Cornish shoulder of lamb, chilli salsa bruschetta and lemon verbena yoghurt

Slow-roasted Cornish lamb shoulder, pulled into tender shreds, meets the vibrant bite of a chilli and pickle salsa on charred sourdough. A cooling lemon verbena yoghurt drizzled over the top balances the rich meat, creating a dish that feels both deeply satisfying and wonderfully fresh.

This shoulder of lamb dish receives a Nutri-Score of E due to the high saturated fat content from the lamb shoulder, butter and olive oil.

Per serving (approximate): 900 kcal, 60g fat (of which 25g saturates), 30g carbohydrates, 12g sugars, 3g fibre, and 45g protein.

Method

Pickle the Red Onions (10 mins + overnight in the fridge — start the day before)

1. Dissolve the pickle liquid — Pop the white wine vinegar, caster sugar, olive oil, salt and 600ml/1 pint of water into a saucepan and warm it gently over a low heat. Stir it just until the sugar dissolves completely, then take it off the heat and let it cool down to a tepid temperature.
2. Pickle the onions — Transfer the cooled liquid to a bowl, add your thinly sliced red onion, and cover the bowl tightly with cling film. Pop it in the fridge overnight so the onions turn beautifully pink and pickled, which adds a fantastic sharp crunch to the final chilli salsa bruschetta.

Sear and Slow-Roast the Lamb (15 mins prep + 4 hours cooking — mostly hands-off)

3. Preheat and seal the lamb — Preheat your oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3½. Warm the olive oil in a lidded casserole dish over a medium heat, then add the butter and let it foam. Season the lamb shoulder liberally all over with sea salt, lay it in the hot butter, and sear it until it is deeply caramelised on every side.
4. Caramelise the aromatics — Lift the lamb out and set it aside on a plate. Drop the garlic cloves and halved lemons into the casserole dish and let them caramelise in those gorgeous meaty juices. Add the thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, cooking for a further 2 minutes until beautifully fragrant.
5. Braise the lamb — Drain off the excess butter from the pan, pour in the white wine, and bring it to a boil. Let it reduce for a moment to a gentle simmer, then return the lamb to the casserole dish. Season with a little more salt, put the lid on tightly, and transfer it to the oven for 4 hours. Baste the meat regularly with the cooking juices, adding a splash of water if the pan ever looks like it might dry out.
6. Crisp up the skin — When the 4 hours are up, increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 to crisp up that lamb skin while the meat rests. Once the skin is golden and crunchy, remove the lamb from the oven and let it cool just enough so you can handle it comfortably.

Make the Salsa and Grill the Sourdough (15 mins — do this while the lamb crisps and rests)

7. Build the base salsa — Fish the red onions out of the cold pickle and put them into a fresh bowl. Add the sliced red and green chillies, the sliced spring onions, the chopped coriander and the sliced basil leaves. Give it all a good stir to combine.
8. Add the tomatoes — Toss the halved cherry tomatoes into the salsa, then add a generous squeeze of lime juice and lemon juice. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir again, and set aside.
9. Chargrill the bread — Preheat your grill to the highest setting. Drizzle a little olive oil over the slices of good-quality sourdough and pop them under the grill until they are nice and golden brown on both sides. Take them off, and while they are still hot, rub the surface vigorously with a fresh garlic clove — this gives you a gorgeous, subtle garlic perfume without being overpowering.

Mix the Yoghurt and Assemble (5 mins — right at the end)

10. Flavour the yoghurt — In a small bowl, mix together the Greek-style yoghurt, freshly chopped mint, freshly chopped lemon verbena, and the lime zest and juice. Taste it and adjust the herbs or lime to your liking — you want it to be cool, zesty and refreshing.
11. Pull the lamb — Using two forks, pull the rested Cornish lamb shoulder apart into lovely, tender shreds.
12. Plate the bruschetta — Spread a generous spoonful of the vibrant chilli salsa over each piece of chargrilled sourdough. Pile the warm, pulled lamb on top, add a good dollop of the lemon verbena yoghurt, and serve your Cornish shoulder of lamb, chilli salsa bruschetta and lemon verbena yoghurt straight away.

Additional Notes

This recipe is absolutely perfect for when you have a bit of time to prepare, or if you happen to have leftover slow-cooked lamb from a Sunday roast. If you are using leftovers, simply skip the roasting stage, warm the shredded meat through gently in a pan, and pick up the recipe from the salsa and bruschetta stage.