Lamb, variety meats and by-products, heart, raw

Lamb heart is a lean, dense muscle with a milder flavor than liver, closer to a firm cut of stewing meat once trimmed and cooked. Sliced thin, it can be quickly grilled or pan-seared with a marinade of garlic, lemon, and herbs, while a whole heart is often stuffed with a bread or herb filling and slow-roasted or braised until tender. It shows up across Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and British offal cooking, frequently paired with strong seasonings like cumin, chili, garlic, or vinegar that stand up to its firm texture, and it can also be diced small and added to a rich, slow-simmered ragu or minced into a filling for stuffed vegetables.

Before cooking, trim away the tough valves and connective tissue at the top of the heart, then use it fresh within a day or two or freeze it well wrapped. It stands out for iron, at 26% of the daily value, alongside 16.5 g of protein per 100 g, about 33% of the daily value in a serving, making it worth folding into a slow-cooked stew with root vegetables where its firm texture has time to soften, or skewering with peppers and onions and cooking over an open flame for the grill.