Name: Argentinian Lamb Chops with Chimichurri and Charred Scallions
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Argentinian
Ingredients: 8 lamb loin chops (about 1 lb / 450g), roughly 1 inch thick; 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 2 oz), leaves and thin stems finely chopped; 2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried oregano); 4 garlic cloves, finely minced; 3 tbsp red wine vinegar; 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little more for the pan; 1 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 bunch scallions (spring onions), trimmed and left whole; flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Argentinian Lamb Chops with Chimichurri and Charred Scallions

Lamb chops and chimichurri is the whole argument for Argentinian cooking on one plate: fatty, salty, hard-seared meat cut straight through by a raw, vinegary green sauce. It takes fifteen minutes at the stove and no technique beyond getting a pan properly hot. The blistered scallions underneath soak up everything that runs off the chops.

Total: 30 min(Prep: 15m | Cook: 15m)

Servings: 2

Published: Sep 1, 2026

In Argentina the fire does most of the work and the sauce does the rest. Chimichurri is not a marinade and it is not a dip, it is a loose, raw, aggressively herby vinaigrette that gets spooned over meat the moment it comes off the heat, so the warm fat and the cold vinegar meet on the plate rather than in a bowl.

Two things make this work in a home kitchen. Get the skillet hotter than feels sensible, because loin chops are thin and you want a hard crust before the middle goes past pink. And make the chimichurri first rather than last, because fifteen minutes of sitting is the difference between chopped herbs floating in oil and an actual sauce.

Step-by-step instructions

Finely chop the parsley, oregano and garlic and pile them into a bowl with the red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar and a generous teaspoon of salt. Stir in the olive oil and leave the chimichurri to sit for at least 15 minutes while you cook.

Bright green chimichurri of finely chopped parsley, oregano and garlic being stirred in a bowl

Pat the lamb chops completely dry and season both sides generously with flaky salt and black pepper, then leave them on the board to lose their chill while the pan heats.

Raw uncooked lamb loin chops seasoned with salt and pepper on a wooden board before cooking

Get a cast iron skillet ripping hot with a slick of oil and lay in the whole scallions, turning them until they slump and blister in dark patches. Lift them onto a warm plate.

Whole scallions blistering and charring in a hot cast iron skillet

Stand the chops fat-side down in the same pan for a minute to render, then lay them flat and sear for about 3 minutes a side until deeply crusted and still pink in the middle.

Lamb chops searing fat-side down in a hot cast iron skillet with a deep brown crust

Rest the chops for 5 minutes, then pile them over the blistered scallions and spoon the chimichurri across so it runs into the resting juices.

Seared lamb chops piled over blistered scallions with green chimichurri spooned over the top

Chimichurri only gets better overnight, so make a double batch and keep it in a jar in the fridge. It turns leftover steak, roast potatoes or a plain fried egg into something worth sitting down for.

Ingredients

8 lamb loin chops (about 1 lb / 450g), roughly 1 inch thick

1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 2 oz), leaves and thin stems finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried oregano)

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little more for the pan

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bunch scallions (spring onions), trimmed and left whole

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

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