Lemongrass-Crusted Lamb Chops with Herb Salad
Holy smokes … this Lemongrass-Crusted Lamb Chops with Herb Salad is bursting with flavor! Each bite is like a total flavor-bomb awakening the senses. The crust on the lamb has the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and salty components that all work together harmoniously. And the limey herb salad completes the taste bud sensations with a refreshingly tart finish. And bonus, most of the prep work for this dish is done ahead of time.
Jump to RecipeWet Rub Ingredients
Organize and prep all ingredients for the Wet Rub. Rough chop lemongrass, shallots, garlic, and ginger. Measure cumin, sugar, salt, turmeric, cayenne, and water.
Making the Wet Rub
Purée all Wet Rub ingredients in a food processor, scraping down the side occasionally, until it’s as smooth as possible, about 2 minutes. (Paste will not be completely smooth.)
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add lemongrass paste, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until paste begins to thicken and becomes fragrant, 8 to 12 minutes (I cooked mine for 10 mins). Transfer paste to a bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Rack of Lamb – Prepping and Roasting
While paste is cooling, trim fat off rack of lamb (or even better, have your butcher do it!) and pat dry. Place rack of lamb on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet or in a pan. Then spoon paste all over the top of the rack. Cover lamb with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight – at least 12 and up to 24 hours. Remove lamb from refrigerator 1/2 hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 425 degrees on the Roast setting. Use Bake if your oven doesn’t have Roast. Cook lamb for 15 minutes undisturbed for medium-rare. (If your rack of lamb weighs more than 1 1/2 lbs, you will need to cook it longer.) Remove lamb from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into individual or double chops.
Herb Salad
While lamb is cooking, mix together lime zest and juice, remaining 1/4 cup oil, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
Lemongrass-Crusted Lamb Chops with Herb Salad
Place lamb chops on a platter and spoon herb salad over chops.
Lemongrass-Crusted Lamb Chops with Herb Salad
Ingredients
- 1 rack of lamb approx. 1 1/4- 1 1/2 pounds, trimmed of fat
Wet Rub
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 fresh lemongrass stalks root ends trimmed and tough outer leaves removed and discarded from each, each stalk cut in half vertically then whacked with the flat side of a knife, and rough chopped
- 2 large shallots rough chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves rough chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger skin removed and rough chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking wet rub
Herb Salad
- 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh lime zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Purée lemongrass, cumin, shallots, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, turmeric, cayenne, and water in a food processor, scraping down the side occasionally, until it's as smooth as possible, about 2 minutes. (Paste will not be completely smooth.)
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add lemongrass paste, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until paste begins to thicken and becomes fragrant, 8 to 12 minutes (I cooked mine for 10 mins). Transfer paste to a bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- While paste is cooling, trim fat off rack of lamb (or even better, have your butcher do it!) and pat dry. Place rack of lamb on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet or in a pan. Then apply paste all over the top of the rack. Cover lamb with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight – at least 12 and up to 24 hours.
- Take lamb out of refrigerator 1/2 hour prior to cooking.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees on the Roast Setting. Use Bake, if your oven doesn't have Roast.
- Cook lamb for 15 minutes undisturbed for medium-rare, internal temp of 125-130 degrees. (If your rack of lamb weighs more than 1 1/2 lbs, you will need to cook it longer).
- While lamb is cooking, mix together lime zest and juice, remaining 1/4 cup oil, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove lamb from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into individual or double chops.
- Place lamb chops on a platter and spoon herb salad over chops.
Notes
Recipe from Epicurious.com and slightly modified by me.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these other GFchow recipes. Mustard-Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb, Sizzled Lamb Chops with Browned Garlic Cloves, and Lemongrass Chicken.
GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER
The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.
