Grilled Lamb Cutlets with Salsa Verde

Lamb cutlets rubbed with ground fennel and seared hard, so the fat crisps at the edges and the middle stays pink. Parsley and oregano pounded coarsely with garlic, capers, anchovy and lemon, loose enough to spoon over and sharp enough to cut through the fat. Pick up your cutlets from the Queen Victoria Market butchers, delivered to your door or via Click & Collect!

Serves 4. Cooking for 2? Just halve the ingredients.

Ingredients

Lamb

• 12 lamb cutlets, French-trimmed
• Olive oil, for brushing
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, finely ground
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• Salt

Salsa verde

• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, firmly packed and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons oregano, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons baby capers in vinegar, rinsed
• 2 anchovy fillets
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

To serve

• Baked potatoes or crusty bread

Method

1. Pound the parsley, oregano, garlic, capers, anchovies, lemon juice and vinegar to a coarse paste with a mortar and pestle. A food processor works but tends to go to sludge, and you want texture rather than purée.
2. Stir through the olive oil and season to taste. Set aside. It’s better after 10 minutes as the flavours settle.
3. Take the cutlets out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Meat at room temperature cooks evenly instead of staying cold in the middle.
4. Heat a barbecue or char-grill pan to high. It needs to be properly hot before the lamb goes near it, or you’ll grey the outside without getting a crust.
5. Brush the cutlets with olive oil, rub with the ground fennel seeds, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Grill for 2–3 minutes each side for medium-rare, turning once. Cutlets are thin and go from pink to well done fast, so stay with them.
7. Rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes. This lets the juices settle back through the meat rather than running out onto the board.
8. Serve with the salsa verde spooned over, and baked potatoes or crusty bread alongside.

Adapted from Gourmet Traveller