Greek Lemon-Herb Meat Marinade

In the summer months, I am all about recipes that take little-to-no hands-on time. I want to be able to host without working too hard, and not feel shackled to my kitchen, so that I can actually get out and enjoy the short weeks of glorious weather.

Whenever possible, I try to put together meals that require the barbecue, making zero mess in the kitchen (and ensuring that I am not the one who actually does the cooking portion… that’s Franco’s job!). To keep it interesting, I try to switch up the meats and come up with different ways to flavour them, using marinades. I am always inspired by the flavours of cuisines from all around the world, and this one just happens to be Greek-inspired.

Franco’s favourite food of all time is greek food, so I try to keep Greek flavours on heavy rotation by letting them inspire different dishes. But in the summer months, you don’t need to convince us very hard to spark up the barbecue to grill up some marinated lamb to make our version of souvlaki pitas.

What I love about this recipe is that you use it and serve it in so many ways. My favourite way is to marinate lamb cubes, skewer them, grill them and serve them on gyro pitas with all the fixings (tzatziki overload, always) with a side of Greek salad with feta. But, you can also serve them over rice, lemon-y potatoes, or even on their own with loads of side salads!

If you’re not huge into lamb, you can definitely use this marinade on other protein, from chicken, to pork and even on fish! It takes practically no time to put together and everyone can plate it according to their dietary preferences, making it the ultimate summer hosting recipe.

This recipe has definitely been a summer staple in our house (and I have a feeling it will continue to be!).

Enjoy! XX

Greek Lemon-Herb Lamb Marinade

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Marinating time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Lemons juiced
  • 1/2 cup Olive oil
  • 4 Cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp Fresh oregano leaves roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp Fresh thyme roughly chopped
  • 1 Fresh bay leaf
  • 1 tsp sea salt or more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper or more to taste
  • 2 lbs Cubed lamb or any other choice of meat

Instructions
 

  •  In a large prep bowl, whisk together all the ingredients, except for the meat, until entirely combined.
  • Place your choice of meat in the bowl with the marinade, toss to coat, cover and place in the fridge to marinate at least four hours, or even better, overnight.
  • Cook the marinated meat, to your liking.

Notes

  • I generally skewer the meat for grilling. 
  • I like to serve this with Greek gyro pitas, tzatziki and all the pita fixings.
Keyword greek, marinade, pita, souvlaki, stuffed meat