Wood-Grilled Lamb Tsukune
Moorish Spices, Date-Fish Sauce Teriyaki, Coriander
Chef Josh Elliot of QP Tapas | Coral Gables, FL
“This dish is inspired by Japanese chicken meatballs (also known as tsukune), but featuring American lamb instead. I love the idea of mashing up flavors from North Africa and Japan and then cooking it over a nice, hot binchotan grill. The dish is also a reimagined version of one of my most favorite plates and top sellers at QP Tapas: charred lamb belly. The tsukune are very flavor-forward with lots of complementary and bright layers that are easy to execute and a great way to (really) represent the quality product that is ground American lamb.” - Chef Josh Elliot
Adapted by StarChefs | july 2023
INGREDIENTS
Moorish Spice Rub:
Yield: 1 quart
1 cup toasted coriander seeds
1 cup toasted fennel seeds
½ cup granulated garlic
½ cup onion powder
¼ cup toasted cumin seeds
2 tablespoons ground chipotle
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sweet pimenton
½ cup kosher salt
Date-Fish Sauce Teriyaki:
Yield: 1 quart
2 cups dates, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons banyuls vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 cup date syrup
Kosher salt
Lamb Tsukune:
Yield: 40 to 45 meatballs
4 pounds ground American lamb
To Assemble and Serve:
Kosher salt
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel
½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Fresh mint leaves
METHOD
For the Moorish Spice Rub:
In a blender, pulse all ingredients until a coarse powder is achieved. Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place.
For the Date-Fish Sauce Teriyaki:
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Transfer to an airtight container and reserve.
For the Lamb Tsukune:
In a shallow baking dish, liberally season lamb with 1 cup Moorish Spice Rub. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight. The next day, using a 1½-ounce scoop, spoon ground lamb mixture onto a parchment-lined sheet tray. Refrigerate.
To Assemble and Serve:
Soak bamboo sticks in water. Set aside. Prepare and heat a grill. Set one side of the grill to 500°F and the other to 350°F. Skewer 2 Lamb Tsukune onto each bamboo stick. Lightly season skewers with salt on all sides. Grill skewers over the 500°F side of the grill for 3 minutes while basting with Date-Fish Sauce Teriyaki. Move skewers to the lower heat section and grill additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until desired doneness is achieved. Transfer skewers to a serving platter. Drizzle with additional Date-Fish Sauce Teriyaki. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, and fleur de sel. Garnish with herbs.
