Smoky, spicy and just the right amount of sweetness, this Fire-Roasted California Grapes Salsa with Harissa Lamb Chops is an absolute explosion of flavour. Juicy Grapes from California are roasted over an open fire until lightly charred and caramelized, then tossed with fresh herbs, citrus, and chile to create a vibrant salsa that perfectly complements the rich, smoky flavour of harissa-marinated lamb chops. Served over sweet potatoes cooked in the embers, it’s a meal that’s both rustic and restaurant-worthy.
This one brings together everything I truly love: live fire, bold spices, and good-quality ingredients that shine through simple technique. The combination of sweet roasted California grapes, smoky lamb and charred sweet potatoes creates a balance of flavours that’s both surprising and incredibly satisfying.
Different, In a Good Way: Roasting California grapes intensifies their natural sweetness and doing it over a life fire takes things to another level. It caramelizes the natural sugars, softens the skin and infuses the fruit with smoke to create a truly unexpected pop of flavour.
Balanced Flavours: The natural sweetness from the grapes balances the spice from the harissa lamb chops, while citrus, herbs and chili add freshness and brightness.
Restaurant-Quality at Home: This dish feels like it could belong on a restaurant menu but when you break it down, it relies on few simple techniques that anyone can master at home. Even if you don’t have a grill.
Made for the Grill: Everything from the grapes to the lamb to the sweet potatoes is cooked over open fire. Not only is it just incredibly fun, but it also gives the dish an unbelievably amount of flavour that you just can’t get any other way. BUT, if you don’t have a grill, I list some workarounds below!
Grapes from California: You can use red, green or both varieties here. Look for firm, medium-size grapes that are uniform in shape with bright green stems, which usually indicates freshness.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: A good quality EVOO will give the salsa some body and earthy flavour. If you’ve got a nice bottle you’ve been saving, now’s a good time to use it.
Lemon zest and juice: Use both the zest and the juice for maximum flavour and aroma. Only fresh lemons here. None of the bottled stuff, please.
Flaky Sea Salt: You can season the salsa with kosher salt but this is also a good time to use some good-quality flakey sea salt if you’ve got it. It will give the dish a more refined taste and texture.
Fresh Herbs: I used a combination of fresh parsley and mint here. They both pair beautifully with the lamb and grapes.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: For a touch of heat, add in a pinch of chile flakes. Or, better yet, some thinly sliced fresh chiles! The spice will echo the harissa but also balance the sweetness from the grapes and sweet potatoes.
Frenched Lamb Chops: I personally prefer lamb rib chops because they tend to be easier to cook and eat. You can substitute lamb loin chops if that’s preferred. The cooking times will vary slightly depending on the thickness of the chops. Lamb shoulder chops are another option, but they will be much less tender when grilled.
Moroccan-Style Harissa: There are different types of harissa. The one used here is Moroccan-style, which is looser, less spicy and more oily than the Tunisian Harissa du Cap Bon, which is intensely spicy and much more in line with the texture of tomato paste. If you can only find the Tunisian variety, I recommend using a smaller amount and stretching it with more extra-virgin olive oil so that it isn’t as thick.
Garlic: As always, measure this ingredient with your heart and don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much!
Lemon Juice: The acid in the lemon will help tenderize the lamb, balance the fattiness along the bone and mask some of the gamey flavour. It’s a must.
Warm Spices: A pinch of ground cumin and coriander will play off the earthiness of the harissa and infuse the lamb with warm spice.
Sweet potatoes: There are few things I love more than sweet potatoes roasted directly in the hot embers of a live fire. The skin gets so deeply blackened that it starts to look like a piece of charcoal itself. But once you cut it open, you’re left with a perfectly tender and deeply orange flesh that’s completely infused with smokey flavour. You have to give it a try!
Fire the Grapes: The key to the grape salsa is getting enough heat to lightly blister and caramelize the fruit without turning it into jam. A charcoal grill adds the best smoky flavour, but a hot oven works well too.
