Scottadito lamb: an extremely popular recipe
Scottadito lamb: an extremely popular recipe
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- Bowl
- Pan or griddle
Ingredients
- 12 lamb chops
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- 1 sprig rosemary
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take the ribs out of the fridge about 1 hour before cooking.
- Place the chops between two sheets of parchment paper and lightly beat the meaty part with a mullet.
- Place the extra virgin olive oil, the garlic and rosemary in a bowl.
- Add the chops, massage them so that they get covered in oil and let them rest for about half an hour.
- Heat a pan or griddle over high heat.
- When the plate starts to smoke, place the chops on top of it.
- Cook them for about 2-3 minutes per side (until golden brown).
- Serve hot and season with salt and pepper.
Lamb scottadito is a classic among traditional dishes. Ready to walk with us through the recipe and learn many useful tricks to get it perfect?
Scottadito: the secret lies in the quality of the meat and of the oil
To make scottadito, your chops need to come from a suckling lamb that was slaughtered before weaning, also known as “abbacchio”. This kind of meat is very tender and delicate.
When buying the lamb, pay attention:
- The meat should be homogeneous and spotless.
- Its color should be very light pink (a darker color would mean that the lamb did not feed on milk only, and the taste of the meat would then be stronger).
The recipe for scottadito has very few ingredients: one of the main ones, together with the meat, is extra virgin olive oil, which is essential to give the delicate lamb an extra touch of taste. It is very important to sprinkle the chops with high-quality, intense extra virgin olive oil and let them marinate for about half an hour before placing them in the pan. This step is essential to make the chops tastier and juicier, and to prevent them from drying out during cooking.
We opted for Il Casolare Grezzo Naturale Riserva 1780 Extra Virgin Olive Oil, unfiltered and obtained from carefully selected 100% Italian cultivars (Leccino, Peranzana and Coratina). Thanks to its strong fruity notes, this intense oil will give extra taste to our lamb chops.
Scottadito: cooking tips
Cooking lamb chops is not difficult, all you need is a cast iron plate or a non-stick pan. A few tips to achieve a perfect result:
- The meat should be at room temperature when placed on the pan. If taken straight from the refrigerator it will lower the temperature of the heated pan.
- Place the chops on the fire only when the plate is sizzling hot (a crust will instantly form on the surface of the meat and seal all the juices).
- Do not prick the ribs with a fork during cooking. The meat would lose its juices
- Don’t overcook them or they will be tough: 2, tops 3 minutes per side are more than enough.
Now that you’ve learned all the tricks you need to cook perfect scottadito lamb chops you can get to the recipe. Bon appétit!
