Tempered by a cooling mint-yogurt dipping sauce, Harissa Roasted Pork Tenderloin has just the right level of spice. On the table in less than an hour, this sliced tenderloin makes for an elegant and colorful presentation!
Just look at that delicious spiciness!
The husband and I filled plates up with pork tenderloin, mint-yogurt sauce, and a heaping portion of this fattoush salad.
The two of us cleaned our plates and dished up second servings. The spicy pork tenderloin had just the right amount of heat, and the minty yogurt sauce added a cool layer of fresh flavor.
This one is definitely going on the regular rotation over here!
I made my own harissa by pureeing a few ingredients in my mini food processor (Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini Prep Plus Food Processor Brushed Chrome and Nickel), but you can used a jarred harissa if you prefer. I like this kind by Mina – Mina Harissa – Red Pepper Sauce Mild – 10 oz – Kosher.
If you’re not the kind of person that can tell the internal temperature of a hunk of meat just by looking at it, you might also want to make sure you know where your meat thermometer is!
Spicy Harissa Roasted Pork Tenderloin Recipe
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1-pound pork tenderloin
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the Harissa Glaze
- 2 cloves peeled garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon ground fresh chile paste - sambal oelek
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers - from a jar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the Minted Yogurt Sauce
- 1 clove garlic - pressed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup plain 2% or full fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the salt, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the pork tenderloin.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the pork to the pan and cook for 6 minutes, rotating to brown on all sides.
- Remove from the pan and transfer to the rack of a roasting pan. Brush all sides with the harissa glaze. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until a thermometer registers 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices. Serve with minted yogurt sauce.
Nutrition
I made this tonight for dinner for my husband and I. It was delicious! I used the spicy version of the jarred harissa you recommended and I added some dill to the yogurt sauce because it was more citrusy than I wanted it to be. Overall this was a delicious dish and it was really fun play with flavors we don’t usually cook with. Thanks for the ideas!
Awesome, Kelsey! I’m so glad you and your husband liked it. So fun trying new things 🙂
Happy November! Just letting you know that I featured this recipe in my October 2015 round-up of Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes. Hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try it!
Hi Anetta… This looks amazing! Thanks for the shout-out!
I’m so glad you posted a recipe for harissa! I have been wanting to make your harissa chicken for a long time now, and FINALLY found it at a new place that opened where I live….but it’s like $5.99 and that’s too much for a little jar of it! I have everything to make it! Whoop!
Congrats on the wedding and being MOH, so fun!
Will try this one too….but I’ll need the meat thermometer for sure!
Meat thermometers are a lifesaver!
Oh my, can’t wait to make this!