Grilled Lamb Loin Chops with Blackberry Salsa

5 from 1 vote

Grilled Lamb Loin Chops with Blackberry Salsa

This recipe is truly restaurant worthy thanks to its Southwestern flavors and that wonderful blackberry salsa. The recipe has been adapted from The Southwestern Grill cookbook.

Prep Time25

Cook Time22

Marinating Time2

Total Time2 47

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Southwestern

Keyword: blackberry, grilled lamb, lamb, lamb chops, lamb loin chops

Servings: servings

Author: Lori Lange

Ingredients

SALSA:

2 large yellow bell peppers
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup roughly mashed fresh blackberries (can use thawed frozen too)
⅔ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 medium fresh habanero chile, stemmed and minced (can sub jalapeno)
¾ teaspoon salt

LAMB CHOPS:

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
8 well-trimmed (about 2 pounds total) lamb loin chops
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

PREPARE THE SALSA:

Roast the bell peppers on a preheated grill or under a preheated broiler, turning occasionally, until the peel is lightly but evenly charred.
Transfer to a paper bag, close tightly and steam until cool.
Rub away the burned peel, stem and core the pepper, and chop.
In a medium bowl, combine the chopped pepper, orange juice, blackberries, onion, lime juice, habanero and salt. Cover and let stand at room temperature to blend the flavors for 2 hours. Adjust seasoning before serving.

MAKE THE LAMB CHOPS:

In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, warm the oil. When it is hot, add 1¼ cups of the salsa (it may spatter slightly). Stir in the honey and garlic. Simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until the salsa has thickened slightly and looks more cooked than raw, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Reserve ½ cup of the blackberry mixture.
In a 13x9-inch pyrex pan, combine the remaining blackberry mixture and chops. Cover and marinate, turning once or twice, for 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. (Return the chops to room temperature if chilled).
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Lift the chops from the marinade and lay them on the rack. Cover and grill, turning the chops once and basting them with the marinade, until it is used up and the meat is done to your liking, about 9 minutes total for medium-rare lamb.
Transfer the chops to a platter or to individual plates. Season with salt and pepper and spoon the reserved blackberry sauce on top of the chops, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.

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