this is one of those, “well, what’s in the pantry?” recipes. given that we’re big fans of most every kind of salsa, it’s no surprise that this recipe turned out to be a big hit! i paired with broccoli and brown rice.
Prep Time: 30 min | Cooking Time: 30 min | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
for the tenderloin
- One 2lb pork tenderloin (I used a pre-marinated “Caribbean” option here)
- Olive oil
for the pineapple salsa
- 1 can of crushed pineapple (use fresh if you prefer)
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper, de-seeded (keep the seeds if you want this spicy)
- 1/2 purple onion, diced
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger (I use a microplane)
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- dash of kosher salt
- juice from 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Open the crushed pineapple and drain the juice, reserving about 1/3 cup of juice for the tenderloin. Set aside pineapple for the salsa.
Heat a few tsps of olive oil in an ovenproof iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tenderloin and quickly sear on all sides. Remove from heat and add the reserved 1/3 cup of pineapple juice. Place the tenderloin in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the thickest part of the tenderloin registers between 145 F – 160 F on a food thermometer.
While the tenderloin is still in the oven, prepare the salsa – mix together the crushed pineapple, purple onion, jalapeño pepper, grated ginger, black pepper, cilantro and lime juice. Adjust proportions to taste.
Once the pork is ready, remove from oven and heat the salsa by immediately stirring it into the piping hot skillet. Let sit for 3 minutes then serve while still warm.