Gordon Ramsay Lamb Steak Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s lamb steak recipe is leg or shoulder steaks fried for 1½ to 2 minutes each side in rosemary-infused oil until browned outside and pink in the middle, served with a redcurrant sauce made from red wine, stock, redcurrant jelly and Worcestershire sauce. Ready in 20 minutes.

The recipe is from Great British Pub Food, where Ramsay says “this is an excellent, quick and easy way to cook lamb leg or shoulder steaks.” The sauce is made first and set aside, then poured into the lamb pan after cooking so it picks up all the browned sediment and resting juices.

The redcurrant sauce is the detail that makes this different from every other pan-fried lamb recipe. The wine reduces by half, the stock reduces by half again, and the jelly and Worcestershire balance sweet, sour and savoury in one spoonful. Nobody in the competition has it.

Gordon Ramsay’s Lamb Steaks

Recipe by Sophie LaneCourse: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

647

kcal

Total time

25

minutes

Lamb steaks with redcurrant sauce from Gordon Ramsay’s Great British Pub Food. Pan-fried 1½ to 2 minutes each side, pink in the middle, with a red wine and redcurrant sauce reduced twice. Cross-referenced with his cauliflower tabbouleh version from Healthy, Lean and Fit at 391 kcal. Approximately 647 kcal per serving.

Ingredients

• For the Lamb:

• 4 lamb steaks, about 175 to 200g (6 to 7 oz) each

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 rosemary sprig

• For the Redcurrant Sauce:

• 20g (0.75 oz) butter

• 1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced

• 1 rosemary sprig, leaves stripped and chopped

• 250ml (9 fl oz) red wine

• 250ml (9 fl oz) lamb or chicken stock

• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

• Make the sauce first: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Sauté the shallot with a pinch of salt and pepper for 5 to 6 minutes until soft but not coloured.
• Add wine and reduce: Add the chopped rosemary and pour in the red wine. Let it bubble until reduced by half.
• Add stock and reduce again: Pour in the stock, return to the boil and cook until reduced by half again. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and Worcestershire sauce. Adjust the seasoning and set aside.
• Season the steaks: Season the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Infuse the oil: Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan. Add the rosemary sprig and swirl the oil around the pan to infuse.
• Fry the lamb: When hot, add the steaks and fry for 1½ to 2 minutes each side until browned on the outside but still pink in the middle. They should feel slightly springy when pressed.
• Rest: Transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Finish the sauce: Leave the frying pan on the heat. Pour in the redcurrant sauce, scraping up any sediment from the base with a wooden spatula. Pour in any juices from the resting steaks and swirl to combine.
• Serve: Place a steak on each warm plate and spoon over the redcurrant sauce.

FAQs

How do you know when lamb steaks are done?

Ramsay says they should “feel slightly springy when pressed” after 1½ to 2 minutes each side. That gives you browned outside, pink inside. The same touch test he uses for his lamb chops: press gently, and if it springs back like the pad of your palm, it’s medium rare.

Rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. The juices redistribute and the temperature evens out. Pour those resting juices into the sauce because they’re concentrated lamb flavour.

What is the difference between lamb steaks and lamb chops?

Steaks are thick slices cut from the leg or shoulder. Chops are individual cutlets from the rib with a bone attached. Steaks are meatier with no bone. Chops have less meat but the bone adds flavour during cooking.

Ramsay treats them differently. His lamb chops get a spice paste and a griddle. His steaks get rosemary-infused oil and a frying pan. His lamb shoulder from the same book uses the same cut roasted whole with rosemary and anchovies instead of sliced into steaks.

Can you use fresh redcurrants instead of jelly?

Ramsay says you can “throw in a handful of fresh redcurrants to add a tart element: cook the redcurrants until they burst and add a little more redcurrant jelly, balancing the sweet, sour and savoury flavours.” Then sieve the sauce before serving.

Fresh redcurrants are in season from June to August in the UK. If you prefer the classic British pairing, his mint sauce is the sharper alternative: white wine vinegar and fresh mint instead of redcurrant and Worcestershire.

Is there a lighter version of this recipe?

In Healthy, Lean and Fit, Ramsay serves smaller lamb leg steaks with a cauliflower tabbouleh instead of a sauce. Cauliflower grated or pulsed to a rice consistency, tossed with cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, parsley, mint and lemon. He says it “becomes like rice or couscous, with a crunchy texture that’s perfect for a grain-free tabbouleh.”

That version is 391 kcal per serving compared to 647 for the pub version. Same lamb, same pan-fry technique, completely different side. One for winter, one for summer.

Why make the sauce before cooking the lamb?

The sauce takes longer than the lamb. If you make them simultaneously, you either rush the sauce or overcook the steaks. By making the sauce first and setting it aside, the lamb gets your full attention for its 4 minutes in the pan.

The clever part is step 8: pouring the finished sauce back into the hot lamb pan. His lamb sauce uses this same principle. The pan drippings are the flavour base, and the sauce picks them up when you reunite them.