Recipe Harriet Boucher, Images Ashlee DeCaires
The girls in my family love crumbed lamb chops; Dad not so much. They were often on the menu on his Tuesday bike nights. I’ve stepped them up a level by marinating them in salsa verde to add the extra zing we all need in winter.
Ingredients
½ cup mint, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp capers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
zest and juice of a lemon
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper
6–10 lamb loin chops
1–1½ cups of breadcrumbs
2 eggs, whisked
¼ cup flour
knob of butter
vegetable oil
Place the mint, parsley, capers, garlic, lemon, olive oil and some salt and pepper into a blender or food processor. Blitz until a smooth paste is achieved. Rub the salsa verde all over the lamb chops and leave to marinade overnight or for at least 4 hours.
Set up your crumbing station with the egg, flour and crumbs all in separate bowls. Start by coating the chops in flour, then egg, then crumbs, making sure each layer is fully coated. Set aside on a plate until all chops are crumbed.
In a cast iron or non-stick pan, heat a good knob of butter and glug of vegetable oil over a medium heat. Once hot, but not smoking, carefully place the chops in the pan. Make sure the oil is bubbling around the edges, if not, add another dash in. Control the heat. You don’t want the crumb to burn.
Let the chops cook on one side until the crumb is golden, then flip over. They may also need to be turned on their side to crisp up the thick edge. Once golden on all sides, the lamb should be cooked through.
