ROASTED PORK TENDERLOIN

This is one of our favorite techniques to make a supple, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth pork tenderloin. The 3-day marinade is the key, making this the most buttery and moist pork we’ve ever had.

The basic marinade consists of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and olive oil. From there you can add herbs, spices, citrus zests, or other sauces to create your favorite flavor profiles. We’ve attempted to give you some ideas for those variations in the recipe notes below, but feel free to be creative.

In the photo above we added fennel to the marinade and then sautéed fennel as a base when plating. We finished it with some blanched and halved asparagus, mesclun leaves, sliced cherry tomatoes, shaved radish, fennel fronds, and a dollop of dijon mustard mixed with aioli. A little ode to France!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

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Prep Time 2 days d

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 days d 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, French, Mediterranean, South American

Servings 2 To 3

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Marinade

• 1 Pork Tenderloin Usually between 1-1 1/2 Lbs. each
• 1 Onion, Roughly Chopped Can replace with other Onion Varieties depending upon the flavor profile desired. *See notes below. For Example: White, Yellow, Red or Green Onions, Shallots, or Leeks
• 1 Carrot Roughly Chopped
• 2 Celery Stalks Roughly Chopped
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Bunch of Fresh Parsley Roughly Chopped
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt, preferably Sea Salt
• 1/8 Teaspoon Freshly ground Pepper
• 1 Cup Olive Oil Or enough to generously coat the ingredients

Marinaded Pork Preparation

• 1 Marinaded Pork Tenderloin Usually between 1-1 1/2 Lbs. each
• 1-2 Tbsp Avocado or Olive Oil

Instructions

 

Marinade

• Place the Pork Tenderloin, Onion, Carrot, Celery, and Parsley in a large Ziplock bag. Sprinkle in the Salt and Pepper, then add enough Olive Oil to generously coat all the ingredients. Close the bag and give everything a good rub to evenly distribute the ingredients around the pork.

  Place the bag in a dish/bowl, (to prevent any messy leaks), and set in the Fridge for 2-3 days, giving it another rub 1-2 times each day.

  ***If you don’t wish to use a Ziplock, use a baking dish just large enough to hold all the ingredients so as to keep them all together so that they marinate the pork. Cover tightly and set in the Fridge, giving it a stir 1-2 times each day.

Marinaded Pork Preparation

• Heat Oven to 400°F

  Remove the Pork from the marinade, and wipe off any excess ingredients that may stick to the Pork.
• In an oven-proof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat, until it’s just “shimmering”

  Sear Pork Tenderloin on all sides for a total of 5 minutes. Turn every minute or so, to sear all sides evenly.

  Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until it reaches 145°F on a meat thermometer.

  Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into medallions.

Notes

1. Pork Tenderloins are usually 1-1 1/2 Lbs. For 2 people this is a generous 8-12 ounce portion, or for 3 people a 5-8 ounce portion.

2. OTHER SEASONING SUGGESTIONS:

*We always use the “Onion-Carrot-Celery-Garlic” combination as a base, and then change the flavor profiles with the Fresh Herbs and seasonings. Listed below are a few other variations we’ve tried:

 

For South American or Mexican flavors, replace or add to the Parsley:

• Cilantro and 1 Jalapeño 
• Cilantro – 1 tsp. Each of Cumin and Chili Powder. *a dash of Smoked Paprika is good too!
• You could use white, yellow, red, or green onions

 

For French Flavors add:

• A bunch of Fresh Thyme or 1 Tsp. Each of dried Thyme
• 1 Tsp. Of Herbs de Provence 
• You could use White or Yellow Onions, Shallots, or Leeks

 

For Italian Flavors add:

• Chopped fresh Fennel, or 1-2 Tsp. Dried
• Fresh or dried Sage, or fresh or dried Oregano, about 1-2 Tsp. Of the dried herbs.
• You could use White, Yellow, or Red Onions 

 

For Moroccan Flavors add:

• 1/2 Tsp. Each ground Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Paprika. If you have it on hand, Ginger and Cardamom are a great add to this mix. 

 

For Greek Flavors add:

• 1 Tbsp. Of dried Oregano and the peeled zest of 1 Lemon. (*Zest only, as the juice will start to “cook” the pork.) 
• You could use White, Yellow, or Red Onions

 

For German Flavors add:

• 1-2 Tbsp. Of German Mustard, or whole grain mustard
• 1-2 Bay Leaves

 

For Asian-Inspired Flavors add:

• Thai – Marinate 24 Hours instead of 2-3 days: 
  • Use Peanut or Avocado oil in place of olive oil, Cilantro, 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, Thumb-Size piece if chopped fresh Ginger, Zest of 1 Lime, Optional: fresh chopped Serrano or Thai Chilis, and 1 Tbsp. Of Fish Sauce.

• Chinese – Marinate 24 Hours instead of 2-3 days
  • Use Peanut or Avocado oil in place of olive oil and add 2Tbsp. Of Sesame Oil, 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce, 1-2 Tsp. Of Chinese Five Spice, and a thumb-sized piece of chopped Ginger
  • After Cooking top with your favorite Chinese BBQ sauce

• Korean – Marinate 24 Hours instead of 2-3 days
  • Use Peanut or Avocado oil in place of olive oil and add 2 Tbsp. Of Sesame Oil, 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, a thumb-sized piece of chopped Ginger, 1-2 Tbsp of Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Sauce). 
  • After Cooking top with your favorite Korean BBQ sauce. 

 

*For the Asian flavors you could use Shallots, White, or Yellow onions

 

 

 

 

 

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