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Recipes
August 2014

Vietnamese Pork Chops 
With Pickled Watermelon

By Susan SpungenPhotography by Gentl Hyers

4.0

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Gentl & Hyers

This dish is a bold mix of salty, sweet, and acidic components. Crunchy slabs of melon and sharp greens keep it fresh; meaty chops provide depth.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

Pork Chops

2

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

teaspoons Sriracha

4

1"-thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 ½ lb. total)

Salad

6

tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

4

small shallots, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

1

tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1

teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

¼

teaspoon sugar

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 (click for recipe), thinly sliced

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Pork Chops

    Step 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.

    Step 2

    Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Remove pork chops from marinade, scraping off excess, and grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

    Step 3

    DO AHEAD: Pork chops can be marinated 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

  2. Salad

    Step 4

    Heat 4 Tbsp. 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.

    Step 5

    Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and remaining 2 Tbsp. 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.

    Step 6

    Serve pork chops with watermelon salad topped with fried shallots.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 620 Fat (g) 39 Saturated Fat (g) 9 Cholesterol (mg) 95 Carbohydrates (g) 29 Dietary Fiber (g) 1 Total Sugars (g) 21 Protein (g) 39 Sodium (mg) 1830
Explore Bon AppétitVietnameseSoutheast AsianAsianPork ChopPorkMeatArugulaLeafy GreensVegetableWatermelonMelonFruitShallotSummerEasyWeeknight MealsMainDairy-FreeNut-FreeGrillingDinner