time: 59 Min
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 rack of lamb, cut into even chops
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds (see note 1)
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds (see note 2)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Cilantro Sauce
- 1 cilantro bunch (discard the bottom ½ inch from the stems, but include the rest of the stems)
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 1 habanero (or part of one - adjust to your spice tolerance!!!)
- 4 green onion stalks (white and green parts)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Toast 1 tbsp coriander seeds and 1 tbsp cumin seeds over a medium flame until they become fragrant and the coriander seeds pick up some color. Let them cool before grinding into a coarse powder.
- Pour the spices onto a plate with 1 tsp garlic powder and ½ tsp salt.
- Coat each lamb chop by pressing them into the spices on all sides. Pat the spices into the meat, then gently brush off any excess spice mixture. Repeat for all pieces of lamb.
- Allow the lamb to rest for 10 minutes while making the base of the cilantro sauce. In a blender, combine 1 cilantro bunch, 5 garlic cloves, habanero (see note 2), 4 green onion stalks and ½ tsp salt). Blend until smooth.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a cast-iron skillet. Heat over a medium-high flame. Sear the lamb for 2-3 minutes per side (do not touch them before they’re ready to flip!!!).
- Cut the heat and transfer the lamb to a clean plate.
- Use a paper towel to remove any pools of oil/fat from the skillet. Set the flame to medium-low and add the cilantro sauce along with 2 tbsp white vinegar. Cook the sauce down for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add water as needed if the sauce gets too dry. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Serve the lamb with the sauce and a few lemon wedges.
Notes
- I prefer to grind my own spices for the recipe because 1. The flavor is better and 2. You can grind them into a coarse powder, which adds texture to the lamb. But, if you don’t have whole spices, you can definitely use pre-ground (1 tbsp of each). It’ll still be delicious!
- Habaneros are spicy!! If you’ve never worked with them, I would use ¼ of the pepper, blend, then taste and adjust accordingly. Keep in mind that cooking the sauce will decrease the spice level pretty significantly.