Spiced Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Corn and Blackbean Salsa

The thing about homemade salsa is that once you've tried it you'll never buy store bought again.  It takes no time and packs such a delightful flavorful punch that anything in a jar pales by comparison.  Plus, there are endless choices, pineapple, peach, mango - and of course you can make it the perfect strength - not too hot, not too mild.  


I seared the tenderloins on my griddle pan (which is my number two favorite kitchen gadget after the Kitchen Aid) and then finished them in the oven until they reached a temperature of 140.  I don't like pork over cooked as it does dry out quickly, the merest hint of pink is the way to go in my opinion. If you like yours cooked a little more just give it an extra few minutes in the oven. 

I had some corn sitting in my fridge and I was drawing a bit of a blank.  As lovely as corn on the cob is, I was looking for something a little more interesting.  Then, during one of those sleepless nights worrying about one of my daughters at camp, I thought of salsa -perfect!  All worries of the child drifted off to the sidelines as I began to build some flavors around the corn.  By 5am I couldn't wait any longer, I slipped out of bed, downstairs into the kitchen where a bleary eyed dog stared at me as if I had finally lost all my marbles.  By 5.30am the salsa was sitting pretty, chilling in the fridge. 

I checked my cellphone only to receive a text message from the day before, it was the daughter at camp, "Mum, a shark swam under my kayak - it was so cool!"

The spice rub for the pork is a nice balance between sweet and heady Middle Eastern spices - which I love.  I try to marinate the meat for a few hours or even overnight, but usually I'm running late and only manage about a half hour which works beautifully.


Spice rub for pork tenderloin;

1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
Zest of a lime
Juice of half a lime
1/4 cup of maple syrup

Ingredients for salsa;

4 ears of corn
1 red pepper, very finely chopped
1 green pepper, very finely chopped
1/2 a red onion, very finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, very finely chopped
4 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
A very generous handful of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1, 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 425F

Mix the ingredients for the rub together, place into a gallon sized zip lock bag and add the tenderloins.  Marinate for anywhere from a half hour to overnight.

To make the salsa you must first cook your corn.  I boiled mine but you could pan fry the kernels or even roast the cobs. 

Slice off the kernels and place in a large bowl.

Then it's just a case of chopping, I tend to get bored easily with this so I enlist some help from one of the girls.  Add all the veggies and herbs to the bowl. 

Drain the can of black beans and add to the bowl.

Squeeze over the lime juice, add the vinegar and check the seasonings.

Leave to chill in the fridge.  The flavors just get better overnight, so make a lot and use the leftovers (if you're lucky enough to have any) the next day.

To cook the pork,  sear on a griddle pan until you have lovely pan marks on them, transfer to a roasting pan and place in the oven until they have reached the desired internal temperature.



Remove to a platter, squeeze over some more lime juice and cover with aluminum foil, let rest for at least 10 minutes.  Slice and serve with the salsa.