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When you smell the aromatic waft of spices mingling with the sizzling sound of lamb in a hot pan you know you are on the verge of creating a dish that is truly divine. This Dukkah Encrusted Lamb has it all! Combining the earthy crunch of Dukkah, the creamy comfort of white bean puree and finishing it all off with the fresh zing of a tomato and onion salad. My mouth is watering as I type!

What’s more is that you can have this delicious meal on the table in under half an hour, so have your fancy meal and eat it too! On a weeknight! Yay!

Dukkah Encrusted Lamb

We have used lamb backstrap also known as eye of loin, which is a really lean piece of meat that cooks very quickly. To do it justice and keep that lean meat moist and juicy, you really need to serve it medium rare, or just blushing with pink in the middle. Lamb backstrap can over cook very quicky and become tough, so err on the side of caution, we would rather serve this meat slightly under than over.

We have cheated in the recipe and used store bought Dukkah because we have such beautiful varieties readily available here in Sydney and we wanted to make this a quick cook. For this Lamb Encrusted Dukkah Recipe we have used The Olive Branch, Original Dukkah, which is made from sesame seeds, cashews, cumin seeds, oregano, garlic, chives, basil, salt and pepper. You can use any type of Dukkah you like though , or even make your own.

White Bean Puree

For the white bean puree we have used canned cannellini beans however you may use any type of white bean. Butter beans would work well or even chickpeas to give it a more hummus type flavour.

Tomato and Onion Salad

This salad provides the zesty fresh element of the dish, we have used beautiful ripe cherry tomatoes, but you could use regular tomatoes as well. Although if you do, we would recommend de-seeding them so that your salad is not too soggy. In this Tomato and Onion Salad Recipe we have chosen to use red onion and parsley but you could also change it up and swap parsley out for coriander (cilantro) and red onion for green shallots (scallions), either way will be delicious.

Plating:

Create a canvas of white bean puree on the plate, placing the succulent slices of Dukkah encrusted lamb backstrap on top. Garnish the dish with the vibrant colours of the tomato and onion salad, allowing the freshness to complement the richness of the lamb.

Serving Suggestion:

Pair this delightful dish with a robust red wine like a Shiraz or a Tempranillo . The bold flavours of the wine will work harmoniously with the aromatic spices and tender meat.

This dish would feed 4 people as a light meal, however if you are looking for a more substantial meal, you could serve this dish with our Moroccan Spiced Cauliflower, it would be a match made in food heaven.

Happy Cooking!