Ask Icelanders which dinner they miss most from their childhood and lambakótilettur í raspi comes up again and again. Breaded lamb chops, fried in plenty of butter, are the kind of meal people call ömmumatur: grandma food.
The dish is simple. Small lamb chops get a coat of flour, egg and breadcrumbs, then go into a hot pan until the crust turns deep gold. What makes it Icelandic is everything around it on the plate.
Here is how the dish works, how to make it at home, and what to serve with it if you want the full Sunday-at-grandma's experience.
What lambakótilettur í raspi is
Kótilettur is the Icelandic word for lamb chops, and raspur means breadcrumbs. So the name simply says "lamb chops in breadcrumbs," which is exactly what arrives at the table.
In Iceland the chops are usually cut from the hryggur, the lamb's back, sliced across into pieces about 1.5 cm (just over half an inch) thick. Each one has a bit of bone, a round eye of meat and a strip of fat around the edge.
Outside Iceland, rib chops or loin chops do the same job. Small rib chops, sometimes sold as lamb cutlets, are closest to the Icelandic cut and cook quickly and evenly.
It is still everyday food rather than a restaurant special. Supermarkets in Iceland even sell frozen chops already breaded and ready for the pan.
Why the breadcrumbs matter
Icelandic lamb is lean, mild and tender, and the crumb coating protects it. The crust browns in the butter while the meat inside stays juicy and slightly pink.
The coating also soaks up butter, which is a big part of the appeal. Most cooks fry the chops in butter or margarine, then pour what is left in the pan over the meat and potatoes.
Unlike a Wiener schnitzel, the meat is not pounded paper-thin. The bone stays in, and the meat is only tapped lightly with a meat mallet, if at all.
Ingredients for breaded lamb chops
This version serves four and follows the classic Icelandic home method.
- 12 to 16 small lamb chops (rib or loin), about 1.5 cm thick
- 1 1/2 dl (about 2/3 cup) plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 dl (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp) milk
- 3 to 4 dl (about 1 1/4 to 1 2/3 cups) plain dried breadcrumbs
- 100 g (7 tbsp) butter, plus a little extra if needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Use plain, unseasoned breadcrumbs. Fine dried crumbs give the classic even, sandy crust, while fresh or panko crumbs make a rougher, crunchier coat.
Some Icelandic cooks add a pinch of a seasoning salt or dried herbs to the crumbs. Thyme and rosemary both suit lamb, but salt and pepper are all the dish really needs.
How to make lamb chops in breadcrumbs, step by step
Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Pat the chops dry with paper towels so the coating sticks.
If the chops are thick or uneven, tap them a few times with a meat mallet to flatten them slightly. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Set up three shallow dishes in a row. Put the flour in the first, whisk the eggs and milk together in the second and tip the breadcrumbs into the third.
Turn each chop in the flour and shake off the excess. Dip it in the egg mixture, let the extra drip away, then press it into the crumbs on both sides.
Lay the coated chops on a plate and let them rest for a few minutes. This helps the crumbs set so they do not fall off in the pan.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the foam settles, add the chops in a single layer, working in batches if needed.
Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the crust is deep golden brown. If the crumbs darken too quickly, turn the heat down a little, because burnt crumbs taste bitter.
Move the chops to an ovenproof dish and finish them in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Larger or thicker chops may need a few minutes more.
For lamb cooked to medium, the meat should reach 63°C (145°F) in the thickest part, then rest for three minutes. Keep the butter left in the pan, because it becomes your sauce.
Baked breaded lamb chops in the oven
If you are cooking for a crowd, you can skip most of the frying. Arrange the breaded chops in a single layer in a large ovenproof dish.
Put a small cube of butter on top of each chop and bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes. Tilt the dish now and then and spoon the melted butter back over the meat.
Finish under the grill or broiler for about 5 minutes so the crumbs crisp up. This is also the easiest way to cook the frozen pre-breaded chops sold in Icelandic shops.
Oven-baked chops will not be quite as dark and crunchy as pan-fried ones. They are, however, much less work, and the kitchen smells just as good.
Onion butter, the old-fashioned sauce
Many families serve the chops with nothing more than the browned butter from the pan. Others make a quick onion butter, known in Icelandic as lauksmjör.
Slice one or two onions thinly. Once the chops are out of the pan, turn up the heat and fry the onions in the remaining butter, adding a little more if the pan looks dry.
When the onions are soft and golden, add two or three tablespoons of water and let it bubble until it has almost evaporated. Spoon the onions and butter over the chops or serve them on the side.
What to serve with Icelandic breaded lamb cutlets
The traditional plate is generous and a little old-fashioned. Expect boiled or pan-fried potatoes, canned green peas, red cabbage and a spoonful of rhubarb jam.
Rhubarb jam, rabarbarasulta, is the touch that surprises visitors. Its sweet-sour flavour cuts through the butter and the richness of the lamb in the same way mint sauce or redcurrant jelly does elsewhere.
Rhubarb grows well in Icelandic gardens, and homemade rhubarb jam has long been a pantry staple. The same jam turns up beside the Icelandic Sunday leg of lamb, along with peas and red cabbage.
For a festive touch, swap the plain potatoes for brúnaðar kartöflur, Icelandic caramelized potatoes. Their sugary glaze is a natural match for the jam and the buttery crust.
Restaurants that serve home-style Icelandic food keep the same idea. Kaffivagninn, a harbourside café in Reykjavík, lists its breaded lamb chops with onion butter, Parisian potatoes, rhubarb jam and homemade red cabbage.
Choosing and preparing the lamb
Lamb chops vary a lot in size, so plan on three or four small chops per person. If yours are large, two each will usually be enough.
Trim only the thickest pieces of fat. A thin rim of fat browns nicely under the crumbs and keeps the meat moist.
Icelandic lamb comes from sheep that graze freely on summer pastures before the autumn round-up, known as réttir. It has a gentle, slightly herby flavour, but any good-quality young lamb works well here.
The same method also works with pork or veal chops. Lamb is still the traditional choice and the one most Icelanders picture when they hear the word kótilettur.
Tips for breaded lamb chop recipes that turn out right
Keep one hand for the dry ingredients and the other for the egg. It stops your fingers from getting thick with batter and keeps the coating neat.
Do not crowd the pan. Too many chops at once cool the butter, and the crumbs soak up fat instead of browning.
Butter burns faster than oil. If you are frying several batches, wipe out any dark crumbs between them and add fresh butter, or mix in a spoonful of neutral oil.
Leftover chops are good cold the next day. Cold lamb chops with Icelandic flatbread are a classic packed lunch for the sheep gatherers in autumn.
Cover photo: "Crumbed Cutlets (cropped)" by Finbar.concaig, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
About Sigrún Ólafsdóttir
Sigrún grew up baking rúgbrauð with her grandmother in Akureyri and has spent the last decade collecting recipes from kitchens all over Iceland. She writes Icelandic MAT's recipes, one dish at a time.