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Doenjang butter lamb chops with spring onion gremolata

Name: Doenjang butter lamb chops with spring onion gremolata
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Korean recipes
Ingredients: 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3 tbsp doenjang; 1 tbsp clear honey; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 spring onion, finely chopped; 2 tbsp finely chopped chives; Finely grated zest 1 lemon, plus half its juice; 8 lamb chops or cutlets, at room temperature

By: Su Scott

Published: 30 Dec 24
Updated: 20 Jan 25

Doenjang butter lamb chops with spring onion gremolata

Slather juicy lamb chops with doenjang butter in this easy Korean recipe from Su Scott. “I love doenjang butter with pan-seared lamb cutlets, which I like to pair with a gremolata-inspired green spring onion sauce to liven things up,” says Su.

A Korean-born food writer, Su is based in London. She’s written two books about Korean cooking. The latest is Rice Table: Korean Recipes And Stories To Feed The Soul, full of brilliant modern Korean home cooking. Find her on Instagram @suscottfood

Love Korean food? Try the spicy chicken stew, dak bokkeum tang next.

Easy
January 2025

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Prep time 15 min, plus resting. Cook time 10 min

Love Korean food? Try the spicy chicken stew, dak bokkeum tang next.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 341kcals
Fat: 29g (15g saturated)
Protein: 15g
Carbohydrates: 5.1g (4.8g sugars)
Fibre: 0.5g
Salt: 0.4g

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Before you start

“Doenjang (fermented soybean paste) is one of the most commonly used staple ingredients in Korea,” says Su Scott. “It’s enjoyed raw as a condiment, when it’s pungent and strong, or cooked into dishes, where it softens to unveil its rich and savoury flavours, reminiscent of well aged parmesan.”

“I often get asked how to incorporate doenjang into cooking. My answer? Mix it with butter! This makes doenjang richer, rounder and more familiar, imbuing anything it touches with heaps of umami. It’s an almost effortless flavour bomb that will happily sit in your fridge.”

Don’t waste it The quantity of doenjang butter you make here is more than enough for the recipe, leaving you with some extra; try it with charred vegetables or a quick pasta with some garlic and cheese. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Before you start

Ingredients

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp doenjang
1 tbsp clear honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
Finely grated zest 1 lemon, plus half its juice
8 lamb chops or cutlets, at room temperature

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Method

Put the butter, doenjang and honey in a food processor and whizz to a paste. Doenjang has a few bits of soybean mixed in, making it slightly coarse in texture, so don’t worry about getting it completely smooth.
Add the garlic, spring onion, chives, lemon zest and juice to a small bowl, then mix to make the gremolata dressing.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat and season the lamb with a pinch of salt. Once the pan is hot (but not smoking), add the lamb chops, standing them up so their fatty side is against the pan (you can use a pair of tongs to hold them in place). Once the fat has rendered out a little and turned golden, knock them onto their flat sides and cook for 2 minutes on each side (or a little more if you don’t like your lamb pink).

Once almost done, turn the heat down and add 2-3 heaped tbsp of the doenjang butter. As soon as it melts, use a spoon to baste the lamb for 1 minute. Transfer the lamb to a tray, brush with more doenjang butter, then leave to rest for a few minutes.
Arrange the lamb on a platter and drizzle with the gremolata. Serve with extra doenjang butter.