Description
Taking inspiration from several cuisines that prominently feature lamb, this herbaceous lamb marinade is perfect on any cut of lamb you want to make like my smoked leg of lamb.
It features garlic, citrus, spices and herbs that combine for an explosion of flavor that pairs well with lamb and cuts through any gamey taste. It’s also amazing on chicken and shrimp!
Makes enough to marinate up to 5 lbs of meat or seafood.
Ingredients
Units Scale
- Zest and Juice of 2 Lemons
- 1 Whole Bulb of Garlic (microplaned, pressed, or finely chopped) see note 1
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary (finely chopped) see note 2
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Thyme (or 3 Tablespoons thyme leaves)
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano (see note 3)
- 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Table Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
Instructions
There’s not a whole lot of steps here, but the ingredients speak for themselves. They are truly greater than the sum of their parts, and this is probably my new favorite recipe.
- Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl
- Whisk until well incorporated
- Place up to 5 lbs of lamb, chicken, or shrimp in a gallon sized plastic zipper bag (or vessel of your choice) with all of the marinade and put in the fridge. For chicken and lamb…a few hours is good, a day is better, 2 days is best. For shimp, marinate for up to 2-3 hours
Notes
- I really like using a microplane (a.k.a. zester) for the garlic. Chopped is fine, but making more of a paste produces better results
- While I don’t mind using the dried version of many herbs, I highly suggest using fresh rosemary if you can. Also, when I say finely chopped I mean finely chopped. As a bonus, those little herb packets from the grocery store are just enough to make about 2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary
- I use Mexican oregano whenever I’m using oregano, but standard is fine
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Marinades
- Method: mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 41mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0g
This recipe was delicious. I make leg of lamb every year for Easter and this recipe was a game changer. My whole family and friends loved it.
I’m so glad to hear that! I am passionate about cooking food that people enjoy eating so I love hearing feedback like this. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry, neglected to rate in my earlier post
Thanks so much I really appreciate it and I’m so happy you liked it!
An absolutely superb marinade – thanks very much indeed for sharing it! I used it on a variety of lamb chops, on a braai (barbecue) and the meat was delicious. I didn’t have cumin but dry-fried some coriander seeds and then crushed those into the marinade, and I used fresh rosemary as suggested. Delicious indeed!
How long and what temp to bake @ pls?
Hi there. The full recipe details can be found here https://www.thekettleguy.com/smoked-leg-of-lamb/
Is that too much salt; 1 tablespoon?
It’s a big piece of meat and I definitely don’t find it to be too salty but definitely tweak it to your liking. I really appreciate you stopping by!
This looks delicious! Such great photos.