Grilled Pepper Pork Chops with Mango-Corn Salsa

Grilled Pepper Pork Chops
with Mango-Corn Salsa

Serves 4

Grilled Pepper Pork Chops Pork and fruit are one of the classic flavor combinations in cuisines around the world, and pork paired with mango is a traditional presentation in the Caribbean and Mexico's Yucatàn region. This dish is perfect for weekend entertaining in summertime, and the salsa works just as well with grilled chicken, tuna, or swordfish. Leave the jalapeño seeds in the salsa it you want to make it hotter Add a side of mashed potatoes, Spanish rice, or grilled vegetables if you like.

For the Salsa
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup seeded and finely diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 ear of corn)
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded and minced

For the Pork
4 boneless center-cut pork chops,
3/4-inch thick (about 6 ounces each)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons coarsely cracked pepper

To prepare the salsa, place the mango, bell pepper, corn, onion, lime juice, cilantro, and chile in a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature for the flavors to marry (refrigerate if keeping longer).

Prepare the grill.

To prepare the pork, brush both sides of the pork chops with the lime juice and season with salt. Press the pepper onto both sides of the chops and grill the chops over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until medium, or to the desired doneness. Transfer to serving plates and top with the salsa.

Tip
If you don't have a grill brush handy at your next barbecue, use a piece of crumpled foil as a scouring pad when cleaning your outdoor grill rack.

Buy the Book!

Jim Coleman's Flavors
By Jim Coleman with
John Harrisson and Candace Hagan
Clarkson Potter/Publishers, September 2001
Hardback, $25.95
288 pages with 28 full-color photographs
ISBN: 0-609-60972-6
Recipe reprinted by permission.