Pork Chops with Pickled Onions and Jalapeños

There were some nice pork chops at the butchers and a secret stash of jalapeños* in my freezer, so thought I’d give this a try—something different from our favorite pork chops with cornichons. It’s quick to make but needs time to marinate. Serves 4:

Pork Chops with Pickled Onions and Jalapeños

For the pork chops:

• 5 large jalapeños, stemmed
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bunch cilantro stems, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 packed cup)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil, plus more for cooking
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 8 bone-in pork loin chops ½”thick

For the relish:

• 1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced into rings
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish

In a food processor, add the jalapeños, garlic, cilantro stems, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt and sugar and process until smooth. Place the pork chops in a large bowl or resealable container and pour the marinade over them; turn the chops to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

While the chops marinate, make the relish: In a small bowl, toss the jalapeño, red onion, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside to quick-pickle until ready to serve, or refrigerate while the chops marinate.

Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, and heat until shimmering. Add the chops, with the marinade clinging to them, to the pan. Sear until browned and caramelized at the edges and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Discard any remaining marinade.

Serve the chops with the relish and cilantro on top and enjoy!

My verdict:

These were great and we loved the onion/jalapeño relish! I served it with a lazy person’s version of green rice (adding some chopped cilantro and lime to some leftover rice).

I only used one large jalapeño for the pork chops and one for the relish and that was fine. If you want it hotter, go for more jalapeños.

Next time, I might swap out the rice vinegar for lime juice, especially for the relish, or do part rice vinegar, part lime juice. And kill a little of the sugar, but if you like sweeter pickles, you might want to use it all. The recipe makes a nice amount of relish and it’s great on things like quesadillas, so be happy to have extra.

If you have a grill (I’m envious), these can easily be grilled on gas or charcoal, and would probably be even better!

*fresh jalapeños are notoriously hard to find in France/Nice and I’m working my way through a bunch I ordered last summer.