Lamb

Pan-Fried Lamb Chops With Minted Pea Salad

by:
June 24, 2021
4.3
11 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Cook time 5 minutes
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

Here's a great recipe to start with if you're just learning how to cook lamb chops on the stove—which is, in my opinion, the easiest method. Not least because, when you've got a protein as small and as delicate as this, you really only need to pan-fry them for a couple minutes per side. This means, too, that you won't stink up your 250–square foot shoebox studio with meat fumes, nor will this short of a cooking time make much of a mess in terms of oil splatter.

My pan-fried lamb chops start with a spicy, herbaceous marinade, which lends nice flavor and tenderizes the meat. Then, they go straight into a heated nonstick or cast-iron skillet (no additional oil because there's oil in the marinade), followed by a cup of frozen peas you warm up right in the rendered lamb fat left over in the pan. This is a special but easy dinner for dates nights in ... with yourself. —Eric Kim

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: For Better, Juicier Lamb Chops, Use This Marinade. —The Editors

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • Lamb chops
  • 1 large jalapeño pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon malt vinegar (or any vinegar you have on hand)
  • 4 small lamb chops (about 1/2 pound)
  • Pea salad
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1 tablespoon malt vinegar (or any vinegar you have on hand)
  • 1 small handful fresh mint, roughly chopped
Directions
  1. Lamb chops
  2. In a food processor or blender, blitz the jalapeño, garlic, mint, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar until smooth. Place the lamb chops in a resealable plastic bag or glass container with about 1/4 cup of the marinade. Shmoosh around. Let sit overnight in the fridge if possible, or for at least an hour at room temperature.
  3. When ready to cook, heat a skillet over medium heat and brush excess marinade off lamb chops. Fry chops, 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until nicely charred on the outside and just cooked through on the inside (120°F for rare and closer to 145°F for well-done; add an extra minute per side if you prefer the latter). Plate, then prepare the pea salad.
  1. Pea salad
  2. Throw peas into the now empty, dirty pan (where the lamb chops have cooked) and season with salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until peas are warmed through. Garnish with the mint.
  3. Serve lamb chops alongside peas and the remaining marinade.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Eric Kim was the Table for One columnist at Food52. He is currently working on his first cookbook, KOREAN AMERICAN, to be published by Clarkson Potter in 2022. His favorite writers are William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, but his hero is Nigella Lawson. You can find his bylines at The New York Times, where he works now as a writer. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ericjoonho.

5 Reviews

Melissa Y. June 24, 2021
This may be one of the easiest and most delicious weeknight dinners ever! The marinade comes together in 5 minutes, and cooking the actual meal took about 10. Best part—minimal cleanup since it’s all one dish and a happy kiddo who decided he’s ok with lamb!
sjaneparker June 15, 2019
This recipe came together beautifully on the grill. I threw in some asparagus to make this the most English meal ever but with a scrummmy twist. Making again for Father's Day dinner.
Eric K. July 1, 2019
I'm so glad.
FrugalCat June 4, 2019
The peas after the lamb chops is a great idea. Not a fan of peas but it worked with green beans (cut ones).
Eric K. July 1, 2019
Delicious.