Perfectly moist and crispy Greek Lamb Skewers are the best addition to a summer evening BBQ this summer. You can either make these on the grill, or in a regular pot. Either way, they are simple to make, will taste delicious and are a great option for a light, summer dinner.
What is the secret to these Greek Lamb Skewers?
Let’s not make a big fuss about it – the secret lies in its seasoning. The lamb gets strongly seasoned with lots of flavorful, fresh herbs, like thyme and oregano, and spices, like paprika and ground cumin, and of course, lots of garlic and lemon. You want the meat to really take in all of these flavors, and therefore, let it marinate for at least 4 hours. The meat will be loaded with Mediterranean flavors and it is definitely worth trying.
It’s worthwhile to create the delicious, traditional Tzatziki sauce to give it an even greater Greek-style touch, and a super fresh note.
How to make these skewers
As mentioned above, it’s worth taking your time to let the meat chill in the marinade, to get the full Mediterranean flavor out of this dish.
For this recipe, I added typical Greek veggies like red onions, peppers, and zucchini to the skewers. You can replace these with any of your other favorite vegetables as long as they have about the same cooking time. Make sure, and this is suuuper important, that you cut the veggies and the meat the same size. Otherwise, you’ll end up with some parts that are completely browned and others that are still raw.
Happy BBQing!
GREEK LAMB SKEWERS
INGREDIENTS
Lamb
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely grated
- 6 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano finely chopped
- 1 tsp paprika ground
- 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- A little black pepper
- 350 g lamb shoulder cut into 3 cm (1.18 inch) cubes
Tzatziki sauce
- 1 cucumber peeled and seeds removed
- 200 g natural yogurt
- 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil plus more for garnishing
- 2 pinches of coarse sea salt
- A little black pepper
Vegetables
- 2 small red onions
- 1 pepper
- 2 small zucchini
Skewers/ To roast
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp salt
- A little black pepper
- 8 wooden or metal skewers
INSTRUCTIONS
Lamb
- For the marinade, mix all the ingredients up to, and including, the black pepper in a large bowl, set aside 4 tablespoons of the marinade for the vegetables. Add lamb pieces to the marinade, mix well, cover and set to chill in the fridge for 4 hours.
Tzatziki sauce
- Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds with a teaspoon. Finely grate the cucumber, place on a clean kitchen towel, wrap the towel around it, and squeeze over the sink to remove any excess water from the cucumber. Place in a medium-sized bowl. Add the yogurt.
- Mix the garlic with the white wine vinegar, add to the cucumber in the bowl. Add in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix until everything is well-incorporated. Cover and put it in the fridge to chill.
Vegetables
- When cutting the vegetables, make sure to cut them the same size as the lamb, so you can evenly roast them.
- Peel and quarter the onions. Make sure not to separate the onion layers from each other. Halve and deseed the pepper, and cut into approx. 3 cm (1 inch) squares. Cut the zucchini into 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick slices. Toss the pepper and the zucchini slices into the reserved marinade.
Skewers/ to roast
- Remove the lamb pieces from the marinade, draining any excess marinade. Thread the meat and vegetables onto the skewers*. Salt and pepper on both sides.*If you use wooden skewers, moisten them with water before you thread the meat and vegetables on them. It will be easier to remove the meat from the skewers and this way, you make sure that the skewers do not burn.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a deep, non-stick frying pan, add the skewers and sauté for 4 minutes on high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and sauté, for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are al dente and the lamb is still slightly red on the inside.
- Serve with Tzatziki sauce.
Looking for something to serve these Greek Lamb Skewers with? Try Persian Crispy Rice (Thadig) – it will make your BBQ night unique!
