Stirfried Lamb Sweetbreads with Garlic and Rosemary

Sweetbreads are the pancreas and thymus glands of veal, lamb and pork. The thymus gland has an elongated shape, while the pancreas is larger and has an oval shape. Both of them are velvety creamy, tender and moist. And unlike many other organ meats, like kidneys or liver, sweetbreads have a rather mild flavour. Traditionally, they are given a seasoned flour coating and fried until golden and crisp. For me, that's overkilling the delicate flavour of sweetbread. So I have opted to quick stirfry them instead. They taste the tenderest and best when they just start to colour all over, about 5 minutes.
Before cooking, it's advisable to soak them in water, or milk in advance to remove impurities, and enable the sinew and membranes to be removed easily. You should also change the water a couple times. To further remove impurities from sweetbreads, you might also want to blanch them shortly and shock in ice water before cooking. This time I skipped the step and didn't taste the difference.

500 g Lamb sweetbreads
1 sprig Fresh rosemary, chopped
1 clove, Garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp Tallow or ghee or olive oil
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
Hawaiian black lava sea salt
Pink peppercorns, for garnishing
A handful of arugula

Place the lamb sweetbreads in a bowl and cover with cold water. Drain the water and repeat one more time, then fill the bowl again with fresh water, leaving the sweetbreads to soak for an hour, then drain well.
Finely chop rosemary and garlic. Set aside.
Add the tallow to a pan, place over a moderate heat and add the chopped rosemary and garlic. Cook gently for 2 minutes until softened and aromatic. Add the sweetbreads and cook until they just start to colour all over, about 5 minutes. If you prefer them more caramelized and crisp, then continue to cook for a few more minutes.
Once the sweetbreads are cooked to your liking, deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar and season well with black lava salt.
To serve, arrange a bed of arugula salad on the plate. Top with the lamb sweetbreads, then crush some pink peppercorns over. Drizzle some pan sauce over.

41 comments:

Kelly | Foodtasia 11/7/20 03:40: Such an exotic dish, Angie! I'm so intrigued!
Evi Erlinda 11/7/20 04:55: This dish looks so yummy!
Iwona 11/7/20 07:04: Looks so delicious :)
Nancy Chan 11/7/20 14:15: I only know about sweetbread today. Looks like a lot of work is involved in cleaning the sweetbread.
Kitchen Riffs 11/7/20 16:48: I LOVE sweetbreads. And almost never cook them (mainly because they're a special order item at the meat markets where I usually shop). Terrific recipe -- thanks.
Tanza Erlambang 11/7/20 17:10: as usual...perfect dishes...lamb is special for me.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.

Have a wonderful weekend
Martyna 11/7/20 19:56: It looks delicious 😊
Anonymous 12/7/20 00:59: Oh yum!! We haven't had sweetbreads in ages - so rich and delicious!! And we've never had lamb only cow - definitely need to try!
Gloria Baker 12/7/20 04:55: looks delicious Angie, I love garlic in this !!
2pots2cook 12/7/20 15:17: Intrigued ! Must try !
Natalia 12/7/20 17:58: That is new to me, but looks so pretty on a plate! I would love to try it! ☺
fimere 12/7/20 21:34: ça a l'air super bon
bonne soirée
Valentina 13/7/20 03:08: I've never tried this. Such an interesting recipe. Adding it to my "must make" list. :-) ~Valantina
Eva Taylor 13/7/20 09:03: Sweetbreads used to be a staple when I was growing up, my Mom always fried them. Your recipe is a lovely way to deal with them.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/
Eva Taylor 13/7/20 09:05: I haven’t been able to comment for quite some time, but now I can! Yay!
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/
foodtravelandwine 13/7/20 16:24: Garlic and rosemary are a perfect combination for lamb!....delicious!..........Abrazotes, Marcela
Blog de la Licorne. 13/7/20 19:09: Gosh, this looks tasty ❤

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Dahn @savorthebest 13/7/20 19:19: I have only had sweetbread once and I really enjoyed it. I love lamb so I would love to try lamb sweetbreads. Great recipe Angie
Pam 13/7/20 20:29: Haven't had sweetbreads in years; my dad used to fry them way back when. Guess our local butcher would have them, maybe. You make them look very tasty! 😊
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary 13/7/20 22:10: I haven't had sweetbreads since culinary school and these delicious photos are making me realize it's been far too long!! The flavors in this stir-fry sound amazing!!!
Mae Travels 13/7/20 22:29: I have eaten sweetbreads outside the US but I've never seen them here, either at a meat market or on a restaurant menu. I think organ meats are just not popular here.

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Heidi | The Frugal Girls 14/7/20 00:34: Angie, I love how you were able to make this recipe using just 8 ingredients. Your stir fried lamb looks so tasty!
Raymund 14/7/20 01:09: I love offal dishes like this, people should eat more of this so we dont waste such cuts.
Abbe@This is How I Cook 14/7/20 04:50: My mother loves sweetbreads. I have not yet acquired the taste though I do love liver! Go figure!c
Izaa 14/7/20 07:27: it looks delicious
Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake 14/7/20 11:46: I don't think I can find lamb sweetbeads around here, but I bet this would be tasty using cubed leg of lamb. Need to get some lamb on our menu soon---Bill loves it!
Let's Curry 14/7/20 12:18: Angie
I have never tried making or eating sweetbreads before. I love how you have explained and detailed the recipe for someone new to making this exotic dish. I will try making this with lamb.
arpita 14/7/20 14:25: Oh my god they look so so delicious!!
Pam 14/7/20 17:24: I've never tried sweetbreads before. They look tasty.
Amy (Savory Moments) 15/7/20 00:58: Wow, Angie! This is something super different for me, but very intriguing!
Torviewtoronto 15/7/20 20:12: beautiful combination lamb goes well with garlic and rosemary looks flavourful and delicious
Debra Eliotseats 16/7/20 14:41: What great flavors. I've only ever had sweetbreads fried. You are right, they do have a much more delicate flavor than other offal.
tigerfish 18/7/20 00:09: This is something I have not tried before, and not sure if I am that "adventurous" to try it. I also don't think I have ever seen it here in the regular stores- maybe they are available in specialty butchery or something.
R's Rue 19/7/20 00:01: Yum.
Tisa Jacob 20/7/20 03:52: Lamb sweetbreads! You're a foodie's encyclopedia. Thanks for teaching me something new :-)
Julie 20/7/20 12:47: the platter makes me hungry,yummy!!
Sharon D. 23/7/20 10:27: Omigosh ..how delicious!
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 26/7/20 13:43: You make everything look fabulous I would totally love these!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen 27/7/20 18:31: I have never tried them nor seen them for sale here but would love to try them based on your description and preparation method, Angie!
Noob Cook 29/7/20 15:44: This sounds exotic and exciting. Even though I have not eaten this before, you surely made it look so appetizing!
Catherine 29/7/20 21:19: Dear Angie, This is something I grew up eating. It is a delicacy now. I loved it and haven't had it in many years. xoxo Catherine