Lamb Tongue Tacos

When life gives you lamb tongues, you make this recipe. Lamb tongue tacos contain chunks of crispy, spicy fried lamb tongue, topped with guacamole, chilli sauce and served with roasted peppers.

It’s no secret that I love organ meats. They’re quite special; cuts from the muscles are good and all, but they aren’t always as interesting as the organ meats. Besides, from a nutritional perspective, organ meats contain a great deal more nutrients and vitamins than regular steaks cut from the various limbs and muscles. Plus they tend to be cheaper; what’s not to love?

I’ve tried beef tongue, which is magnificent, but this time I thought I’d try something a little more unusual: lamb tongues. Unlike beef tongue, lamb tongues are quite tiny. Each one is the size (and almost the same shape) as a baby’s shoe. That’s why you need a few; four tongues are just enough for two adults.

After you’ve cooked the tongues, you can pan-fry them and put them in a variety of recipes. I chose to put them in tacos this time. Feel free to put them in pita wraps, lettuce wraps, or even on top of salad. If you’re eating low-carb or keto, you can modify this recipe so it works for you by using a low-carb alternative to tacos. Basically, the tacos are just there as a serving suggestion.

Ingredients

1. Four lamb tongues
2. One large pot of boiling water (about 2 liters)
3. One onion
4. Two tablespoons dried rosemary leaves
5. A tiny pinch of ginger powder
6. Salt, to taste
7. Half a teaspoon each of smoked paprika, garlic powder, chipotle powder, onion powder and salt to taste.
8. Three tablespoons canola oil
9. 10 small sweet bell peppers
10. Two ripe avocados
11. Two tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce (optional)
12. Juice of half a large lemon
13. Two spring onions, finely chopped
14. 8-10 crispy taco shells or small tortillas. As I mentioned above, you can use lettuce wraps or pita bread instead if you like.

Method

1. Bring the water to a boil in the pot, add the chopped onion, rosemary, ginger and salt.
2. Add the lamb tongues to the water and bring to a boil on high. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover. Let it simmer for one and a half hours. If it needs more water, add some along the way, make sure the tongues are covered in water at all times.
3. In the meantime, preheat your oven broiler to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the bell peppers partially, lengthwise and put some kosher salt on the inside. Grease an oven-proof pan with canola oil, line the peppers in it and broil them until they turn brown, about 20 minutes. Turn them over half-way to make sure they brown on all sides.
4. After an hour and a half, remove the tongues but do not discard the stock; this can be used to make some delicious soup later on.
5. Allow the tongues to cool for about 10-15 minutes, then peel the top layer off. Be careful not to remove part of the meat when you peel them.
6. After peeling them, chop them into one-inch cubes. Toss them with the paprika, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder and a little salt. Allow them to sit for about 5 minutes.
7. Heat some canola oil in a cast-iron or heavy bottomed pan on medium-high. Fry the tongue cubes until crispy on all sides.
8. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil.
9. Mash the avocado, lemon juice, spring onion, salt to taste.
10. To assemble: place some tongue pieces in your taco/tortilla/lettuce wrap. Top with simplified guacamole, some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and some roasted peppers. Enjoy!

For related recipes, check out:

1. Roasted Rack of Lamb
2. Pan-grilled Beef Tongue
3. Jerk-marinated Seared Lamb Heart

© 2019, L.E.. All rights reserved.