Pork chops with pineapple mango salsa has been a staple in our household for a very long time. It’s quick, easy, and healthy, but feels like a shakeup from the normal uses of pineapple and pork chop. Plus, with mangos and pineapple constantly on sale lately, it’s a great dinner to work into your summer rotation. This can definitely be made on the grill, but, in true Carmel Kama’aina style, the goal is a recipe that anyone can make. So fire up that grill pan (see notes section for buying advice), cast iron, or normal skillet!
Ingredients:
(Serves 2 with leftover salsa)
For the salsa-
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium sized tomato, diced
- 1 mango, diced
- 1/2 pineapple, cubed
- ¼ large red onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- ½ jalapeño, diced (less seeds = less spice)
- Large bunch of cilantro (~1 cup leaves)
- 1/2 tbs olive oil
For the chops-
- 2 boneless pork chops
- 1/2 tbs brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- Sprinkle of salt and pepper
- ½ tbs. olive oil
- Optional- Jasmine or brown rice (my choice of go-with)
Directions:
- If you’re making rice, I’d recommend starting now. Cook according to its instructions.
- Put all salsa ingredients in a bowl and stir. Set aside.
- Put all pork spices in a bowl to mix. Then, dry rub them on all sides of your pork.
- Heat a grill pan over high. Once hot, spray with oil (or use 1 tsp avocado or canola oil). Add pork chops. Mine were thick, so I cooked for 15 min total-flipping every 5 min. If you’re unsure when to flip, just check the bottom to see if browning!
- Put all on a plate and enjoy!
Notes:
Wondering if you want extra salsa? Well I eat this salsa all week long with chips, on salads, or just plain as a snack! Keep it in an airtight container and it should last ~5 days (not that mine ever does).
In the market for a grill pan? I highly recommend investing in one if you either are not confident at grilling outside (me) or simply don’t want to go outside to grill some nights (my dad). You can buy them at a variety of price points: $30 Cravings by Chrissy Teigan at Target, $40 Cuisinart on Amazon, or $100 Staub at Williams Sonoma. I have the last one that I purchased on super sale over Christmas, and my dad has a Cuisinart one he purchased for much less at Costco (cannot find online). To be honest, they seem to work the same!
What am I listening to as I make this? “about her. again” by Son Little
What can I learn while I make this? Pineapples actually consist of spirals of about 100-200 separate fruitlets (each spiky section on the fruit) which fuse together and join to the separate core. Facts!!
What do I do with the rest of my pineapple? Don’t worry, you’re in luck! This recipe is actually part of pineapple week 😉
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