Greek Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano

The addition of orange, oregano and anchovy fillets to the classic lamb marinade ingredients of lemon, garlic, oil and salt really elevates this lamb cutlets recipe to another level. The intensity of flavour is well worth the minimal effort to pull the marinade together, and the curlets are delicious as they are, or with a simple yoghurt-based dip. Perfect for the summer barbeque, though you can adapt to use the indoor grill if you prefer.

The recipe is one of three we are sharing from Aegean: Recipes from the Mountains to the Sea by Marianna Leivatitaki. Check out the courgette and feta fritters recipe we shared yesterday.

Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano

Read more about the book, and the many dishes our reviewer Nicky cooked from Aegean in the full review.

Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano
5 from 1 vote

Greek Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano

In Crete, we are mad about lamb cutlets. Every taverna in the mountains has them and will argue that theirs are the best you’ve ever had. A lot of the taverna owners in the small mountain villages have their own animals and, needless to say, the meat they have on offer is incredible. You usually go into their eateries/homes and sit down at a table. No menu is available; the owner will come and say what he has – meat, salad, olive oil chips, wild greens and that’s about it. A portion of meat is not really an option – they buy their cutlets by the kilo – so the taverna owner looks at the company around the table and quickly decides how many kilos you can manage. All that’s needed is salt, pepper, oregano and a well-lit charcoal grill. The cutlets come to the table piping hot with lots of lemon halves. It may just be the best thing ever. The marinade below strays away from the traditional simplicity a little but makes you want to eat these cutlets by the kilo – for sure! 

Author Marianna Leivatitaki

Ingredients

  • 1 kg 2lb 4oz lamb cutlets

For the marinade

  • 2 tbsp chopped thyme
  • 2 tbsp chopped rosemary
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • Zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
  • Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed orange
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt to taste

Instructions

  • Blitz all the marinade ingredients to a paste in a food processor. Put the cutlets in a dish and smother them with the paste. Place the dish in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
  • Light the barbecue and when the coals are red hot, cook the chops for a few minutes on each side. Make sure they don’t catch fire when grilling, but if they do, just splash some water on the coals.
  • When cooked, take off the heat, transfer to a platter and enjoy with a nice fresh salad. I also love serving the lamb cutlets with a spicy feta dip.

Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano

 

Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano and Chilled Yoghurt, Apricot and Pine Nut Dip (Aegean)

Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano and Chilled Yoghurt, Apricot and Pine Nut Dip (Nicky Bramley)

If you decide to buy this book after reading our content, please consider clicking through our affiliate link, located within the post and in the footnote at the end.

Kavey Eats received a review copy of Aegean: Recipes from the Mountains to the Sea by Marianna Leivatitaki from publishers Kyle Books (Octopus Group). Book cover provided by Kyle Books (photography ©  Elena Heatherwick). 

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3 Comments to "Greek Lamb Cutlets with Lemon and Oregano"

  1. Ade@515mm

    Hi,
    I used a cast-iron griddle pan rather than a BBQ (lazy), lamb leg steaks, (because that’s what I had in the fridge.) and half the recipe quantities (there’s only the two of us)

    A very nice recipe, smells lovely when it’s cooking and we had two very clean plates.
    A few notes…
    I wished I’d used a fatter cut of lamb, a bit less orange perhaps, though the lemon was quite small and a lot more salt than I did. The crispy bits of caramelized meat and fat were glorious, the rest ‘merely’ very nice.
    This is a reflection of my cookery, *not* the recipe. I cooked some bay & garlic scented roast potatoes, made some Tzatziki, served with green salad and marinaded tomatoes.

    When I do it again, I’ll definitely use a BBQ.

    It was very easy to make.

    Enjoy!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Thanks Ade and I loved seeing all your step-by-step photos of you making the recipe, over on Twitter. Great tips on sticking with a fattier cut of lamb and using the BBQ!

    Reply

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