A salad with lamb steaks has got to be one of the best ways to enjoy a hearty, meaty salad. Complement it with peppery leaves, zesty blood oranges and earthy beetroot for the perfect lamb recipe!
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Why You’ll love Lamb Steaks Salad
Nothing quite beats a good old salad with lamb, and this lamb steaks salad ticks all the boxes. Perfect if you’re after a meal on its own or if you have leftover lamb steaks after a BBQ.
It’s a fantastic recipe to feed a group, too, as it certainly would appeal to a large crowd at a party or a big lunch with family.
The presentation of the salad is just lovely with the gorgeous hues of red and purple brought through from the radicchio, deep purple beetroot, red oak lettuce, stunning blood oranges, and topped by lovely greens from the pistachio and flat leaf parsley.
There’s no better way to bind all these fantastic ingredients together than with a homemade blood orange salad dressing with a bit of honey for sweetness and horseradish cream for a tinge of spice.
The lamb steaks take centre stage, though, so if you’re a red meat lover, this salad is easy to throw together and utterly yum!
What are Lamb Steaks?
What exactly are lamb steaks? We’re all used to lamb in the form of cutlets, chops or even shanks, but for some reason, the lamb steaks don’t get as much attention.
Lamb steaks can actually come from 2 parts of the animal. You can get a lamb steak from the shoulder or the leg. The lamb shoulder steak is full of flavour but has a fatty texture which lends itself to roasting and slow cooking.
The lamb leg steaks are the cut that we have used for this recipe because it is a leaner cut and better used for quick grilling or pan frying. Despite having less fat, this cut of meat is very juicy when cooked properly.
It is also full of flavour as it comes from the part of the animal that works hard. Compared to lamb chops or lamb cutlets, lamb steaks are a cheaper cut of meat. This is, therefore, perfect for a quick cook and then sliced up for a salad.
Where Can I Find Lamb Steaks?
You should be able to purchase them from the meat section of your supermarket. Otherwise, head over to your butcher and hit them up for a good juicy steak!
When are Blood Oranges in season?
Blood oranges are available from about December to April in the Northern Hemisphere and around July to September in the Southern Hemisphere.
They are not available all year round because it needs cool weather to get the flesh to its signature crimson red colour.
So take advantage of them when in season to also try this Fennel and Courgette Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts recipe.
Recipe Overview
Flavour/Texture: This hearty salad is filled with earthy, bitter, sweet and meaty flavours. When combined all together with the refreshing blood orange salad dressing, we have a winner!
The lamb steaks are tender and juicy, while the leaves form both delicate and firm bases. Love the crunch of the pistachio, soft baby beetroot and the juiciness from the blood orange. This is a salad with a good combination of textures.
Ease: Apart from the lamb steaks, there is no other cooking required. Everything is just chop, peel and juice. The lamb steaks are super easy, with searing required on each side only for a very short amount of time. A straightforward salad to put together.
Time: It takes about 30 minutes with about 5 – 10 minutes of resting time for the lamb steaks. Everything else doesn’t take too much time to prep.
Ingredients
Ingredients you will need to make this Lamb Steaks Salad:
Radicchio: A small head of radicchio will yield about 8 – 10 leaves. We want them as whole leaves, so when you pry them apart, be gentle. The best way to do it is to roll the leaf back slowly, and it will eventually give way.
We love the peppery flavours of this leafy vegetable and you may wish to also try our Radicchio, Baby Gem, Orange and Ruby Grapefruit Salad.
Purple oak lettuce: Find one that is really purple/red. When assembling, ensure the purple sticks out as we cover the top of the green. This delicate lettuce will offset the firm radicchio creating some balance.
Beetroot: Get pre-cooked baby beetroot to save some time. It would be great if you can find them vacuum packed rather than the ones in the can. These can usually be found in the fridge in the vegetable section.
Pistachio: Roughly chop these nuts. We want some bigger pieces too, so don’t be tempted to over chop them as they turn into a fine dust. We want the crunch!
Blood orange: Loving the deep blood red colours that will complement the purple leaves of the lettuce and radicchio and the baby beetroot, creating really warm colours.
The blood orange and the lamb steaks taste fantastic together!
Lamb steaks: Get 500 g worth. It doesn’t matter what size or sizes they come in as they are eventually sliced for the salad. Just get a good cut of meat with as little fat as possible. We are after lean cuts.
Honey: Just a small teaspoon to help sweeten the salad dressing.
Horseradish cream: You can find horseradish cream in the mustard/sauce section of your supermarket. You can have some on the side too if you wish as it goes really well with lamb.
Variations and Substitutions
Do I have to use lamb? Not at all. You can use any meat you prefer, such as beef, chicken, venison, pork or veal.
Vegetarian version: Replace lamb with thick slices of portobello mushrooms.
Good radicchio replacements: You can use endive, rocket (arugula) or watercress. Endive would be best as it has those lovely purple hues on the rim of every leaf and would certainly be closest in taste and texture too.
Type of beetroot: Try and get pre-cooked baby beets that aren’t from a tin can if possible. The vacuum-packed ones are great as it doesn’t have that canned/tinny taste. I would much rather you get fresh beetroot and boil them than getting the tinned variety.
Blood orange substitute: If you can’t find blood orange, normal sweet oranges are fine to use. If you like the bitter taste, you can opt for grapefruit too.
Horseradish cream substitute: Dijon mustard would work perfectly fine for this salad dressing recipe.
Instructions
Step by step instructions for how to make Lamb Steaks Salad:
Remove 8-10 whole radicchio leaves. Roll the leaf back slowly, and it will come away without breaking. Wash and pat dry.
Roughly tear ½ oak lettuce leaves. Wash and pat dry.
Cut pre-cooked baby beets into 4-6 wedges each.
