Lamb skewers don’t need much prep to get them meal-ready in a flash. When the weather gets warm enough to fire up the grill, this is one of the first recipes you’ll reach for. Metal skewers conduct heat very effectively, so the insides of your meat and vegetables will cook more quickly than with wooden or bamboo skewers. Adjust your cooking time accordingly and check your lamb kebabs often.
Figs, Two Ways
Figs and lamb team up in various cuisines. They’re both part of the Mediterranean diet, Middle Eastern, and South Asian.
Lamb skewers get marinated with our Fig BBQ sauce, for a spiced, just sweet enough flavor that pairs well with lamb. Then, they get brushed with the sauce, which uses California Mission Figs for their familiar jammy flavor.
Also threaded onto the skewers are whole figs—keep things interesting and try our Golden Figs with their slightly tangy, delicate sweetness to add flavor variation.
Quick Meals: You’ll Love Lamb Skewers
Lamb may be the alternative to beef, (which you could swap in here if you like). We like lamb shoulder or lamb leg meat as it is marbled which leads to a rich flavor. Stew beef would be the cut to use.
Chop up segments of red onion and fat coins of zucchini to spear with the lamb kebabs. You could also use equal sized segments of red bell pepper and perhaps even mushrooms.
Brush with the Fig BBQ Sauce after grilling the lamb kebabs. We like to eat them topping steamed rice or cauliflower rice.
Spiced Fig Marinated Lamb Kebabs
Equipment
- Thin bamboo or metal skewers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lamb shoulder or leg meat cut into 2-inch cubes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Fig BBQ Sauce , divided, plus more for serving
- 1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs stems removed
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 red onion
Instructions
- Put the lamb cubes in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, then pour over ½ cup of Fig BBQ Sauce and mix well. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for two hours.
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while the lamb is marinating.
- Heat the grill to medium-high (400 degrees F).
- Cut the zucchini into rounds about 1 inch thick. Slice the onion into 8 wedges, then cut each wedge in half.
- Thread the lamb, figs, zucchini and onion onto the skewers, using 2 cubes of lamb per skewer and dividing the rest of the ingredients evenly. You should end up with 8-10 kebabs.
- Grill the kebabs about 15 minutes, turning often and brushing generously with Fig BBQ Sauce.
- Serve immediately.