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Home » Recipes » Barbecue

Grilled Lamb and Fig Skewers with Mint Pepper Glaze

August 19, 2023 by Lisa Goldfinger 9 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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Two grilled lamb and fig skewers surrounded by lemon slices and mint sprigs

Here’s a kebab recipe for your next summer dinner party. Lamb and figs are seasoned with garlic and cumin, threaded onto skewers and grilled. As they cook, they're brushed with a sweet, spicy, minty glaze.

Delicate sweet fresh figs and charred rich grilled lamb are a match made in heaven. The spicy minty glaze takes this dish over the top. 

Two kebabs threaded with cubes of lamb, halved fresh figs and pieces of scallions, surrounded by lemon slices and mint sprigs

This is one of my longtime favorite grilling recipes for spring and summer entertaining. It's an easy and elegant dish made with fresh seasonal ingredients and the flavors are outrageously delicious.

All the credit for this recipe goes to Chef Chris Schlesinger and Epicurious. I've made only minor modifications to the recipe since I first discovered it ten years go.

I reduced the salt and increased the cumin. I made the lamb cubes a bit larger because I find they're juicier that way. I added green onions because I love the flavor and they go really well with grilled lamb and figs. Also, I like the way the kebabs look with bits of green and white to break up the brown color of the grilled lamb and figs.

5 lamb and fig kebabs on a white platter

How to Make These Lamb and Fig Skewers

This recipe has 4 steps:

  1. Make the glaze
  2. Season the lamb and figs
  3. Assemble the kebabs
  4. Grill the skewers, brushing them with glaze as they cook

Make the glaze

Add apricot preserves, vinegar and red pepper flakes to a small saucepan and simmer until thick and jammy. When cool, stir in fresh chopped mint leaves. Set the glaze aside while you prepare the lamb skewers.

saucepan on a striped dish towel, filled with mint pepper glaze.

Season the lamb and figs

To a large mixing bowl, add the cubes of lamb, figs, olive oil, cumin, coriander, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

Glass mixing bowl filled with cubes of lamb, fresh figs, cumin and garlic.

Assemble the Kebabs

Thread the lamb, figs and green onions onto eight long (~17 inch) skewers, alternating each ingredient.

7 metal skewers threaded with cubes of raw lamb, fresh fig halves and scallions

Grill the Lamb Skewers

Heat the grill to high and grill the lamb skewers for about 4 minutes per side, brushing them with glaze towards the end of the grilling time.

5 lamb and fig skewers on a grill rack being brushed with glaze

What to Serve with Grilled Lamb and Fig Skewers

Rich spicy lamb calls out for a crunchy salad with citrusy dressing. I love to serve these lamb skewers with this Shirazi cucumber and tomato salad. Add some crumbled feta and chopped mint on top of the salad to amp it up even further since feta goes so well with lamb.

I also love basmati rice with this dish. If you want to get fancy, cook the rice and then toss it with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon or more of Maldon sea salt, and a few tablespoons of fresh chopped scallions and or herbs, such as parsley, mint or basil.

Three kebabs threaded with cubes of lamb, halved fresh figs and pieces of scallions, surrounded by lemon slices and mint sprigs

If your herb garden is overtaken with mint, as mine often is, you might want to consider making these minty frozen mojitos to accompany your grilled lamb and fig kebabs - an exciting fusion of spicy Mediterranean kebabs with a frosty Caribbean cocktail.

And if you love grilled figs as much as I do, you will adore this appetizer recipe, grilled figs, prosciutto and burrata.

Here's the grilled lamb and fig skewers recipe. If you make this dish, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.

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Two grilled lamb and fig skewers surrounded by lemon slices and mint sprigs

Grilled Lamb and Fig Skewers with Mint Pepper Glaze


★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Lisa
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Seasoned lamb, fresh figs and scallions are threaded onto skewers, brushed with a sweet, tangy, spicy, minty glaze and grilled. This is an outstanding dish for the grill, with exciting Middle Eastern flavors. 