Roughly chop pistachios to yield ¼ cup.
Remove skin off 1 blood orange and cut into segments. For the second blood orange, leave skin on and cut into wheels. Remove flesh off the skin and pull the wheel apart to form small triangles (flow the natural grain of the fruit).
Pick flat leaf parsley leaves to yield ½ cup.
Ensure the lamb steaks are at room temperature before cooking, and only cook them when you’re ready to eat. Coat the lamb steaks with 1 tbsp olive oil.
On medium to high heat, sear the steaks for 2 minutes on each side. Remove, loosely cover in foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
How to Make Blood Orange Salad Dressing
Juice one blood orange, then add olive oil, honey and horseradish cream.
Mix until well combined.
How to Assemble the Salad
Slice the lamb steaks.
On a large platter, place half the radicchio leaves in a line, half the oak lettuce and then the rest of the radicchio.
Then add the rest of the oak lettuce. Drizzle with half the salad dressing,
Add the sliced lamb steaks on top.
Add the beetroot wedges and blood orange. Can tuck them between the leaves and the lamb.
Add parsley leaves and then the pistachio.
Drizzle with more blood orange salad dressing.
Serve immediately
Great Mains for This Salad
This Lamb Steaks Salad is a nice and hearty dish so perhaps you can supplement it with a vegetarian main course:
This spinach quiche is crustless, tasty, low-carb and utterly delicious. Goes really well with the tang of the blood orange dressing and the well cooked lamb.
For pasta and pizza lovers, try this green pea pasta with burrata: or tomato mushroom pizza.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cooking lamb steaks at room temperature will help the meat cook more evenly. Depending on the size of the lamb steaks, this could take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours (raw meat should not be left sitting out for more than 2 hours.
When you cook lamb steaks, the meat heats and sets the protein, forcing the juices to the centre. Therefore, when you take the lamb steaks right off the heat, all the juices will pour out.
By resting the lamb steaks after cooking, it allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat. This re-absorption makes the meat juicy!
The presence of the anthocyanin pigment causes the flesh to go blood red and sometimes even purple. You’ll also find these streaks on the skin of the blood orange. This pigment is also what gives the red/purple hues in eggplant, purple cabbage and beetroot.
If you’re after a warm salad where the meat is tender and juicy, the lamb steak must be cooked just before it is time to eat. Everything else, however, can be prepared ahead of time. Always best to also drizzle the salad dressing when it’s time to eat too.
Enjoy this easy to make lamb salad. It’s fantastic to pack up for a work lunch the next day and be the envy of your colleagues or a delicious dinner meal for two. Either way, we know you won’t be disappointed!
That’s all!
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Recipe
Lamb Steaks Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 radicchio, small
- ½ lettuce, purple oak
- 4 baby beetroot, pre-cooked
- ½ cup pistachio
- 2 blood orange
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley
- 500 g lamb steaks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Salad Dressing
- 1 blood orange
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp horseradish cream
Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.
Instructions
Salad
- Remove 8-10 whole radicchio leaves. Roll the leaf back slowly, and it will come away without breaking. Wash and pat dry.
- Roughly tear ½ oak lettuce leaves. Wash and pat dry.
- Cut pre-cooked baby beets into 4-6 wedges each.
- Roughly chop pistachios to yield ¼ cup.
- Remove skin off 1 blood orange and cut into segments. For the second blood orange, leave skin on and cut into wheels. Remove flesh off the skin and pull the wheel apart to form small triangles (flow the natural grain of the fruit).
- Pick flat leaf parsley leaves to yield ½ cup.
- Ensure the lamb steaks are at room temperature before cooking, and only cook them when you’re ready to eat. Coat the lamb steaks with 1 tbsp olive oil. On medium to high heat, sear the steaks 2 minutes on each side. Remove, loosely cover in foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Salad Dressing
- Juice one blood orange, then add olive oil, honey and horseradish cream.
- Mix until well combined.
Assembly
- Slice the lamb steaks.
- On a large platter, place half the radicchio leaves in a line, then half the oak lettuce. Repeat.
- Drizzle with ½ the dressing.
- Add the sliced lamb steaks on top.
- Add the beetroot wedges and blood orange. Can tuck them between the leaves and the lamb.
- Add the parsley leaves.
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
- Drizzle with more dressing.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can replace lamb with any other meat you may prefer, such as beef, chicken, venison, pork or veal.
- Good radicchio replacements include endive, rocket (arugula) or watercress. Endive would be best as it has those lovely purple hues on the rim of every leaf and would certainly be closest in taste and texture too.
- Try and get pre-cooked baby beets that aren’t from a tin can if possible. The vacuum-packed ones are great as it doesn’t have that canned/tinny taste.
- If you can’t find blood orange, normal sweet oranges are fine to use. If you like the bitter taste, you can opt for grapefruit too.
- You can find horseradish cream in the mustard/sauce section of your supermarket. You can use Dijon mustard if you prefer.
- Make sure that you only cook the lamb steaks when you’re ready to eat. That way, they stay juicy and warm. The cook time also depends on the steaks’ size and how well cooked you like your lamb.
- Don’t over rest the lamb. Yes, there is such a thing. 5 minutes of the steaks are in smaller portions and no more than 10 minutes for larger pieces. Otherwise, they will just dry out.
Nutrition
*Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided is an estimate only and generated by an online calculator.
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Katie Youngs
This is the perfect summer salad.
The Devil Wears Salad
Especially when you have the BBQ going!
Chef Dennis
This is making me super hungry!
The Devil Wears Salad
LOL! Glad it is!
Amanda
What an unbelievably flavorful salad! I just loved the lamb and blood orange together.
The Devil Wears Salad
Thanks Amanda! It is such a great combination isn’t it? Love how the citrus cuts through the heaviness of the lamb.