This Rosemary Lemon Rack of Lamb with Couscous is a favorite of my family and friends. Rosemary and lemon compliment the Rack of Lamb beautifully and add a quick cooking couscous with roasted zucchini, onions, dill and feta? You have a restaurant quality dinner perfect for weeknights and Sunday dinner alike.
Table of contents
Why I love this Rack of Lamb recipe
If you are like me and you love the flavors of the Mediterranean, this is a truly enjoyable recipe. I didn’t grow up eating Mediterranean food, but the love is deep for myself and my family. If I was stranded on an island, this kind of food would be my pick for survival. Fresh rosemary, garlic and lemon give this rack of lamb a wonderful fresh flavor with minimal effort and time. While lamb doesn’t need a marinade, it’s delicious on its own, add a few ingredients and well, the flavor levels up in a big way. Add to this a delicious side of Roasted Zucchini couscous, some warm pita, and if you must add a sauce, add my Yogurt Dill Dressing and it’s an absolutely perfect meal.
What is Frenched rack of Lamb?
Purchasing lamb can be a little intimidating if this is your first time. I prefer to buy a Frenched rack of lamb. Simply put, this means the lamb is fully trimmed of most of the fat and the bones cleaned, and exposed. It will still have fat on the top side, which is normal. Most grocery stores carry Frenched rack of lamb, it’s ready to remove from its packaging and ready to cook. If buying a rack of lamb from a butcher, you made need to ask for it to be frenched. I like to cook the rack whole, rather than cutting the ribs into chops.
I recommend buying the meatiest lamb you can find. This means that the actual meat portion should be as rounded as possible with the least amount of fat within.
Untrimmed lamb will include a fat cap and the rib bones will have meat and fat. Semi-frenched is where a portion of fat has been removed and the ribs are semi exposed. Fully frenched is where the majority of fat removed and the bones fully exposed and cleaned. Even if fully frenched, there will still be fat on the top side and this is completely normal.
Why this is the perfect Rosemary Lemon Marinade for Lamb
Let’s jump into the marinade. Fresh rosemary, lemon and garlic with a few pantry spices make for an outstanding compliment to lamb. The marinade is easy and typically I recommend that the rack of lamb marinate for about 3-5 hours in the fridge. The marinade is perfect for both oven roasted rack of lamb or grilled outdoors.
I should add that this marinade works well for lamb kabobs or skewers. I buy leg of lamb steaks, dice into large 2 inch pieces and use the same recipe for the marinade. After the lamb has marinated, I skewer the chunks of lamb, add veggies and grill.
If you are whipping up our suggested side dish, make it first and it’s a perfect room temperature side. And if you prefer it warm, easy to heat in the microwave once the rack of lamb is done. If not, skip down to ingredients and prep for rack of lamb.
The perfect side dish: Couscous with Pan roasted Zucchini, onions, Dill and Feta
- 1 cup Couscous, dried, Moroccan, not Israeli variety.
- 1 tbsp olive oil + more if needed to toss couscous and vegetables together
- 2 large zucchini, washed, dried, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
- 2 large slices of red onion
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, removed from stems and roughly chopped + more for garnish
- Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
- pinch of salt, kosher
- pinch of pepper
- Feta cheese, crumbled to taste
Cook 1 cup of dried couscous to package directions.
Once cooked, fluff and set aside. In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add sliced zucchini and onion. Sauté until fork tender. Turn stove burner off. Add cooked couscous, fresh dill, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and a little olive oil if needed. Toss until fully combined. Top with Feta and garnish with more fresh dill. Taste for salt and pepper and add accordingly.
I have two more delicious side dishes that are perfect for this recipe: my Warm Quinoa with Roasted Asparagus and Peppers and another fave is Lemon Thyme Couscous with Olives. Both perfect accompaniments for lamb.
Ingredients and Prep for rack of lamb
- 1 Rack of Lamb – typically about 8 ribs in size. About 1 1/2 pounds give or take.
- 1 lemon, fresh. Juice and chop remainder of leftover lemon flesh and skin for marinade
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp dried Oregano
- pepper
- salt, Kosher
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of dried fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp paprika, sweet
How to Marinade Rack of Lamb
Cooking lamb is fast and easy. As I say often, a quick read thermometer is your friend to cook to correct internal temperature.
Prepare lamb by removing it from its package and pat dry any excess moisture. Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper and paprika on both sides of the rack of lamb.
Add lemon juice, chopped lemon pieces, chopped fresh garlic, fresh rosemary, fennel seeds, dried oregano and olive oil to a zip type bag. Add rack of lamb to the zip bag with marinade zip close. Gently toss the bag to ensure marinade is on both sides of the rack of lamb. Place in the refrigerator for 3-5 hours to allow the flavors to meld with the lamb.
How to cook rack of lamb
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Remove the lamb from the marinade and allow to come to room temperature. About 20 minutes.
Preheat oven safe pan on stove top over medium heat to sear rack of lamb. Sear on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes until you have a little browning on both sides of the lamb.
Place in preheated oven. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes and check for doneness. (cooking time + 5 minutes resting is for medium rare).
NOTE: The more fat on the lamb, the higher the likelyhood of the lamb creating smoke in the oven, ensure your fan is on and check for flares in the oven as well. I suggest you check in as it’s cooking.