Ingredients

Units Scale

For The Mint-Pepper glaze:

  • ⅔ cup apricot preserves or jam
  • ⅓ cup sherry vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • The zest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup (packed) fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  • A few mint sprigs set aside as a final garnish

For The lamb

  • 3 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
  • 12-14 fresh Black Mission figs or Brown Turkey Figs
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic (4-5 medium cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons of ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
  • 6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces (look for thick scallions)
  • Special equipment: 8-10 (17-inch) metal skewers

Instructions

  1. In small saucepan combine apricot preserves, vinegar, red pepper flakes and lemon zest and set over high heat. When liquids come to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, until thickened and jammy. Remove glaze from heat and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the chopped mint.
  2. Preheat the grill to medium high. Cut the figs in half lengthwise through the stem. Add them to a large bowl along with the lamb, olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine and thread lamb figs and scallions onto skewers.
  3. Grill the skewers for about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Start with the grill cover closed and cook for four minutes. Brush the kebabs on both sides with glaze, turn, and grill for 3 minutes more with the cover closed. Brush on both sides once more and cook for 30 seconds, uncovered. (Lamb will be slightly underdone but will continue to cook after being removed from grill)
  4. Serve kebabs with fresh chopped mint sprinkled on top

Notes

Buying Lamb: If the lamb is excessively fatty, consider buying an extra half pound or so, as you will be trimming off most of the fat.

Buying Figs: look for firm ripe figs. If they're overripe or mushy they won't hold up on the grill

Aleppo Pepper Substitute: Maras pepper is the best substitute. Crushed red pepper flakes will work well too but use only 1 teaspoon instead of 2.

Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Grill
  • Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keywords: Easy elegant grilled lamb and fresh fig kebabs glazed with spicy minty glaze

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

This post was first published on May 16, 2017. It was updated on August 19, 2023 with new photos, added nutritional information, updated text and clearer recipe instructions.

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Barbecue, Entertaining, main course, Middle Eastern Recipes Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten-free, kebabs, lamb, paleo

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  1. restaurantthatdeliversnearme.website

    July 19, 2021 at 3:16 am

    Thanks for the recipe tips.

    Reply
  2. Matthew

    October 23, 2017 at 9:49 am

    I'm going to make these for a small dinner party and would like to make them in advance. How do you recommend I reheat them at the time. A bit concerned the lamb might get overdone?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      October 25, 2017 at 1:54 pm

      The best way is to prep them ahead but cook them at the last minute: get all the meat and veggies onto skewers, and wrap them up in plastic wrap or foil, keep them in the fridge until you're ready to grill. Grilling only takes a few minutes. But if you'd rather cook them completely, make sure you don't over cook them - just sear them on the grill but keep them rare. Let them cool a bit and wrap them in foil and store them in the fridge. Reheat them in a 350F oven - lay them out on a baking pan, cover them with foil, heat for 10-15 minutes, until they're heated through. You can also save some of the glaze and heat that up and brush some hot glaze over the kebabs just before serving. I hope that helps! Have a great dinner party.

      Reply
      • Matthew

        October 28, 2017 at 7:44 am

        Thank you Lisa. This worked very well and they came out perfectly. I seared them over a very hot charcoal BBQ earlier in the day. Just a minute each side with lid on gave them great color and smoke. Then in the fridge. Just 10 minutes in the 350F oven, some extra glaze and voila! Tender, medium rare heaven. Thanks again, a delicious recipe.
        BTW, I used lamb loin chops for the meat source. Each chop gave 3 large, regular cubes of lean, tender meat after trimming. 12 chops for 8 people.
        Also, couldn't find fresh figs, so used Sunmaid Mission dried figs. Delicious - and incredibly moist.

        ★★★★★

      • Lisa

        November 04, 2017 at 2:27 am

        Hi Matthew, I'm so glad you were able to get all the prep and grilling done ahead and that it all worked out so well for your dinner party. And great to know that in a pinch dried figs do the trick.

  3. Elizabeth @ Bowl of Delicious

    May 23, 2017 at 11:18 am

    I love that you've taken the traditional lamb+mint a step further- love the awesome flavors in this dish and the sweetness of the figs paired with everything. These look AMAZING. I'm going to make them and eat outside and pretend I'm on a Greek Isle somewhere in the Mediterranean 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Jen

    May 22, 2017 at 9:51 am

    Love it!! Thanks, Lisa!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Sue

    May 20, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    OMG this sounds amazing. But the season for fresh figs here in New England is very short. Any suggestions for a substitute that would work in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 21, 2017 at 10:41 am

      Hi Sue, good point about fig season. There are lots of possibilities for substitutions. One thing you can do is reconstitute dried mission figs by steeping them in hot water. Put them in a small saucepan and cover them by an inch with water. You can put in 1/4 cup of dry sherry for flavor, if you want. Bring the pot to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the figs steep for 5-10 minutes, until they plump up and you can slice them and skewer them. Other options: whole dates, sweet vidalia onions, fresh peaches, red or yellow bell peppers. Let me know what you end up doing and how it turns out!

      Reply

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