Pair this Alligator Greek Gyros Recipe with a side a French fries to complete the meal. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
April 02, 2019
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
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I love gyros, which are basically the Greek version of the sandwich. Traditionally, the thinly sliced gyro meat is a mixture of lamb and spices, or if you want a lighter meat, chicken is also popular. For this gyros recipe, I decided to use alligator meat and it turned out great!
The yogurt and lemon marinade helped tenderize the alligator meat, and so did pounding the meat with a mallet before cooking. Don’t be intimidated by all the ingredients. Most of it can be prepped ahead of time, and once the meat is cooked, it’s a cinch to put these gyros together.
Ideally, you want to grill the meat over a hot fire – pierce them onto skewers for easy turning. But it was snowing while I made this recipe, so I opted to pan sear the meat instead, which worked out just fine.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 8 hours Cook time: 20 minutes
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Ingredients:
1 pound alligator meat, cut into large strips Freshly cracked pepper Kosher salt, to taste Shredded lettuce Sliced tomato Sliced English/Persian cucumber Crumbled Feta cheese, optional 4 pita breads 1 tablespoon of olive oil
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Marinade:
⅔ cup of plain Greek yogurt Juice of half a lemon 4 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon of dried oregano ½ teaspoon of dried basil Tzatziki sauce gives the gyro a refreshing and tangy taste. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Tzatziki Sauce:
¼ cup of finely chopped English/Persian cucumber 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1 heaping teaspoon of minced dill 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt Juice of a quarter lemon Salt and pepper to taste Directions:
Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour into a zip-top bag. Add alligator meat, massage the bag and refrigerate for 8 hours/overnight. The various spices combined with lemon and garlic create a balanced flavor to soak into whatever meat you decide to use. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo). Combine all tzatziki sauce ingredients in a bowl, cover and keep cold until you’re ready to use it. The great thing about gyros is that you have a wide variety of meat options to choose from. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo). Rinse off marinade on alligator meat and pat dry with paper towels. Place meat between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten with a mallet to tenderize. If you don’t have a mallet, you can also use items like a rolling pin or a heavy saucepan to flatten the meat. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo). Season tenderized alligator meat with salt and pepper on both sides and brown in oil until golden, about 3-4 minutes each side. While the alligator cooks, heat the pita breads in the microwave with a damp paper towel on top for about 10-20 seconds until warmed and pliable. Enjoy your homemade pita and customize with your favorite toppings. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo). Assemble pita breads with shredded lettuce, browned alligator meat, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber, Feta cheese and a dollop of tzatziki sauce on top. Fold the pita bread to make a taco-like shape and wrap with foil. Serve immediately. Restaurants often serve French fries on the side.
