Persian-Spiced Lamb Shanks Recipe (2024)

I made this for a party of ten which included a 90 year old and two fourteen year olds. It was a huge hit with all. I couldn't bear to discard those onions so I puréed the in the processor and they gave a delicious body to the sauce. I saved it with roasted fennel and a mash of celeriac, parsley and potato.

I'm kind of puzzled by all the people complaining about how much work this recipe entails. In terms of what happens -- you season the meat, you brown it, you make a bed of aromatic veg, you return the meat to the pot and bring the liquid to the boil and then simmer till the meat is tender -- it's a pretty standard braise. If the final step of straining the sauce really kills you, skip it and go rustic. If you want something with fewer steps, grill some lamb chops.

Transfer the lamb shanks after deboning to an ovenproof serving dish. Using a fine sieve, strain the braising liquid into a medium saucepan, pressing on the solids. Boil the braising liquid over high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour about 1/2 cup over the lamb shanks; keep the remaining sauce warm. Cover the lamb shanks with foil and reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Crock pot & simplification tweaks:Crock pot set on high - 4-1/2 to 5 hours sufficient for tender shanks.-Browned the shanks and sauteed the onions, then placed in crock pot.-Mixed all spices in a bowl, poured this dry mixture over the shanks.-Deglazed pan with lime juice and 2 tsp orange blossom water (instead of rosewater).-Used 1/4 cup of water in crockpot (instead of 6 cups of liquid). This was more than enough for moist cooking and for pan juices when serving.

This is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. 2 shanks and a generous cup of dried chick peas. 275 for 4 hours. I left the onions in, served over basmati rice. Sautéed spinach. No rose water or petals.It was so good.

Very nice spice combination. I'd have added some garlic to the onions and maybe some grated ginger as well, though, for oomph!

I recommend lowering the temp halfway to 325 degrees for an extra hour or longer if you have time. It made the meat extra moist and tender.

*Pretty basic cooking techniques involved. Tasty. But so many recipes & so little time - won't do again. *Full flavors - for those who thought too bland, wonder if really fresh spices used?*Reduced water by 1.5 C given some comments - seemed good to have done.*Didn't use rose water or buds since we are not fond of them.*Definitely make this far enough ahead to well defat braise liquid. *Needed kiss of sweet at end to balance lime juice in braise liquid - added @1T honey w/ good result

Nothing "over the top" or particularly "time-consuming" here, and the oven baking in Step 5 can easily be done by stovetop simmering.
But as a New Yorker, I'm still aware of some of the NYT's Cooking aus' big-city bias! Yes, rosewater's pretty easily available here--even at Fairway!--but ground rosebuds? Really?! I can only suggest Kalustyan's, on 28th & Lexington--and if they don't have 'em--let's gather 'em where we may!

Lamb was very tender, but overall this recipe was juice okay. The flavors didn't come together as well as expected. I agree with other comments that it was too watery - I reduced the braising juices by 1/3 which helped somewhat. I used rosewater sparingly (1/4 tsp total) and still found it overpowering, and I am used to using it in cooking. I would make it again but leave out the rosewater entirely.

It’s been said, you should follow the recipe the first time to see what the chef had in mind..ok, I only used 4 cups of broth. Used rose petals and 2 tsp of rose water. Fantastic dish. The broth for the meat is simply broth, not a thick sauce. Once you get over that, serve with rice and a steam veg.. life is good.Subtle flavor and taste is magical. I love garlic and ginger & big flavor but that’s not the point with the recipe. My new favorite lamb dish. used my home grown herbs and citrus!

I found this recipe really needed to reduce on the stove by at least two-thirds. I thought the braising liquid was also very runny but it was absolutely amazing after I reduced it. It took almost 30 minutes to reduce buy totally worth it. The sauce became glossy and velvety, and the meat was also fantastic the next day.

I made this for a dinner party. Our guests seemed to have loved it. But I thought it was just ok. I think I should have been less conservative with the rosewater (just two teaspoons) as I didn't want to serve something that was reminiscent of soap or lotion. This I understand really depends on one's rosewater. Also, I think I would have liked it with more mint, or more lime juice. Something to cut through the richness of the meat.

