Green Harissa Grilled Lamb Chops are Earthy and Delicious

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Green Harissa Grilled Lamb Chops have an herb filled delicious sauce with a kick on top of perfectly grilled lamb chops. This green harissa contains spinach, parsley, mint, and oregano and no cilantro.

 

I want to love sauces like chimichurri, harissa, zhoug, and chermoula. But, sadly, they all call for cilantro. Yes. I’m one of THOSE people. I can tell if cilantro was in the same proximity of a bowl of salsa. I’m that sensitive to this controversial herb. I’m calling it that because it usually sparks many love it or hate it conversations. Some conversations even splitting families in two. Like mine. I was the ONLY one in my family that did not like cilantro.

 

The first time I tasted it was a chili pot lot at a local club Dad and I used to go to. We brought Cincinnati chili which I love. And someone else brought white chicken chili. You see where this is going? I thought it was parsley. I had never even heard of cilantro until that moment in time. I took a bite and almost spit it out all over the floor of the meeting room. Actually, I almost tossed my cookies after tasting it. That was my introduction to cilantro. And it hasn’t gotten any better since then. I still abhor it.

 

 

But all of those delicious sauces call for cilantro, which sucks. That means I miss out on all those delicious toppings for grilled meats. Unless I alter them and remove the cilantro and add more parsley or add in other herbs like I did for my Chimichurri Crispy Duck with Baked Tostones.

 

Some would argue that I’m not making those sauces authentic because I’m omitting the cilantro. I say I don’t care! I hate cilantro and want to enjoy all those delicious sauces. So I have to change it somehow. Or just make my own versions of those sauces and call them by a new name! Maybe I’ll start doing that instead.

 

 

What is harissa?

 

Harissa is a hot chili paste sort of like sriracha. I feel like sriracha is more common than harissa. I could be wrong. Anyway, this sauce is widely used in Northern Africa. It’s like salsa and can range from mild to hot depending on the amount of dried chile peppers that are added to the sauce. It differs from sriracha in the other ingredients added to the chile peppers. There’s usually caraway, coriander, and cumin added to the chile peppers in red harissa.

 

The green harissa replaces the red chiles with jalapenos and herbs like cilantro and mint and adds in some green onion for additional flavor. I’ve read recipes using roasted jalapenos and sometimes pickled. I can’t imagine pickled jalapenos in this sauce. It would definitely have a different taste with the tart pickled jalapenos.

 

 

My green harissa has toasted cumin, coriander, and cardamom seeds in there along with some smoked paprika which tones down the green color slightly. There’s jalapeno and green onion along with garlic and olive oil in there. Instead of cilantro, I’ve added in baby spinach. It’s a bright green and earthy alternative to the cilantro in this sauce.

 

I rounded out the rest of the herbs with the same amount of parsley as spinach, fresh mint to brighten the flavor, and fresh oregano to add a peppery undertone. Finally, I included some lemon juice and zest to bring that acidic flavor to make this a vibrant sauce perfect for any meat.

 

 

How do you make green harissa grilled lamb chops?

 

I thought I could make the green harissa in my smaller food processor. I was wrong. Don’t do that. Even though all the ingredients fit, there wasn’t much room for it to process well. Get the big boy out and make the harissa with it.

 

I started by toasting the cumin, coriander, and cardamom in a nonstick skillet until they became fragrant. Then I stirred in the smoked paprika and let it toast for a few seconds before removing it from the heat. I let them all cool in the pan until I was ready to ground them for the sauce.

 

 

Next, I coarsely chopped the spinach, parsley, mint, oregano, and green onions and tossed them into the food processor with the minced garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest. I seeded and removed the pith from the jalapeno before chopping and adding it to the bowl.

 

I turned the food processor on and let it run until the ingredients were finely chopped before adding in the olive oil a little at a time until I reached the desired consistency I wanted. Spoonable but not pourable. Finally, I ground the spices, added them to the bowl, and pulsed it until they were all mixed in.

 

 

What does green harissa grilled lamb chops taste like?

 

It takes you out of your kitchen to Morocco or Northern Africa. The green harissa is earthy with a spicy kick. The spinach and parsley are the perfect base for the fresh mint, jalapenos, green onions, and oregano. Then there’s the spices that elevate the sauce and make it exotic. They don’t overpower the herbs at all. They complement them completely.

 

Add as much or as little olive oil as you like. I didn’t add so much that it became like a pesto but more than a chunky salsa. I wanted it to be spoonable but not pourable if that makes sense. But if you want to pour it then add more olive oil. Or turn it into a dressing with more lemon juice, olive oil, and maybe a little red wine vinegar. That would be good! Green harissa vinaigrette!

 

 

I marinated the lamb chops in some of the harissa and about 1/3 cup of olive oil. I wanted the to have the same flavors as the sauce. You can totally do this with pork chops, petit sirloin, or even some chicken breasts. This sauce is that versatile. But I wanted lamb chops with this dish. To me, they’re earthy and complemented the sauce perfectly.

 

And I just love a grilled lamb chop. Which I don’t think the younger version of myself would ever believe I would say. I had a love hate relationship with both lamb and duck as a kid. But it really does make a difference in the freshness of the meat. If they’re not fresh them they taste gamey and I cannot stand that.

Welcome to Herb Week where we let the herbs be the star of the recipe and not just a garnish. Mint, dill, sage, and cilantro are just a few of the herbs we are celebrating this week.

Wednesday’s Herb Week Recipes

• Grilled Pandan Chicken Wings from Palatable Pastime
• Grilled Lamb Chops and Green Harissa from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Mint Vinaigrette from Magical Ingredients