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Strawberry Nuoc Cham with Pork Chops

Prep Time:  1 Hour 15 Minutes

     Cook Time:  15 Minutes

     Serves:  6

Strawberry season in southern Wisconsin is short, but I make it feel longer by incorporating strawberries into far more than just dessert. My favorite thing to make with fresh, in-season strawberries is a nouc cham. This Vietnamese-inspired sauce is lovely with simple marinated and grilled local pork chops. It’s easy to make, refreshing and a perfect accompaniment on a summer’s day.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced, divided
  • 6 pork chops
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled, minced
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
  • ½ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 pound local strawberries, cleaned and halved
  • 1 Thai bird chili, sliced (optional)
  • ½ bunch cilantro, minced
  • 6 leaves Thai basil, torn
  • Lime wedges, optional

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, black pepper, and a third of the minced garlic cloves. Place the pork chops in a shallow pan and pour the soy sauce mixture over them. Let them marinate for 1 hour.
  2. Place the ginger, shallots and the remaining garlic in a small, non-reactive bowl. Macerate them with the brown sugar and salt. Cover the mixture and let stand until the pork chops are finished marinating. This step mellows the strong flavors of the garlic, ginger and shallot.
  3. When the pork chops are done marinating, preheat the grill to medium-high.
  4. To make the strawberry nuoc cham, place the rice wine vinegar in a small pot and bring it to a boil. While hot, pour the vinegar over the ginger, garlic and shallot mixture. Add the fish sauce, strawberries, chilis and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Depending on the sweetness of the strawberries, you may need to balance the sweetness level by adding a bit more salt (with fish sauce) or more acidity (with vinegar).
  5. Season the marinated pork chops with kosher salt. Sear them on the grill, flipping when you have golden-brown grill marks. Grill until the meat’s internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Let the pork chops rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  6. Pour the strawberry nuoc cham over the pork and top it with torn Thai basil. Serve with lime wedges.

Notes