Lamb tacos with charred green sauce and tamarillo salsa

Celebrate Taco Tuesday with these tender New Zealand lamb tacos

Serves

4 - 6

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs 15 mins

New Zealand lamb flaps are an underrated cut and when given the right treatment, they can be tender and bursting with flavour. These tacos are the ideal way for slow cooked lamb flaps to shine. We’re talking crispy, juicy lamb layered onto warm tortillas, topped with fresh salsa and a punchy green sauce that brings all the flavor vibes.

Whether it’s taco night with friends or just spicing up your usual dinner routine, this dish is about good vibes, vibrant colors, and bites that make you go “wow!”

There's a few elements to this recipe but you can pick and choose whether or not to include them. Of course, we love it with everything....

Georgia van Prehn

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Ingredients

The lamb

800g - 1kg bone-in lamb flaps
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegari
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
12 tortillas

Charred green sauce

4 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
4 sprigs fresh corianderi
4 spring onionsi
1 green chilli
deseeded for less heat
2 Tbsp sour cream
juice of 2 limes
1 garlic clove
crushed
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water

Tamarillo salsa

4 tamarillos
1 peari
skin on
juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp olive oil

Grilled carrots with feta and a jalapeno and lime vinaigrette

500g baby carrotsi
tops removed and scrubbed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp jalapenoi
finely chopped
¼ of a red onion
finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp olive oil
100g feta cheese

Method

For the lamb

Preheat your oven to 150°C fan bake. Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper and put in lamb flaps.

Place vinegar, coriander, cumin, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix. Rub over lamb flaps then cover baking tray with foil. Place in oven for 1 ½ - 2 hours.

Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 180°C fan bake.

Uncover lamb flaps and return to oven and cook for a further 20-30 minutes until the fat is crisp.

Remove the lamb flaps from oven, loosely cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes before pulling the meat off the bones and slicing into thin strips.

For the charred green sauce

Place a dry frying pan over high heat and once pan starts to smoke add pumpkin seeds.

Toast until lightly coloured then place in a blender. Place pan back over the heat.

Place coriander roots and stalks, green tops of spring onions and green chilli in pan and allow to blacken and char on one side (we’re trying to mimic a barbeque or open flame), and once nicely charred place in blender with pumpkin seeds.

Add all other ingredients to blender and blend on high until sauce is emulsified.

Depending on your blender you may need to add a little more water to loosen and blend sauce to a purée. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the tamarillo salsa

Using a vegetable peeler, peel each tamarillo (the skins are too tough to eat), then cut into small, diced ½ cm pieces and place in a bowl.

Cut pear or apple into about ½ cm diced pieces and place in bowl.

Finely slice reserved white parts of spring onions and reserved coriander leaves and add to bowl.

Mix together then add lime juice, olive oil and salt to taste. Mix again to combine.

To serve

Toast tortillas in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat for a minute or two on both sides or according to packet instructions.

Spoon some green sauce on each tortilla, then add sliced lamb and top with tamarillo salsa.

To make the grilled carrots

Heat grill to highest setting.

Slice carrots lengthwise and put in a shallow oven tray. Dress with cumin, a good pinch of salt and one tablespoon olive oil.

Place under grill for about 10-15 minutes. This will depend on how hot your grill is and how close to the grill you position your tray. You want a nice char around the carrots and for them to be cooked through.

Place red onion and jalapeno in a small bowl and dress with lime juice and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Crumble feta on to a large plate and using a fork gently squish it around to form a bed on the plate. Place carrots uniformly on top then dress with the jalapeno and lime vinaigrette.