Pork Chops with Charred Peach-Basil Salsa, Burrata, and Heirloom Tomato Salad
Juicy, bone-in pastured pork chops grilled until charred and glistening, topped with a sweet-smoky salsa of grilled peaches, red onion, jalapeño, basil, and lime, alongside creamy burrata and a salad of heirloom tomatoes and peppery arugula. Summer on a plate.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 35 min · Total: 45 min (plus 1–24 hours dry-brining the pork) · Best in North America from July through September, when peaches and heirloom tomatoes are at their peak · Best eaten: early evening
Ingredients
Pork chops
4 pasture-raised bone-in pork chops, about 1¼ inches thick
1½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp grass-fed ghee or tallow, melted
Charred peach-basil salsa
3 ripe but firm peaches, halved and pitted
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbsp for the salsa
¼ red onion, finely diced
½ jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
¼ cup fresh basil, torn, plus a few mint leaves
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Heirloom tomato and arugula salad
3 ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges
4 cups baby arugula
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
To serve
2 balls fresh burrata (or fresh mozzarella)
Flaky salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Method
Dry-brine the pork. Pat the chops dry and season all over with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Refrigerate uncovered 1–24 hours. The salt seasons the meat all the way through and keeps it juicy.
Grill the peaches. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush the peach halves with 1 tbsp olive oil and grill cut-side down 3–4 minutes, until charred and just softened. Let them cool slightly.
Make the salsa. Dice the grilled peaches and toss them with the onion, jalapeño, basil, mint, lime juice, remaining olive oil, and salt.
Grill the pork. Brush the chops with ghee and grill 5–6 minutes per side, until charred and they reach 145°F in the thickest part. Rest 5 minutes. Pasture-raised pork is safe and juiciest at 145°F, with a blush of pink in the center.
Toss the salad. Toss the tomatoes and arugula with the olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper.
Plate. Set a pork chop on each plate and spoon the peach salsa over the top. Tear the burrata alongside, with a drizzle of olive oil and flaky salt, and serve the tomato salad on the side.
Storage: Pork, up to 4 days refrigerated; salsa, up to 2 days (it's lovely on grilled fish or chicken, too).
Nourishment Notes
Pasture-raised pork — complete protein, thiamine (B1, which pork is one of the richest sources of), B12, zinc, and selenium.
Peaches — vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, and polyphenols concentrated in the skin.
Heirloom tomatoes — lycopene and vitamin C, made more absorbable by the olive oil.
Arugula — glucosinolates, vitamin K, and nitrates.
Burrata — calcium, protein, and vitamin A.
Basil and mint — eugenol, rosmarinic acid, and vitamin K.
For your cycle: Pork's thiamine and B12 support steady energy in every phase, and the peaches' and tomatoes' vitamin C makes this a bright, refreshing plate for the ovulatory phase.
Sourcing
Pork chops — pasture-raised heritage pork from a local farm, or White Oak Pastures
Peaches — organic and locally grown, from a farmers' market in season (conventional peaches carry some of the highest pesticide residues of any fruit)
Heirloom tomatoes, arugula, red onion, jalapeño, basil, mint, and limes — organic, from a farmers' market
Burrata or mozzarella — fresh, from a local cheesemaker, made from grass-fed milk
Aged balsamic vinegar — of Modena (IGP or DOP), with no added sugar or caramel color
Smoked paprika — organic and non-irradiated
Ghee or tallow — grass-fed ghee, or tallow rendered from grass-fed suet
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall