Gordon Ramsay’s lamb chops recipe is French-trimmed cutlets rubbed with a paste of pounded cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, ginger and garlic, then griddled for 3 to 4 minutes each side until pink. Served with a minty yoghurt that takes 30 seconds to make.
The recipe is from Ultimate Home Cooking, where Ramsay says the spice mix “isn’t too overpowering but really enhances lamb’s natural sweetness.” In the video with his daughter Holly, he gives precise timings: “3 and a half to 4 minutes each side for pink, 6 minutes for medium, 8 or 9 for well done.”
The step most people skip is cooking the fat edge. After griddling both sides, Ramsay stands the chops on their back edge and crisps the fat until “dark golden.” That strip of fat goes from chewy and unpleasant to crispy and savoury in about 60 seconds.
Gordon Ramsay’s Lamb Chops
Course: DinnerCuisine: Indian, BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes8
minutes479
kcal18
minutesAromatic grilled lamb cutlets with minty yoghurt from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking. Cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger paste rubbed in, griddled pink, served with a cooling yoghurt. One of four Ramsay lamb chop recipes cross-referenced from three books and three videos. Approximately 479 kcal per serving.
Ingredients
- For the Spice Paste:
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
4cm (1.5 in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
Olive oil to form a paste
Sea salt
- For the Lamb:
8 to 12 lamb cutlets, French trimmed
Freshly ground black pepper
- For the Minty Yoghurt:
250ml (9 fl oz) natural yoghurt
4 mint sprigs, leaves only, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Pound the spices: Put the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and turmeric into a mortar. Add a pinch of salt and pound as finely as possible.
- Make the paste: Mix in the grated ginger and garlic. Add a little olive oil to bring it together into a paste.
- Marinate the lamb: Rub the paste into the cutlets on all sides. Leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge.
- Heat the griddle: Place a griddle pan over a medium heat and drizzle with a little oil. Wait until it’s hot.
- Griddle the chops: Add the lamb and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side if you like it pink, or 4 to 6 minutes for well done.
- Crisp the fat: Turn the chops on their back edge and cook the fat until dark golden and crisp, about 60 seconds.
- Make the yoghurt: Mix the natural yoghurt with the chopped mint, salt and pepper.
- Serve: Plate the cutlets with the minty yoghurt on the side.
FAQs
How do you know when lamb chops are done?
Ramsay gives exact timings in the video: 3 to 4 minutes each side for pink, 6 minutes for medium, 8 to 9 for well done. He says “a lamb cutlet at its best would be medium rare.”
In the Ramsay in 10 live, he uses the touch test: “If I touch there, that lamb is already medium rare, and that’s equivalent to taking your pulse.” Press the meat gently. If it feels like the soft flesh between your thumb and index finger, it’s rare. Like the pad of your palm, it’s medium.
What other flavours does Ramsay put on lamb chops?
He has four completely different lamb chop recipes across three books. In Ramsay in 10, his balsamic version tosses hot chops into garlic, balsamic vinegar, chilli flakes and mint, which he says “creates an instant sweet-and-sour marinade.” The same book has a chipotle version with wholegrain mustard, cider vinegar and smoked chipotle paste.
In the Wales outdoor video, he makes a chimichurri with parsley, mint, thyme, olive oil and lemon juice, spread over chops cooked with seaweed butter. Four books, four completely different flavour profiles: Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Welsh. The cut stays the same, the seasoning changes everything.
What is the difference between lamb chops and rack of lamb?
They come from the same part of the animal. A rack is the whole rib section left in one piece, roasted and sliced after cooking. Chops are individual cutlets cut between the bones before cooking. Rack needs an oven and a herb crust. Chops need a griddle pan and 8 minutes.
Ramsay treats them as two different dishes. His rack of lamb gets a Parmesan and parsley crust with mustard glue and 30 minutes in the oven. His chops get a spice rub and 4 minutes on a screaming hot griddle. Same lamb, same bones, completely different technique and timing.
What should you serve with lamb chops?
Ramsay recommends his chargrilled broccoli and bulgur wheat salad from the same chapter in Ultimate Home Cooking. The flavours complement each other because the bulgur absorbs the harissa buttermilk dressing, which echoes the warm spices on the lamb.
Something light and acidic works best because the lamb is already rich from the fat. A Greek salad or a simple dressed green salad with lemon does the job. Ramsay’s béarnaise sauce is the richer option if you’re skipping the spice rub and griddling the chops plain with just salt and pepper.
Can you marinate lamb chops overnight?
Ramsay says “anywhere from 10 minutes to overnight” in the book, and in the video confirms “the earlier you do this the better.” The turmeric starts to stain the lamb yellow before it’s even cooked, which means the spice is already working its way into the meat.
If you can’t wait at all, he says “you can grill the chops straight away.” The paste still adds flavour even without marinating because the heat from the griddle pushes the spices into the surface. Overnight is better, but 10 minutes is enough.
