Aha! My glorious Moroccan Lamb Kabobs (Shashlik) recipe.
As I alluded to in my last blog post, we had a Moroccan themed dinner party on Saturday, that, according to some people in my life (Dave..) was a bit overly ambitious. I made these Moroccan Lamb Kabobs (or Shashlik which translates to skewerable), carrot and chickpea salad, and meat pies for appetizers, and chicken tagine, semolina bread, couscous and quinoa (for a gluten-free friend) for a main course. Everything turned out quite delicious. I still think I am searching for the *perfect* tagine, but the one I made was quite tasty and worth a share.
To start, I think one of the most successful recipes was the marinated lamb kabobs. I adapted a recipe from epicurious by adjusting some of the quantities and ingredients (I cut out dried apricots and onions. I feel that kabobs are much better when there is more meat, less vegetable, and the ingredients list is made much simpler. It’s a win-win.)
The only error I made was forgetting about the broiler while I was working on something else, and so the kabobs were slightly over-cooked. This is somewhat standard behavior which is a direct result of me attempting to do too much in the kitchen all at the same time. Anyone relate?
Despite this, the flavor of the marinade came through and was excellent! I would definitely recommend grilling if you have access (which we sadly do not).
(I know.. this still isn’t the tagine recipe… sorry for being such a tease).
This is lamb from my favorite butcher in San Diego- Iowa Meat Farms. They always have great fresh products and are very knowledgeable. This is lamb stew meat, which comes from the shoulder or shank. Alternatively I thought the marinade would work perfectly with some mini lamb rib chops on the grill for a more gourmet option.Look at that mint. And that cutting board. The cutting board was a surprise wedding gift that was not on our registry, but I absolutely love it. Thanks Laura! I like to mix all my marinades and vinaigrettes directly in a measuring cup so that you can get exact measurements and also so you don’t worry about dirtying multiple dishes! You will need to marinate the meat for several hours, or overnight. You want to make sure you keep it in a nice thing layer so that all the pieces are submerged. The lemon juice in the marinade helps tenderize the meat so giving the marinating process enough time is important.Look at those kabobs! Success on a spear.
This is some lamb-y goodness right here.
Moroccan Lamb Kabobs (Shashlik)
Equipment
- Metal or Wooden Skewers (soaked)
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb Lamb (rump or loin recommended) cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil (or Vegetable Oil is fine)
- 1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Fresh Mint chopped
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together marinade ingredients – oil, lemon juice, garlic, mint, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, in a bowl.
- Add meat to either a non-reactive dish or a large plastic bag, and pour marinade over top of the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Prior to cooking, thread lamb onto skewers (mine made about 4 skewers). If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak for about 15-20 minutes before threading.
- Preheat oven broiler to high. Place skewers on a broiler sheet (or a cooling rack fitted inside a baking tray) for a total of 6 minutes, flipping once to achieve medium rare.
This looks divine. So profreshional! 🙂
Those kebobs look deeelicious! When our snow melts I will have to try some on the grill!
Thanks!! You will definitely love them 🙂 the marinade is awesome