Vietnamese Pork Chops with Pickled Watermelon
Juicy grilled pork chops marinated in a savory-sweet Vietnamese sauce, served with a refreshing watermelon salad and crispy fried shallots. This dish perfectly balances sweet, salty, and tangy flavors with contrasting textures.
Ingredients
- •2 whole small shallots, thinly sliced into rings
- •¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- •2 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
- •2 tablespoons sugar
- •½ teaspoon Sriracha
- •4 piece 1"-thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
- •6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- •4 whole small shallots, thinly sliced
- •1 to taste Kosher salt
- •1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- •1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- •¼ teaspoon sugar
- •1 to taste Freshly ground black pepper
- •4 cups trimmed purslane or arugula
- •½ pound seedless watermelon, rind removed, cut into pieces, thinly sliced
- •½ cup Pickled Watermelon Rind
- •thinly sliced
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Whisk shallots, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and Sriracha in a shallow baking dish. Add pork chops and turn to coat. Cover and chill, turning occasionally, at least 1 hour.
60 min
- 2.
Prepare grill for medium-high heat.
10 min
- 3.
Remove pork chops from marinade, scraping off excess, and grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
6 min
- 4.
Do ahead: Pork chops can be marinated 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
- 5.
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt.
4 min
- 6.
Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add purslane, watermelon, and Pickled Watermelon Rind; season with salt and pepper and toss gently to coat.
5 min
- 7.
Serve pork chops with watermelon salad topped with fried shallots.
2 min
