Breaded Lamb & Salsa Verde

I remember the first time I ate breaded lamb cutlets in a tapas bar in France. It was so delicious that I immediately started experimenting in the kitchen, wondering how I could make them even better.

The salsa verde in this recipe is delicious, it probably has a lot to do with the fresh herbs & spices. Fresh lemon, capers, mint, parsley and basil cannot go wrong when mixed together.

Breaded Lamb Cutlets & Salsa Verde:

Serves: 4 persons
Cooking Time: Prep time 15 mins, cook 10 mins

Ingredients:

For the breaded lamb cutlets:

– 2 lamb racks or 3 to 4 cutlets per person

– 100gr plain flour

– sea salt & fresh black pepper

– 1 egg

– 200gr fresh bread crumb

– a handfull of fresh mint, finely minced

– 1 tbsp capers, finely  minced

– 100ml olive oil

For the salsa verde:

– 2 garlic gloves

– a handful of capers

– a handful of pickles

– 2 handful of parsley

– 2 handful of basil

– 1 handful of fresh mint

– 1 tbsp of mustard

– 3tbsp of red wine vinegar

– juice of a 1/2 lemon

– 150ml olive oil

– sea salt & black pepper

Method:

Trim off any excess fat from each cutlet, and flatten them slightly with a meat mallet. They need to be approximately 5mm thick.

Combine the breadcrumbs with the mint, the capers and add a bit of salt and pepper.

Place the egg, the flour and breadcrumbs in 3 separate plates.

Coat the cutlets in flour, dip them into the slightly beaten egg, and finally coat them completely in the breadcrumb mixture.

Lay the cutlets flat on a tray while you are preparing the salsa verde.

Put all ingredients for the salsa in a food processor and grind them finely. And there you go! Your salsa verde is ready to serve. Reserve in the fridge.

Heat 100 ml oil in a frying pan and place the breaded cutlets in it. Bake them 2min on each side or until the breadcrumbs turns golden brown.

The cutlets should still be pink on the inside, so do not cook them for too long.

Serve with a small bowl of salsa verde on each plate, some salad with a squeezze of lemon, a tiny bit of olive oil and salt & pepper. Bon appétit!

Wine recommendation:

A Chianti Riserva (Italian red wine produced in Tuscany) will be perfect with these lamb cutlets.

The Dutch boyfriend’s opinion:

The smell of the lamb and the sound of the bread crust being cooked immediately alerted my spider senses. As I stealthily moved into the kitchen for a bite, the golden glow around what I knew would be delicious kept calling for me. Too bad I didn’t get very far: any access to the kitchen was blocked by a French woman with a spatula in her hand.

In the end the dish tasted very good and made me a happy man. The green sauce is full of flavor and feels very natural, augmenting the taste of bread crust and lamb alike. Good for a romantic diner without having to sacrifice essential meat proportions.

Rate: 8,5/10