Easy, tender, fully flavoured Turkish lamb shish kebabs are so easy to make at home and with this easy recipe they’re every bit as good as the ones you eat on holiday or from the local kebab shop.
Cook them in the oven, on the barbecue or on the griddle – whichever works for you.
Takeaway lamb shish kebabs
These days, I love a fakeaway dinner. Cooking at home, I can enjoy all those round-the-world flavours on offer at the local takeaways with less expense, fresher, hotter food, and more control over what I’m eating.
This recipe for kebab shop style lamb shish kebabs is my new favourite. Fragrant and juicy, they’re just irresistible.
Turkish food is one of the easiest to cook at home. These Turkish style lamb shish kebabs take about 30 minutes hands-on time. Pair them with my kebab shop style salad for a balanced meal.
What are lamb shish kebabs?
Shish kebabs are chunks of marinated meat cooked on a skewer (from sis, the Turkish word for a skewer). Popular across the Mediterranean, the smell of them cooking is enough to transport me back to happy sunshine holidays.
The marinade is essential for good lamb shish kebabs. The marinade both flavours and tenderises the meat. This is where that authentic flavour comes from, so don’t compromise – allow time for the meat to marinate properly.
Having said that, some recipes call for marinading in onion juice. If you want to try it, you can, of course. I don’t feel this is necessary, however. It’s too much fuss and I’m not prepared to live with the smell of raw onion juice permeating my home!
Why make lamb shish kebabs
- Quick & easy – so fast to make and as good as from your local takeout
- Delicious – packed with flavour and adaptable to suit all tastes.
- Scalable – the recipe is super easy to scale up to feed a crowd
- Make ahead – all the prep work can be done ahead of time
- Fuss free & effortless – there really is very little hands on work to make these delicious shish kebabs
Lamb shish kebabs – ingredients
- Lamb – diced into cubes (see my notes on different cuts below)
- Garlic – Finely diced or crushed garlic. I don’t like the tubes of garlic puree, as I think they always taste slightly stale and slightly rubbery. You could also add some garlic powder if you prefer.
- Spices – paprika, cumin, coriander, pepper and salt, but you can adjust these to your own taste, or you can use a homemade shish kebab seasoning blend.
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
Which cut of lamb for shish kebabs?
You want a fairly tender cut of lamb that has some fat running through it, but doesn’t have chunks of fat on it. I’ve used a neck fillet.
Lamb leg fillets and loin will also work well. They are easy to cut into cubes and you do not need to worry about deboning the meat.
How to make Lamb Shish Kebabs – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions for lamb shish kebabs in the oven, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips, and different ways of cooking, at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Cut up the lamb into roughly 3 cm / 1.25″ pieces. Trim and discard any big pieces of fat, but leave the fat that runs though it. There’s a lot of flavour in the fat.
Step Two – Add the rest of the ingredients and give everything a good stir.
Step Three – Cover the bowl and leave to marinate. Ideally, this will take at least 2–3 hours, or up to 48 hours in the fridge. At a push, though, 30 minutes will work.
To save space in the fridge, I transfer the meat to a plastic takeaway tray. These are compact and stack neatly, which makes life easier.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
To get ahead, you can freeze the lamb in the marinade. This is really useful for impromptu entertaining, as it will quickly defrost on the countertop, or overnight in the fridge.
Also good if you buy lamb on a short date from the reductions counter.
Step Four – Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and thread onto 4 skewers.
Flat metal skewers are probably the easiest to use, as the meat will not rotate on them. Mine are round, however, and I don’t really find it a problem. If you use bamboo skewers, these need soaking in water before use.
I bake my Turkish lamb shish kebabs on a trivet in a baking pan, which allows some of the fat and juice to fall away. If you prefer, you can use an oiled or parchment-lined baking tray.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan / Gas 5 / 375°F. Then, when you are ready, bake for about 15 minutes. If you use bamboo skewers, you will need a few minutes longer. This is because the heat won’t reach the centre of the meat as fast as bamboo does not conduct heat as well as metal.
Step Five – When the meat is nicely browned, remove from the oven, and serve.
Helen’s Pro Tip
Finish the lamb kebabs on a smoking hot griddle for a couple of minutes to give some char marks.
Serving suggestion
Serve with flat breads, a kebab shop salad, chilli sauce, and garlic sauce. You could also try a tahini dressing, if you prefer.
These kebabs work well as part of a barbecue spread or mezze, too.
If you prefer a more formal dinner, you could serve them with rice and salad.
Variations
- Vary the spices to suit your own preferences. You could try a little sumac or if you are feeling brave, hot pepper flakes.
- Add vegetables to the skewers between the chunks of meat. Try quartered onions, red peppers, aubergine or courgette.
Other cooking methods
- BBQ – Light the charcoal or gas BBQ 30 minutes before cooking. Once heated, or the charcoal is white cook for 6-8 minutes each side. Oil the grill to stop sticking,
- Electric Griddle – Switch on the grill and leave it to heat up. Cook the kebabs in the closed grill for 5-8 minutes depending on the power of the grill and desired doneness.