Marinate the Lamb: For the best flavour, let the lamb chops marinate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight. This gives the harissa, garlic, and spices enough time to deeply season the meat.
Let the flavours develop: Give the California Grapes Salsa some time for the flavours to get to know each other.
Embers, Not Flames: Most people hear live fire cooking and immediately think of flames rising to the sky. Generally speaking, you want the opposite. High flames are harder to control and can quickly scorch the food if you’re not careful. Instead, wait until the coals have formed a white ash around them before you start cooking. Tip: You should be able to hover your hand above the fire for around 5 seconds before it gets too hot to bare.
Keep in mind, as the fat from the lamb chops renders, it will drop onto the coals and create some small flames that should provide enough direct heat to develop some char without burning everything to a crisp.
If you don’t have access to a grill, don’t worry. You have options here!
For the Grapes: If you have a gas stove top, you can place the grapes in a stainless-steel fine-mesh sieve and roast them over the flames. If you have an electric stovetop, you can roast the grapes in a 425F oven for 12-15 minutes or until softened and blistered.
For the Lamb Chops: You can cook the chops on a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for around 5 minutes per side or until lightly charred and the thickest part of the meat registers around 135F for a medium centre.
For the Sweet Potatoes: Use a fork or tip of a knife to poke a few holes all over the sweet potato. Transfer the potatoes onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and roast them in a 400F oven for around 60 minutes or until fork-tender. Remember, the thicker the sweet potato, the longer it will take to cook through!
Lamb chops: The harissa marinade also works wonders on grilled chicken thighs, pork chops, veal chops or “beefier” cuts of steak like flank, flap or skirt.
Harissa: If you can’t find harissa, you can substitute any chile paste you like or use a combination of tomato paste and dried spices like cayenne pepper, spicy paprika, chipotle powder. The flavour will be very different than what I’m sharing here.
Sweet potatoes: Feel free to serve the lamb chops and California grapes salsa with a side of rice, salad or baked potatoes. You can also enjoy it with grilled vegetables.
Fresh Herbs: Cilantro, dill, basil, chives or oregano can all be experimented with for different flavour profiles.
Yes! In fact, it will taste even better if you can prepare it a few hours ahead for the flavours to develop. Just cover and leave it at room temperature.
Absolutely. Roast the grapes on a sheet pan at 425°F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly charred and softened.
For a medium centre, cook the lamb chops until they reach an internal temperature of about 135°F, then rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Download the full recipe!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1:15 hours
Servings: 2
2 cups red and green Grapes from California
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1.5 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon flakey sea salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
8 mint leaves, roughly torn
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 Frenched lamb chops, around 1.5-pounds total
2 tablespoons Moroccan-style harissa
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
Add the grapes to a metal sieve and roast them over a charcoal fire or high-heat grill, tossing regularly, until lightly charred and slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Alternatively, place the grapes on a sheet pan and roast them in a 450F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the roasted grapes to a bowl along with the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, sea salt, parsley, mint, and red pepper flakes. Gently stir until well combined, taste for seasoning and adjust with lemon juice or salt as desired. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve with the Harissa Lamb Chops.
In a large bowl, combine the lamb chops, harissa, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, coriander salt and pepper. Toss well to coat, cover and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
Preheat a charcoal grill until it develops a layer of white ash (500F for Traeger Grill; medium-high heat for gas grill). Place the sweet potatoes directly onto the coals and cook until deeply charred, around 20 minutes (cook directly on the grill grate for Traeger or gas grill). Flip and cook the other sides until deeply charred and the thickest part of the potato is fork-tender, around 20 more minutes. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a bowl, cover and let them steam 10 minutes before peeling off the skins.
Grill the lamb chops over direct heat until lightly charred, around 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until lightly charred and the thickest part of the lamb registers around 135F for a medium centre. Transfer the chops to a platter and let them rest 5 minutes.
To serve, fan the lamb chops over the sweet potato and spoon some of the Fire-Roasted California Grapes Salsa overtop.
This recipe was created in partnership with the California Table Grape Commission. All opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
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