Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Lamb Souvlaki Recipe
Lamb Souvlaki skewers are Greek kebabs with daring garlic-lemon-oregano flavour. Sensational flavours for lamb! The scent once they hit the grill are to-die-for. Make wraps with pita bread or plates with lemon rice or Greek lemon potatoes.
Souvlaki is actually Greek quick meals however to think about these being in comparison with McDonald’s is considerably laughable as a result of howdy! Succulent items of tender lamb infused with vibrant lemon flavours, a stack of garlic, and earthy oregano, that smells so outrageously good as they prepare dinner you’ll be able to’t assist however seize one straight off the grill and eat it scorching, straight off the stick…..
Nope. That isn’t the response anyone has at Maccers!
So, make this to your subsequent gathering or marinade it at this time to serve for dinner tomorrow. Let’s carry a bit little bit of Greece to your desk!
Souvlaki is all in regards to the marinade which tenderises the lamb and infuses it with attractive daring, lemony, intensely garlicky flavours.
Greatest lamb for lamb souvlaki
I feel most individuals affiliate lamb leg with roasting, however it’s sensational for fast cooking like steak when it’s butterflied or minimize into cubes like we do with souvlaki. Fantastically tender and juicy, particularly after marinating, with nice lamb flavour.
Boneless lamb leg – For ease of slicing, I exploit boneless lamb leg which is actually simply your favorite roast leg of lamb with the bone minimize out. It’s available at grocery shops and butchers right here in Australia.
Different cuts that can be utilized:
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Lamb backstrap doesn’t have nearly as good a lamb flavour and is a bit too lean for an excellent souvlaki, for my part. Higher to prepare dinner it complete and slice (like on this recipe) however it may be used, if you’d like.
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Lamb chops – Thick minimize juicy chops, like chump chops and forequarter chops, will work (see this recipe for what they appear like) however there’s numerous bone and fats that wants trimming.
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Lamb cutlets – I personally wouldn’t use expensive lamb cutlets – too costly! Additionally, they’re too skinny (except you chop the meat off a lamb rack however I don’t know anybody who’s obtained the finances to make use of a premium roast like that for one thing like souvlaki!).
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Chicken – See right here for the Chicken Souvlaki recipe.
Not appropriate – Gradual cooking cuts like lamb shoulder and shanks aren’t appropriate as a result of they are going to be powerful when cooked on this method.
LAMB SOUVLAKI Marinade
Subsequent, right here’s what you want for the marinade. Lemon juice and vinegar helps tenderise meat however the bottom line is to make use of the correct amount of every plus sufficient olive oil else the acid can “prepare dinner” the lamb (makes it flip white like ceviche) or make the meat flip leathery as an alternative of tender.
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Lemon – We use each the zest and juice. The zest provides nice lemon flavour whereas the juice provides tang and performs an element in tenderising the meat.
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White wine vinegar – Provides the meat tenderising one other serving to hand. It’s much less harsh than lemon juice. One other wonderful meat marinade tenderiser. White wine vinegar is finest right here as a result of it’s extra gentle than different clear vinegars and is produced from wine so the flavour is on-point for souvlaki. However you’ll be able to substitute with comparable vinegars like apple cider vinegar, purple wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.
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Further virgin olive oil – That is to cut back the tanginess from the lemon and vinegar as stopping the meat from “cooking” as a result of acid in these components.
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Garlic and dried oregano – Two Greek favourites! We use an excellent, daring quantity of each.
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Bay leaves – For much more flavour. I like utilizing recent as a result of you’ll be able to crush them in your hand to launch flavour. Dried bay leaves can be utilized too however don’t crush them as a result of they’ll disintegrate.
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Salt – To season the meat inside.
Minimal marinating time of 12 hours is important to make sure the marinade works its magic to tenderise and infuse flavour! 24 hours is right. 🙂
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Trim extra fats and minimize the lamb into meaty 2.5cm / 1” cubes. I discover the best manner to do that is to chop into thick 2.5cm / 1” slices, trim the fats off, then minimize into cubes.
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Stated cubes.
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Marinate – Combine the marinade in a bowl then combine within the lamb. Refrigerate for at the very least 12 hours, as much as 24 hours. You’ll discover the lamb turns into a bit white on the floor which is as a result of acid within the lemon and vinegar starting to “prepare dinner” the lamb on the 24 hour mark. That is tenderising in motion!
