Spicy Thai Pork Tenderloin Salad

Courtesy of NYTCooking

I can't ever say I have made a Pork tenderloin salad, so I was naturally intrigued when I came across this recipe and with a husband who loves pork tenderloin, it was a no-brainer to try. I won't lie, this dressing has A LOT of ingredients and some which you may not cook with a lot (fish sauce-what?). I promise, the dressing is beyond worth it as it doubles as your marinade for the pork as well. I did make a few modifications to the dressing that are worth noting: use 2 shallots instead of 4, 4 garlic cloves instead of 6, and vegetable oil instead of peanut/grapeseed simply because I didn't have on hand. I also blended everything together before setting aside the amount for dressing. For the marinade portion, I only added 1 more tbsp of brown sugar, so the consistency isn't as paste-like but still got the job done. If you really are in a crunch for time or don't want to buy all the ingredients for the sauce, I'd suggest shopping your local grocery for a marinade/dressing of the Asian/Thai variety. The longer you let the pork marinate, the better. For the salad toppings, I omitted the coconut flakes , used regular cucumber and added shaved carrot instead.

Ingredients:

Dressing/Marinade:

1½pounds boneless pork tenderloin (usually 2 tenderloins)

⅔ cup thinly sliced shallots (about 4 shallots)

⅔ cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems

5 tablespoons light brown sugar

6 garlic cloves, grated

5 tablespoons soy sauce

5 tablespoons peanut or grapeseed oil

Juice and zest of 4 limes

3-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

1 to 2 Thai bird, serrano or jalapeño chile peppers, seeded and minced.

For the salad:

FOR THE SALAD

8 cups Napa or regular cabbage, thinly sliced

5 whole scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 small Kirby or Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

1red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1½cups cilantro leaves

1½cups mint leaves

1cup basil leaves

1¼cups roasted cashews or peanuts, toasted and chopped

¼cup unsweetened coconut chips or large flakes, toasted

Directions:

Step 1: Pat pork dry with paper towel. In a bowl, combine shallot, cilantro, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, garlic, soy sauce, peanut or grapeseed oil, lime zest and juice, ginger, fish sauce, salt and chile. Pour a quarter of the mixture into a blender, add remaining sugar and purée until a smooth, loose paste forms. (Save the unblended mixture to use as dressing.)

Step 2: Place tenderloin in a large bowl and spread the paste all over pork. Marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours; turn the tenderloin occasionally.

Step 3: Light the grill or heat the broiler and arrange a rack at least 4 inches from the heat. Grill or broil pork, turning occasionally, until well browned and meat reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees, 4 to 10 minutes per side depending upon the heat of your broiler or grill. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t overcook. Let meat rest while you prepare the salad. (Or, cook the pork 1 or 2 hours ahead and serve it at room temperature.)

Step 4: In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients, reserving the herbs, cashews and coconut. Whisk the dressing and use just enough to dress the salad, tossing to combine. Let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to meld, then right before serving, add herbs and toss again.

Step 5: To serve, slice the pork. Arrange salad on a platter and top with sliced pork. Scatter cashews and coconut on top, drizzle with a little more of the remaining dressing, to taste.