Sameh Wadi’s Lamb Shanks With Pomegranate and Saffron
Updated July 8, 2020
- Total Time
- About 3 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 6lamb shanks, about 1 pound each
- Sea salt
- Grapeseed or canola oil
- 6cups coarsely chopped yellow onions
- Scant ½ cup sliced garlic cloves
- ¼cup grated fresh ginger
- 1½tablespoons ras el hanout (see note)
- 2teaspoons saffron threads
- 1teaspoon ground ginger
- 1teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6cups chicken stock or water
- 4cups pomegranate juice
- 1tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2teaspoons pomegranate molasses or grenadine
- Seeds of 1 medium pomegranate
- ¼cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- ¼cup pistachios, chopped
- Flaky salt, like Maldon or fleur de sel, for sprinkling
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season lamb shanks with salt.
- Step 2
In a large ovenproof pot with a lid, heat a thin film of oil. Working in batches to avoid crowding, and adjusting the heat to prevent scorching, brown the lamb shanks thoroughly over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Step 3
Add onion, garlic and ginger to the hot pan, sprinkle with salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the ras el hanout, saffron, ginger and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously, until the spices smell fragrant. Add 1 cup stock and bring to a boil. Cook until syrupy, about 3 minutes, using a wooden spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Step 5
Return the lamb and any drippings from the baking sheet to the pot. Add the remaining stock and the pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil, then cover and bake for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the lamb is very tender. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.
- Step 6
Transfer the lamb shanks to a baking sheet and cover with foil. Let the cooking liquid cool for 15 minutes, then skim off and discard the fat that has risen to the surface. Simmer the liquid until reduced to a sauce, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.
- Step 7
Season to taste with salt, then add the vinegar and pomegranate molasses a few teaspoons at a time, until the sauce is balanced to your liking between sweet and sour. Return the shanks to the sauce and bring to a simmer, spooning the sauce over the shanks until the meat is hot and richly glazed.
- Step 8
To serve, place the lamb shanks on a platter or individual plates, and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds, cilantro, pistachios and salt.
- Ras el hanout is a North African blend that can have as many as 30 spices. Buy it at a Middle Eastern market or spice specialist, or use ½ teaspoon each ground cumin, coriander, caraway, white pepper, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and turmeric, and a healthy pinch of cayenne. Middle Eastern markets also carry pomegranate molasses, or use date syrup or sherry vinegar as a stand-in for the molasses.
Private Notes
Comments
Leave the cilantro out. It's drowning out all the other flavors. Maybe parsley would work for color. Use only 1 tbsp oil. Don't forget the pomegranate juice ($10 for 1 quart). Don't skimp on the pomegranate juice. It brightens up an otherwise heavy and flat sauce. Needs a lot of salt. Use an imersion blender on the sauce.
We completely disagree with Tom on the cilantro- it’s a great addition, which we used again when remaining sauce was served as soup. Our only problem with this recipe is the time/effort involved. It took two of us (working well together) more than 3 hours.
HIgh Pressure for 50 minutes, then 15 minutes Natural Release
This is my go-to recipe for lamb shanks and I make it regularly. The pomegranate makes it so bright and interesting.
I made this with goat shanks instead of lamb and a DIY pomegranate “juice” from watered down pomegranate molasses and it still turned out beautifully. I thought it was just so ever slightly heavy on the saffron but that could have been the variety I used (Kashmiri from Kalyustan’s on Lexington). Well worth the effort!
I have a similar recipe (from the BBC) for a whole leg of lamb, that takes a lot longer. It simmers the lamb in pure pomegranate juice, not half juice/half stock, and I prefer it that way (no need to add the pomegranate molasses at the end, and a whole lemon, ground with the zest, as a marinade keeps it from being cloyingly sweet. Also, every Mediterranean/Middle Eastern lamb recipe I know features cinnamon, so I threw a stick in to simmer in the sauce and don't regret it!-)