TIPS: To marinate for longer, add 2 further tablespoons of olive oil to dilute the acid so the lamb doesn’t get “cooked”. The marinated meat can be frozen and cooked at a later date – instructions within the recipe card.
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Thread onto skewers. I often make 12 skewers with 3 to 4 items on every.
TIPS: If aspiring to prepare dinner on the BBQ utilizing wood or bamboo skewers, soak the skewers in water for half-hour to forestall them from burning and prepare dinner on the flat iron aspect of your BBQ. If utilizing the grill line aspect, it’s finest to make use of metallic skewers as wood skewers can catch on fireplace simply.
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The lamb items ought to have an excellent sear on them, and be blushing pink inside for medium uncommon. To be actual, use a meat thermometer and intention for an inside temperature of 60°C/140°F for medium uncommon (blushing pink, optimum juiciness).
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Pile onto a platter with serving fixings of selection – to make wraps, eat scorching straight off the sticks or to make plates! See subsequent part under for concepts.
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Both manner, an enormous smear of tzatziki is important – although I’m keen on hummus too and if each these choices are simply too onerous, I’ll resort to a fast lemon-yogurt-olive oil sauce that takes 30 seconds flat to make. (In fact I’ll pop it within the recipe for you!)
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Make plates – One other method to serve Souvlaki is to make plates with a pile of scorching, steamy Greek Lemon Rice topped with freshly grilled Lamb Souvlaki and an enormous pile of juicy Greek Salad on the aspect. Or, different Greek sides – equivalent to Greek Risoni Salad or Greek Lemon Potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg/ 2.4 lb boneless lamb leg , fat trimmed, cut into 2.5cm/1” cubes (~900g / 1.8lb after trimming) (Note 1)
- 1 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 8 – 12 skewers , wooden or bamboo
- 5 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 3 fresh bay leaves , crushed in hand (or 2 dried kept whole)
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 4 – 6 pita bread , warmed or toasted (or easy homemade flatbreads)
- 1 batch tzatziki (from my Gyros recipe) or Lemon Yogurt Sauce (Note 3)
- Greek salad (chop small for stuffing) or shredded lettuce and tomato slices
- Greek lemon rice (to make plates instead of wraps)
Instructions
- Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat.
- Marinate in fridge for 12 – 24 hours.
- Skewer – Remove meat from marinade and thread 3 to 4 pieces on each to make 12 skewers, or 5 to make 8 larger skewers (pictured in post).
- Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper. (This really makes a difference to the finished dish, better than just in the marinade).
- Cook – Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook half the skewers for 3 minutes, turn then cook the other side for 3 minutes until nicely seared (target internal temp 60°C/140°F for medium rare, optimum juiciness).
- Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining skewers.
- Soak skewers – Soak wood/bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes if planning to cook on the BBQ (prevents burning). My skewers are 18cm/7” which fit in a pan (stove cooking).
- Preheat BBQ to medium high. Flat iron hot plate is safer for wooden skewers (so they don't catch fire) else use metal skewers on the grill side.
- Skewer, oil & season – Skewer per above. Drizzle with the oil (so it doesn't stick to the BBQ) then sprinkle both sides with the salt and pepper.
- BBQ cook for 3 minutes on each side.
- Pile Souvlaki onto a serving platter for DIY wraps with tzatziki (from this recipe), toasted pita bread and Greek salad (chopped small), or shredded lettuce and tomato slices. Else, make plates with lemon rice and a Greek Salad!
Notes
1. Lamb cut – I like leg the best for tender, juicy meat (especially after marinating!) and great lamb flavour. It tends to come with a thick layer of fat which is best trimmed.
Thick cut lamb chops will also work. Lamb back strap is leaner and just isn’t as juicy. Lamb shoulder, shanks and other slow cooking cuts are not suitable for this recipe. I can’t afford to use lamb cutlets or lamb rack for a recipe like this!
2.BBQ – If grilling on a BBQ, it’s safest to use the flat iron side for wooden skewers. Else, use metal skewers so you can cook on the grill side (ie slats type).
3. Lemon yogurt sauce – Mix yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice, slosh of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Leftovers will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. For a make-ahead freezer option, put the lamb in the marinade then freeze. Thaw 24 hours – the meat will marinade as it thaws. Then thread and cook per recipe.
Nutrition is per skewer (excludes fixings). An estimation only – it’s always hard to say how much salt and oil in the marinade actually ends up in the finished dish.
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