Lamb Chops With Green Tomatoes

Name: Lamb Chops With Green Tomatoes
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 (1-inch thick) bone-in shoulder lamb chops or boneless sirloin lamb chops; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed; 2 large shallots, chopped; 6 anchovy fillets; 3 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes (2 to 3 tomatoes); 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 to 2 teaspoons honey, to taste; 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(356)
Comments: Read comments

Lamb chops cooked with tomatoes is traditional, but less so when the tomatoes are green. Here, unripe, green tomatoes add acidity, which works nicely with the rich gaminess of the shoulder chops. If you can’t get green tomatoes, you can make this with the half-green, half-red tomatoes, the kind that haven’t fully ripened on the vine before they need to be picked in advance of a frost. In a pinch you can even use tomatillos or bland, out-of-season supermarket tomatoes, which will add the necessary juiciness and vegetable matter to the pan if not the same complexity of flavor (a squeeze of lemon would help). In any case, make sure to taste before stirring in the honey, since the acid content of tomatoes varies widely. And if you aren’t a lamb lover but are wondering what to do with a plethora of green tomatoes, you can make this recipe with pork chops; just add a few minutes to the cooking time.

Featured in: Green Tomatoes Get a ‘Go’ Signal From Lamb

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

4(1-inch thick) bone-in shoulder lamb chops or boneless sirloin lamb chops
2teaspoons ground coriander
1½teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
½teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
2large shallots, chopped
6anchovy fillets
3½cups diced green tomatoes (2 to 3 tomatoes)
2garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2teaspoons honey, to taste
½cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

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Step 1
Season lamb chops with coriander, salt and pepper. If you have time, let meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Step 2
Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; once it thins and runs all over the pan, add lamb. Cook meat, without moving, until undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook other side until golden, about 2 minutes more. It should still be very rare inside. Transfer lamb to a plate.
Step 3
Return skillet to heat and lower flame to medium. Stir in shallots and anchovies. Cook, stirring, until anchovies dissolve, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook until tomatoes are almost softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in honey. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 4
Push tomatoes to side of skillet. Place lamb back in center of skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook lamb to taste, about 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare (or longer if you like). To serve, spoon tomatoes over chops, garnish generously with basil and drizzle with more olive oil.

Ratings

5 out of 5

356 user ratings

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Comments

TC7 years ago

We used a mix of green-to-ripe tomatoes. In fact, we made this recipe because we were overwhelmed with tomatoes. It was really outstanding. Will definitely make this again.

Steph6 years ago

Fantastic use of my end of season green garden tomatoes. To make ahead, in the morning I made the recipe up to the return of the chops to the pan, then cooled and refrigerated covered. That evening I reheated the covered pan, then flipped the chops until heated through. Voila! Perfect medium chops and killer green tomato accompaniment.

AV7 years ago

Great recipe! I'm not a lover of anchovies so I substituted about 2-3 tablespoons of capers. It still tasted fantastic! Will definitely make again.

Liz1 week ago

Great flavor! Incredibly easy. This one is a nice weekday meal that still feels like a treat

GMH7 months ago

Substituted tomatoes with tomatillos and paired with cubed and seasoned roasted potatoes side dish. Drizzle juices from skillet for richer flavor.

palo brea3 months ago

@GMH I was curious if could use tomatillos. Was it a hit?

My Notes7 months ago

3rd time we have made this and always surprised by its restaurant quality. Be brave. Coat the lamb in cumin and salt. Don’t ignore the part at the end when it says to cover. Added 2tsps of honey and 2.5tsps of capers instead of anchovies. Absolutely stunning meal. Made with NYT recipe Cumin steak with kale, fennel, and raisin salad. Husband’s tension about potatoes/starch not needed. Great with just the salad and 2-3 chops each.

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