Lamb Shish Kebab

5 from 15 votes

Lamb Shish Kebab is a very popular Turkish / Middle Eastern dish typically served in restaurants or kebab shops.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: people

Calories: 459kcal

1 large onion
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon red pepper paste (optional) (replace with tomato paste if you prefer)
½ cup semi-skimmed or full-fat milk (120 ml)
4 tablespoon olive oil (100 ml)
1 teaspoon flaked chili (adjust to your taste)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon salt

Peel and finely grate the onion or blitz in a food processor.
Juice the grated/blitzed onion using a clean kitchen cloth or a fine sieve.
Put the onion juice in a bowl and add the rest of the marinade ingredients, mix well to combine.
Add the lamb cubes and cover with marinade.
Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and keep in the fridge to marinade ideally overnight or a minimum of 6 hours.

Peel and cut the red onion into cubes similar size to the lamb.
Wash and cut the bell pepper the same as the onions. If using Turkish chilies, slice them into 4 pieces.
Wash the tomatoes and cut into 6 wedges each. Keep whole if using cherry tomatoes.
Thread the lamb and vegetables onto metal or soaked bamboo kebab skewers separately as lamb has a longer cooking time than the vegetables.
Cook the lamb kebabs on the BBQ or the griddle for 15-18 minutes and the vegetables for 10-12 minutes.

Marinate your meat overnight if possible, or a minimum of 6 hours, as it will allow the aromas to infuse the lamb and give it the desired flavors.
The best cuts are the shoulder, leg, loins, or neck fillets.
You can keep the meat in the marinade for up to 2 days if you want to prepare it in advance.
To avoid the meat sticking to the grill, you need to make sure the grill plate is hot. Also, lightly oil the grill before placing the meat on it.
Make sure that you grill the kebabs on high heat. This will get them nice and crispy on the edges with soft and juicy inside.
Bring the lamb skewers to room temperature before grilling them.
You can store the leftovers refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Try not to overload the skewers when threading; the pieces of lamb should be close just to touch each other.