Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Backstrap with Jewelled Couscous Salad
My favourite way to eat lamb—beautifully spiced, seared until golden, and served over a vibrant jewelled couscous salad. The salad is packed with so many delicious flavours and textures—sweet bursts of dried apricots and cranberries, crunchy pine nuts, creamy feta, and plenty of fresh herbs to tie it all together. I love my lamb on the rarer side, but cook it however you like. A sprinkle of Lake Deborah Salt brings everything together for the perfect bite!
Serves 2
Ingredients
150g couscous
2 tsp chicken stock powder
250 g just-boiled water
400 g lamb backstrap
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
50g dried apricots, chopped
50g dried cranberries
3 tbsp pine nuts
150g feta, crumbled
½ bunch coriander, finely chopped
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Method
Place the couscous and stock powder in a bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Stir to combine, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of salt, cumin, pepper, allspice, cinnamon and ground coriander. Lay the lamb on a clean surface and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the lamb and coat in the spice mix.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, cook the lamb for 4 minutes on each side (core temp should be ~59°C)." Transfer to a plate to rest while you prepare the rest of the salad, then cut into 2cm thick slices.
Once the couscous has absorbed all the liquid, fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Stir through the dried apricots, cranberries, pine nuts, feta, coriander, parsley and lemon zest. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, season with a pinch of salt. Transfer the couscous salad to your preferred serving dish and top with the sliced lamb.
This recipe was brought to you by Lake Deborah Salt