Pork Chops with Pico de Gallo

Pork chops aren’t something I cook very often, but when I do I always wish I cooked them more frequently! Pico de gallo is a mexican salsa that also works well with chicken or fish.

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Pork Chops with Pico de Gallo

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 pork chops
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• bunch green onions scallions
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons jalapenos from a jar chopped
• salad leaves or zucchini tortillas, to serve

Instructions

• Heat a pan on a very high heat. Rub the chops with HALF the coriander, a little salt. Drizzle one side with a dash of oil.
• Cook the chops, oiled side down for 4 minutes.
• Trim green onions. Keep 2 aside and chop the remainder of the bunch into lengths about 10cm (4in) long. Add these to the pan with the pork.
• Finely slice remaining green onions and combine in a small bowl with the remaining coriander, vinegar, jalapenos and 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Taste & season adding extra chilli if you think it needs a kick.
• Turn chops and cook for another 4 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Serve with sauce drizzled over the top.

Prepare Ahead?

The salsa could be made a few days ahead but I think the pork is best when freshly cooked.

Leftover Potential

Will keep for over a week in the fridge.

Variations

chicken – replace the pork chops with chicken breast or thigh fillets. Or serve the pico de gallo as a salsa for roast chicken.

vegetarian – a bit cross cultural, but serve the pico de gallo with chunks of avocado and tempeh or sliced halloumi that has been pan fried for a few minutes until golden on both sides.

vegan – pan fry a couple of tofu ‘chops’ to serve with the salsa.

BBQ – cook the chops on your BBQ along with a couple of ears of corn on the cob.

budget – instead of expensive pork cutlets like I used, try different cheaper pork chops or even pork belly sliced into chop size pieces.

more authentic – chop a couple of raw tomatillos in the salsa.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve with corn chips or warm tortillas.

more substantial (low carb) – serve with some mayo!

more veg – serve with roast or steamed broccoli as a side.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

pork chops – freeze them.

ground coriander / sherry vinegar – keep them in the pantry.

green onions – skip them or keep in the fridge in a plastic bag for weeks.

jalapenos – will keep for months in the fridge. Can be frozen or left unwrapped in the fridge they will slowly turn into dried chillies and still be edible.

Problem Solving Guide

pork dry – modern ‘lean pork’ tends to be quite dry. Overcooking won’t help the situation but even perfectly cooked pork can be disappointing, Try a different butcher next time, preferably one who specialised in ‘rare breed’ pigs. The good new is that the salsa is designed to moisten less than perfect pork.

too hot – if you’re sensitive to chilli or not sure about your guests. Err on the lower side for the chilli and serve a little bowl of chopped jalapenos separately for everyone to add their own.

pork a little rare – I don’t mind eating pork a little on the rare side as it doesn’t have the salmonella risk associated with undercooked chicken. But if feeding pregnant ladies or the elderly or children, I’d pop it back in the pan for a few minutes.

bland – don’t forget to be generous with the seasoning. And up the level of jalapenos.

short on time? – bash the chops out with your fist to flatten them about half their original thickness so they’ll cook in half the time.

Serving Suggestions

This needs something to go with. A green salad or a salad like the beef panzanella without the beef would be a good place to start.

Or serve on a bed of lovely lentils spiked with flat leaf parsley. Or go for a more mexican vibe and make a salad of drained canned black beans and coriander (cilantro) leaves – make a little extra salsa to use as a dressing.

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