There is absolutely no reason to use 1/2 inch of oil to fry the lamb shank only to discard most of it. Also several comments that the sauce was too runny. Two suggestions: one; dredge the shanks in flower before frying in three tablespoons of EVOO. Two, Fry in 1/4 cup of EVOO then add 1/4 cup of flour and stir constantly over high heat to make a roux. When roux is light brown in color, slowly add HOT chicken stock, stirring constantly.

Was I complaining earlier about the amount of oil left over after searing the lamb? I take it back! This seasoned oil is simply delicious and, once saved and refrigerated, adds wonderful flavor later to sautees, roasted veggies, you name it.

While the shanks never turned tender, the flavor of the broth was amazing. Love the pitch of lime and orange. Didn't have rose ingredients. Diced onions. Way too much oil for browning but poured it off for use later an excess 1/2 pint!). I'd try this again, modify quantities to make a soup of the broth.

Prep herbs making them fresh, grinding whole herbs, I like to use a clay pot because it adds a nice flavor to the meat when cooking

It was quite a pain to find all the ingredients but I'm glad I did because this was incredible. I wonder (since I've bought all the spices) if this would work with another type of meat?

Lamb shanks can be wonderful, yet care preparing is key. I read through multiple recipes and was waffling between Tassi’s two recipes. I decided to start with this base recipe, yet added my own twist to make it more Mediterranean. I added dried apricots and figs to add an exotic flavor. After 2 1/2 plus hours at low heat, I removed the meat let it set. Added water to the simmered sauce and reduced adding in fish sauce to temper the sweetness. Immersion blender to smooth sauce and it was tasty.

This is likely one of the best meals I've ever made.

this recipe is outstanding...but I forget what temperature to cook them at in the oven. Couldn't find that...350?

Utterly delicious. I made this for a group of 12 people and it was a huge hit. Had I timed it correctly I would have cooked the lamb for much longer, 2 to 2.5 hours - the 1.5 hours wasn’t quite long enough. But it was so flavorful and would definitely do it again.

This was wonderful and I added a handful of lentils to the broth as I didn't have enough shanks to share. It was glorious!

Delicious. Served with a pan of rice that I browned with butter, yogurt, and a tomato salad. Subbed turmeric for saffron in the recipe.

Excellent subtle flavors; best to make the day before so the fat can easily be separated from the braising liquids and has time the liquids have time to thicken into a heartier sauce; I did not strain onions and the flavor was very good.

This was amazing!!I prepped as per directions except:Heated chicken stock in crock pot / slow cooker.Once lamb was browned straight in slow cooker.After adding the slurry with the saffron, tipped the lot in the slow cooker and cooked on low for 5 hours.Used a slotted spoon I removed the thyme and bay leaves, then using my hand blender, liquified everything else!!I had to stop my self from drinking the broth. I’ve saved it to use for couscous next time I make lamb chops.

Fantastic result! Best advice is to cook it, refrigerate overnight, skim fat and then serve. Also, I used extra ground up rose petals because I didn't have rosewater. Finally, the saffron was not the best because the water turned orange and not red. But an amazingly good recipe, served over rice, and with a bit of yogurt mixed with parsley and garlic on top.

I've cooked a lot of lamb in my day and this is far and away the best lamb recipe I've made. My only complaint is that I seasoned the shanks "generously" as instructed and they came out too salty. I served with the "Persian Jeweled RIce" (shirin polo) here on NYT, mashed parsnips, persian flatbread (sangak) and a very simple salad. Don't skip the mint and parsley garnish...and if you use Sadaf rose water - go easy - it's VERY perfumed. I used one imported from Iran and it was beautiful.

I leave out the lime and orange zest, bay leaves and sprigs of thyme; mix the water with a tablespoon of tomato puree, and cook for 3 hours on 150C (top up fluids as and when needed). Falls off the bone and tastes much more Persian. Plus, throw some carrots in the bottom of the pot for and serve with basmati rice