- Oven Grill (Broiler) – Light the grill / broiler and leave it for 5 minutes to heat. Place the kebabs on a lined baking tray and grill for about 6 minutes each side. Keep a close eye on them if your grill has any hot spots, and move downwards if needed.
- Airfryer – follow the instructions for these chicken teriyaki kebabs .
Storage
Fridge – These Turkish lamb shish kebabs really are best served freshly cooked. If you find that you have leftovers, then as soon as the kebabs are cold, take off the meat the skewers and pack into an airtight box. Keep them in the fridge for up to 48 hours. To reheat, flash fry until cooked through.
Freezer – If you are preparing ahead, you can freeze the lamb in the marinade, defrost for a few hours on the counter top, or overnight in the fridge. Make sure that the meat is defrosted before cooking. Pack leftover cooked lamb into an airtight box, defrost as usual, and flash fry as above to reheat.
Hints and Tips
- Cook the meat from room temperature – This means the meat is more “relaxed”. Not only will it cook faster, but the texture will be better and the meat juicier.
- Try and cut the chunks of lamb into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- For easy clean up, line the baking pan with parchment or foil.
- When finishing on a griddle, oil the griddle so that the kebabs don’t stick.
- Any leftover marinade can be turned into a sauce by pouring it into a saucepan and bringing it to a rolling boil until thickened. You must cook the marinade before eating it.
FAQS
Shish kebabs are chunks of meat cooked on a skewer – ‘shish’ is an anglicized version of the Turkish word for a skewer. Doner kebab (which is more or less the same thing as the Greek gyros or Lebanese shawarma) is meat cooked packed onto a vertical rotisserie and then thinly sliced.
Ideally, for about three hours. Obviously, you can leave it longer. In a pinch, you can cook your lamb after half an hour but you do lose something in terms of flavour and texture by not leaving it to marinate properly.
Yes, of course. In fact, I think of this as outdoor food. I do think it’s easier to cook them inside and eat outside, though, as you have more control over the temperature and don’t have to deal with flies!
Related Recipes
- Chicken Shish Kebabs – with a glorious golden coating.
- Chicken Tikka Kebabs – spiced tandoori style skewers.
- Lamb Koftas – delicious spiced minced lamb skewers.
- Kebab Shop Chilli Sauce – Just like from your local kebab shop – make as hot as you like.
- Kebab Shop Garlic Sauce – takeaway style to smother your kebab in.
- Kebab Shop Salad – with fabulous marinated cabbage for an authentic crunch.
- Shish Kebab Seasoning – make quick kebabs even quicker and easier.
Easy Takeaway Lamb Shish Kebabs
Ingredients
- 350 g lamb (neck fillet)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp garlic puree)
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
Optional
- 2 tsp (Sundried) tomato puree (adds some extra flavour and richness)
Instructions
- Cutup the lamb into roughly 3 cm / 1.25" pieces. Trim and discard any big pieces of fat, but leave some for flavour.350 g lamb
- Add the rest of the ingredients and give everything a good stir.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp sea salt, 2 tsp (Sundried) tomato puree
- Cover the bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge. Ideally, this will take at least 2–3 hours. At a push, though, 30 minutes will work.
- Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and thread onto 4 skewers. If you are using bamboo skewers rather than metal, you should soak these in water first.
- Arrange the skewers, ready for the oven. I bake my Turkish lamb shish kebabs on a trivet in a baking pan, which allows some of the fat and juice to fall away. If you prefer, you can use an oiled or parchment-lined baking tray.
Cook in the Oven
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan / Gas 5 / 375°F. Then, when you are ready, bake for about 15 minutes. If you use bamboo skewers, you will need a few minutes longer. This is because the heat won't reach the centre of the meat as fast.
- Once the meat is cooked though remove from the oven and serve. Alternatively finish the meat on a smoking hot oiled griddle for a minute or two, turning once to add some char.
Cook on the BBQ (Grill)
- Light the charcoal or gas BBQ 30 minutes before cooking. Once heated, or the charcoal is white cook for 6-8 minutes each side. Oil the grill to stop sticking,
Oven Grill (Broiler)
- Light the grill / broiler and leave it for 5 minutes to heat. Place the kebabs on a lined baking tray and grill for about 6 minutes each side. Keep a close eye on them if your grill has any hot spots, and move downwards if needed.
Electric Griddle
- Switch on the grill and leave it to heat up. Cook the kebabs in the closed grill for 5-8 minutes depending on the power of the grill and desired doneness.
Notes
- Cook the meat from room temperature – This means the meat is more “relaxed”. Not only will it cook faster, but the texture will be better and the meat juicier.
- Try and cut the chunks of lamb into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- For easy clean up, line the baking pan with parchment or foil.
- When finishing on a griddle, oil the griddle so that the kebabs don’t stick.
- Any leftover marinade can be turned into a sauce by pouring it into a saucepan and bringing it to a rolling boil until thickened. You must cook the marinade before eating it.
- Make up a jar of shish kebab seasoning and use three tsp in place of the spices, seasoning and fresh garlic.
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