Grilled Lamb Salad With Farro And Lemon Vinaigrette

Last Updated on September 25, 2023 by Melissa Reome

This post is sponsored by The American Lamb Board. All opinions are my own.

This hearty grilled American lamb salad with farro and lemon vinaigrette is a perfect stand alone meal for lunch or dinner. It combines the lovely chew of farro with the robust flavor of marinated and grilled lamb. The bright lemon vinaigrette paired with the fresh herbs is a beautiful contrast to the delicious savory grilled lamb. For this recipe, a butterflied leg of lamb is marinated then grilled to bring the flavor up a whole other level.

Is Boneless Leg of Lamb The Same As Butterflied Leg of Lamb?

When a leg of lamb has the bone removed, it becomes a “boneless leg of lamb”.  When the bone is removed you are then able to flap the meat open into a flat piece of meat of similar thickness. This is called a “butterflied leg of lamb”.  A butterflied leg of lamb is beneficial because you can get seasoning or marinade on more surface area of meat.  When the bone is removed and the meat tied into a roast to cook, that would generally be called a “boneless leg of lamb” roast.

Marinade For Lamb

The marinade for this recipe contains olive oil and lemon juice with a blend of fresh garlic, rosemary, smoked paprika, oregano and cumin.  When an acid is added to a marinade, there is a risk of over marinating the meat.  If that occurs, the meat can become mushy.  Ideally, marinate the meat for at least 3 hours to allow the meat to take on the flavors in the marinade but no longer than 24 hours.

Is Lamb Nutritious?

American Lamb is an excellent source of protein, zinc, selenium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, and a good source of iron and vitamin B6.  A 3 ounce serving of lamb delivers 23 grams of protein – almost 50% of your daily protein needs. On average, a 3 ounce serving of American Lamb is lean and has only 160 calories. Lean cuts of American lamb include the leg, loin, and shoulder.

Where To Buy American Lamb

The American Lamb Board website is full of a vast amount of information regarding lamb farming, production, recipes and much more.  Use this American Lamb Board product locator to find out where you can buy American lamb locally.

Farro

What is Farro?

Farro is an ancient strain of wheat loved for its nutty and chewy texture. It is hearty enough to stand up to acidic dressings which is why using this lemon vinaigrette is perfect with it.  Although popular in Mediterranean cooking it is increasingly more popular in other regions now as well.  For this lamb salad recipe it can be made in 30 minutes or you can make it a day ahead of time for the salad as well.

Different Types Of Farro

Farro is broken down into different types including whole grain, pearled, and semi-pearled farro.  The type varies depending on how much of the grain’s outer husk or bran has been removed. When buying farrow, if it does not show the type on the front of the container, look at the ingredient list often on the back. In most cases it will show which variety it is.

Whole Grain Farro (whole berry): the grain has all of its bran, is most nutritious but takes the longest to cook.

Pearled Farro: most common type available for purchase in the United States, it has all of the bran removed. Although this allows it to cook quicker, it does lose some of its nutritional value when the bran is removed.

Semi-pearled Farro: this type removes only some of the bran.  It takes longer to cook than pearled but not as long as whole grain farro.

Nutrition of Farro

A single serving of farro (about ¼ cup uncooked) contains about 7g of protein, 5g of fiber and roughly 200 calories.  Aside from a good source of protein and fiber, it is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Note: 1 cup of dry farro will yield approximately 3 cups once cooked.

Grilling Corn On The Cob

For this recipe grilling husked corn over high heat allows you to get a nice char on some of the kernels.  Those bits of char give it a great flavor.  If you do not have a grill you can cook the corn indoors on a grill pan or skillet.  When grilling the corn, have a long set of tongs readily available to turn the corn frequently.

Place the corn over high heat, rotate every minute or so as color develops on the corn.  Continue rotating until cooked on all sides.  This process takes approximately 8 to 10 minutes.  For this recipe, once the corn is cool enough to handle, cut the corn off of the cob until assembling salad.

Grilling Asparagus

To prepare the asparagus, cut off the bottom where it appears woody or thicker as this is tough.  Place the asparagus in a bowl or on a tray and drizzle with olive oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Place on the grill grates and cook for approximately 4 to 5 minutes for thin asparagus or if it is thicker asparagus 6 to 10 minutes.  Flip asparagus occasionally while grilling and remove from thee grill when it is tender.  For this lamb salad recipe, cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces and set aside until assembling the salad.

How To Make Marinated Butterflied Leg Of Lamb

Trim any excess fat and/or gristle off of the butterflied lamb. Score the lamb with a knife in a cross-hatch pattern.  This will allow more surface for the marinade to coat the lamb.

Butterflied Leg Of Lamb

Prepare marinade: Place lamb in a dish large enough to hold the marinade or a large zipper bag. Pour marinade over butterflied lamb being sure to cover all surfaces. Cover and refrigerate for 3-24 hours until ready to cook.

Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Set up the grill with both an indirect and direct cooking area. Preheat the grill to 400-425F. Place lamb over direct heat and turn every couple minutes until desired internal temperature is reached when measured with an instant read thermometer. NOTE: Pull lamb off grill 10 degrees below your ideal finished temperature as the temperature of the meat will rise after it is off the grill.  Cover lamb with foil while resting. If the grill flares up too much, move the lamb to an indirect cooking area.Finished temperature after rest:

For medium rare 130-134 F, medium 135-144F
Note: The USDA recommends a finished temperature of 145F with a 3 minute rest.

Grilling Butterflied Leg Of Lamb

Rest lamb for 10 minutes then slice against the grain and serve over farro salad.

Salad Assembly

Once all of the ingredients for the grilled lamb salad have been cooked, it is time to assemble the salad. In a large bowl, mix farro, grilled asparagus, shallots, corn, tomatoes, parsley, lemon zest and vinaigrette until well combined. Wait until serving to add the nuts so they do not soften prior to eating. Top with sliced American lamb and serve. This salad is terrific both warm and cold and makes for great leftovers the following day.

Looking for more lamb recipes, try my Grilled Chimichurri Lamb Chop recipe which is a family favorite!

Looking for more lamb recipes, try my Grilled Chimichurri Lamb Chop recipe which is a family favorite!

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