Chermoula Pork Chops With Labneh and Charred Shallots

Name: Chermoula Pork Chops With Labneh and Charred Shallots
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant; 2 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant; 1 preserved lemon, store-bought or homemade; 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves; ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole; 2 tsp. Aleppo pepper or red chile flakes; 1 tsp. sweet paprika; 1 tsp. kosher salt; ½ tsp. ground turmeric; 6 large shallots, halved lengthwise; 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick; ¼ cup Chermoula; Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving; Labneh, store-bought or homemade, for serving

By Eden Grinshpan

October 31, 2023

Chermoula pork chop on a blue plate with labneh and shallots.

Photo by Aubrie Pick

This dish is my way of reminding myself that pork is out there in the world and I don’t eat enough of it. It’s more of a quick whip-up than other meaty cuts like lamb leg, and it’s not as big of a commitment in terms of increasing when needing to feed 6-plus people. Plus it’s such a great, fatty (if you’re doing it right) canvas for just about any flavors, but especially this herbaceous chermoula.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Eating Out Loud by Eden Grinshpan. Buy the full book on Amazon.

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What you’ll need

Coriander Seeds
$9 At Burlap and Barrel
Aleppo Pepper
$8 At Spicewalla
9-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet
$29 At Amazon

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chermoula

2 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant

2 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant

1 preserved lemon, store-bought or homemade

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

2 tsp. Aleppo pepper or red chile flakes

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground turmeric

For the Pork Chops

6 large shallots, halved lengthwise

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick

¼ cup Chermoula

Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Labneh, store-bought or homemade, for serving

Preparation

Make the Chermoula
Step 1
Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the coriander and cumin. (You could also buy ground spices if you need to.)
Step 2
Rinse the preserved lemon. Scrape off and discard the pulp. Transfer the peel to a blender or food processor. Add the coriander, cumin, parsley, oil, garlic, Aleppo pepper, paprika, salt, and turmeric and blend until combined but still a little chunky. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Make the Pork Chops
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 4
On a baking sheet, toss together the shallots, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until the shallots are jammy and fragrant, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on and increase the temperature to 450°F.
Step 5
Generously season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Preheat a large ovenproof skillet or grill pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork chops until they are nicely charred on the outside but still juicy on the inside, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Finish in the oven for another 5 minutes.
Step 6
Top each pork chop with a schmear of chermoula and a sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with the charred shallots and labneh.

Eating Out Loud Cookbook Cover by Erin Grinshpan

Excerpted from Eating Out Loud: Bold Middle Eastern Flavors for All Day, Every Day by Eden Grinshpan. Copyright © 2020 by Eden Grinshpan with Rachel Holtzman. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Reprinted by permission. Get the book from Penguin Random House, Amazon, or Bookshop.