General cooking times for Rack of Lamb
Lamb cooks quickly. Like all meats, the temperature upon removal of oven continues to rise a little bit. By the time you serve the lamb, it will be slightly more done than when initially removed from the oven.
*General cooking times are as follows:
Medium rare: remove at 135°F internal temperature and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp will rise to 145°F
Medium well: remove at 150°F internal temperature and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp will rise to 160°F internal temperature
Well done: remove at 160°F internal temperature and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp will rise to 170°F internal temperature
*Suggested cooking times are from American Lamb Council.
How to Grill Rosemary Lemon Rack Of Lamb
If you are in the mood for grilling the rack, it grills up quite nicely but you do have to mind it a little more than a regular steak or chicken due to the fat. Keep a spray bottle handy for flares as this cut of meat will flare.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Once the grill is preheated, add the rack of lamb fat side down first, sear that side for about 1 minute. Turn and grill for about 5 minutes on each side again, watching for flares. I typically rotate the rack of lamb a few times to avoid flares. Start checking for doneness after 10 minutes of grilling.
Turn a little longer if you would like to continue cooking it. I suggest 2 more minutes on each side for each level of doneness. Once finished, allow to rest for 3-5 minutes, slice each rib and serve with side of Couscous with Pan roasted Zucchini, onions, Dill and Feta.
Frequently asked questions
Note than doneness is dependent on weight and size, but these are good general guidelines.
For medium rare: 9-12 minutes per pound. Internal temperature 145 degrees.
For medium: 11-14 minutes per pound. Internal temperature 160 degrees
For well: 13-16 minutes per pound. Internal temperature 170 degrees.
Insert a quick read kitchen thermometer into the middle, thickest part of the meat only. You should get a quick read immediately. Also note that the internal temperature rises a few degrees while the rack of lamb is resting. For more cooking information, the American Lamb Council has a comprehensive page on cooking times for different cuts of lamb.
This recipe for Rosemary Lemon Rack of Lamb works well with basic mashed potatoes and a steamed vegetable. But also, salads work well to compliment the fresh flavors. I suggest something like my Simple Green Bean and Tomato Salad, or Roasted Potatoes with Sun Dried Tomatoes, and also Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Grain Salad.
If you are using an 8 rib rack, which is the typical size in most grocery stores, I suggest 1 rack for 2-3 people as a main entree. My husband and I love lamb, so we split one rack. In restaurants, most of the time you will be served 3-4 ribs as a portion and it’s generous. As a starter, I recommend 1-2 ribs per person.
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Rosemary Lemon Rack of Lamb with Couscous
April 4, 2023Equipment
- oven safe pan or skillet
Ingredients
Couscous with roasted zucchini, onion, dill and feta
- 1 cup couscous, dried Moroccan variety, not the larger Israeli variety
- 1 tbsp olive oil + more if needed to toss couscous and vegetables together
- 2 whole zucchini, washed, dried, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
- 2 slices red onion
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, removed from stems and roughly chopped + more for garnish
- 1/2 whole Lemon Juice and zest of
- pinch salt, kosher, pinch of pepper
- pinch pepper
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
Rosemary Lemon Rack of Lamb
- 1 1/2 lbs rack of lamb 8 ribs
- 1 whole lemon juiced and flesh/skin, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, fresh peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 4 sprigs rosemary fresh
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp salt kosher
- 1/2 tsp pepper black, ground
- 1/2 tsp paprika sweet
- pinch fennel seeds dried, whole
Instructions
Rosemary Lemon Rack of Lamb marinade
- Prepare lamb by removing it from its package and pat dry any excess moisture. Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper and paprika on both sides of the rack of lamb.
- Add lemon juice, chopped lemon pieces, chopped fresh garlic, fresh rosemary, fennel seeds, dried oregano and olive oil to a zip type bag.
- Add rack of lamb to the zip bag with marinade and gently toss the bag to ensure marinade is on both sides of the rack of lamb.
- Place in the refrigerator for 3-5 hours to allow the flavors to meld with the lamb.
Couscous with roasted zucchini, onion, dill and feta
- Cook 1 cup of dried couscous to package directions. Once cooked, fluff and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium to medium high heat. Add sliced zucchini and onion. Sauté until roasted and fork tender. Turn stove burner off.
- Add cooked couscous, fresh dill, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and a little olive oil if needed. Toss until fully combined. Top with Feta and garnish with more fresh dill.
Oven roasting the Rack of Lamb
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Preheat oven safe pan on stove top over medium heat to sear rack of lamb. Sear on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes until you have a little browning on both sides of the lamb.
- Place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Check for desired doneness which should be about 135 degrees internal temperature for medium rare.
- Medium rare: remove at 135°F internal temperature and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp will rise to 145°FMedium well: remove at 150°F internal temperature and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp will rise to 160°F internal temperatureWell done: remove at 160°F internal temperature and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp will rise to 170°F internal temperature
- NOTE: The more fat on the lamb, the higher the likelyhood of the lamb creating smoke in the oven, ensure your fan is on and check for flares in the oven as well. I suggest you check as it's cooking.
- Slice between ribs and serve with Couscous with zucchini, onion, feta and fresh dill.
Notes
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
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