Delicious, juicy lamb shashlik - this isnot just an appetizer, it is something delicious. And the cooking process itself turns into a kind of ritual. Of course, you can cook shashlik from any meat, but it turns out to be the most aromatic, juicy and delicious from lamb. There are a great many variations of shashlik cooking, from the simplest without preliminary soaking to exquisite, complex recipes using exotic marinades based on complex sauces, mint, dry wine, and various spices. Preparing the marinade for shashlik is the most responsible and important moment. After all, it is on it that the juiciness of the dish, its taste and aroma will ultimately depend. However, despite everything, the primary role in shashlik is, of course, played by meat. And it is very important to be able to choose it correctly. In fact, the whole process begins with the choice of meat. Undoubtedly, the most ideal option is lamb meat no older than 3 months. However, in most cases, such meat can only be found in the spring. And a milk lamb will be quite expensive. If there is no opportunity to buy such meat, it can be replaced with meat from young animals no older than 12 months. Such lamb has a reddish color, is quite elastic, with snow-white fat. The meat of older animals is much darker and has yellowish layers, it is no longer suitable for shashlik.

Skewers of lamb with oranges and garnish

Ingredients for shashlik:

• Lamb - 1 kg
• Green onions - 2 large bunches
• Oranges - 2 pcs.
• Spicy sauce

Ingredients for garnish:

• Romaine lettuce - 700 g
• Apple cider vinegar - 10 ml
• Orange juice - 100 ml
• Mayonnaise - 20 g
• Red cabbage - 500 g
• Mustard - 2 tsp.
• Salt
• Black pepper powder

Method of preparation:Cut the lamb into medium pieces and pour over any hot sauce. Mix and refrigerate for 2 hours. While the meat is marinating, prepare the salad. Romaine lettuce is cut into large pieces. Red cabbage, on the contrary, is chopped very finely. Green onions are cut into fairly large feathers, 4-6 cm long. Peel the oranges, divide into slices, and then cut each slice into halves. Mix orange juice, mayonnaise, vinegar and mustard in a deep bowl. Then add chopped lettuce and shredded cabbage to this mixture. Mix well again. After the lamb is thoroughly marinated, remove the meat from the sauce and start preparing the shashlik. Put the lamb pieces on skewers, alternating them with orange slices and green onion feathers. Before frying, the skewers with the meat on them are poured with the sauce in which the lamb was marinated. This way, the finished shashlik will be juicier. The dish is served on the table, garnished with greens. The most ideal option as a side dish is a prepared salad.

Skewers of lamb in mustard sauce

Ingredients:

• Lamb - 800 g
• Garlic - 2-3 cloves
• Lemon - 2 pcs.
• Chopped cilantro - 2 tbsp.
• Sweet mustard - 4 tbsp.
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp.
• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp.
• Salt - 1 tsp.

Method of preparation:First, prepare the sauce, which will also be the marinade for the lamb. Chop the cilantro and garlic, mix with soy sauce and mustard. Add salt, lemon juice and vegetable oil. Mix thoroughly. That's it, the mustard marinade is ready. Cut the lamb into small pieces and marinate in mustard sauce for 1 hour. After the time has elapsed, put the shashlik on skewers and fry over hot coals. When serving, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.

Skewers of lamb with eggs and zucchini

Ingredients:

• Lamb - 2.5 kg
• Eggs - 2 pcs.
• Zucchini - 800 g
• Green salad - 300 g
• Potatoes - 2.5-3 kg
• Fat - 120 g
• Salt, ground pepper

Method of preparation:This recipe is from Bulgarian cuisine. Cut the lamb into small pieces. Cut the zucchini into circles. Then sprinkle the meat and zucchini with salt and pepper and thread them onto skewers one by one. Then fry them over coals until half-cooked. Beat the eggs lightly in a separate bowl and grease the half-cooked shashlik with the resulting egg mixture. Fry until done. Fry the potatoes in fat. Cut the salad into slices. Sprinkle the finished shashlik with herbs and serve. Serve fried potatoes and salad as a side dish.

Lamb skewers with yoghurt

Ingredients:

• Yogurt - 1 tbsp.
• Olive oil - 4 tbsp.
• Lemon - 1 pc.
• Thyme — 0.5 tsp
• Rosemary — 0.5 tsp
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Lamb - 1 kg
• Ground black pepper
• Mint
• Salt

Method of preparation:For this recipe, it is advisable to use unsweetened yogurt. In extreme cases, it can be replaced with fatty, thick kefir. Cut the lamb into approximately equal pieces. Salt and pepper. Mix the yogurt with thyme, olive oil and rosemary. Squeeze the lemon to extract the juice, grate the zest. Add to the yogurt mixture. Finely chopped mint is also added. Mix everything. Pour the prepared marinade over the lamb pieces and leave to marinate for 7-9 hours. After the time has elapsed, thread the pieces of meat onto skewers and fry on hot coals or in an electric barbecue.

Lamb skewers in Caucasian style

Ingredients:

• Onions - 4-5 pcs.
• Dry wine - 150 g
• Lamb - 1 kg
• Ground pepper
• Vegetable oil
• Salt

Method of preparation:The meat is cleaned of tendons and films, cut into pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Onions are cut into rings and mixed with lamb, sprinkled with wine, vegetable oil and carefully, so as not to break the onion, mixed. Then leave to marinate for 20-30 minutes. Young meat is quite tender and very quickly absorbs the smell of spices. If the lamb is not too young, it needs to be marinated for 3-4 hours. Then the pieces are strung on a skewer mixed with onions and fried over hot coals for 10-15 minutes. During the frying process, the skewers are turned over from time to time and the shashlik is sprinkled with dry wine. A lot of greenery is served with the finished dish: cilantro, dill, parsley, green onions, basil.

Classic lamb shish kebab

Ingredients:

• Onions - 6 pcs.
• Vinegar 3% - 120 ml
• Tomatoes - 4 pcs.
• Lemon - 1 pc.
• Tkemali sauce — 5 tbsp.
• Dried barberry - 5 g
• Rendered lamb fat — 20 g
• Lamb - 1 kg
• Pepper, salt

Method of preparation:The meat is cut into small pieces, placed in an enamel bowl, seasoned with salt, pepper, 3% vinegar (can be replaced with lemon juice), and onion cut into half rings. Mix everything, cover with a lid and leave to marinate for 3-5 hours. After some time, the pieces of meat are strung on skewers, mixed with tomato and onion slices. Grease with lamb fat and fry, regularly turning, over hot coals for 10-15 minutes. Serve the finished dish with lots of greenery and tkemali sauce. Cherry, birch, linden or oak coals are best suited for shashlik. It is undesirable to use coniferous firewood, since the finished dish will smell of resin. For the same reason, it is unacceptable to use gasoline or other flammable substances. During the cooking process, the skewers are regularly turned over, thus achieving uniform readiness. If the meat starts to burn or dry out prematurely, it is greased with marinade. In addition, from time to time, the kebabs should be sprinkled with wine or water acidified with vinegar. This will allow the meat to remain juicy inside and prevent premature burning.

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