This recipe for Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze and savory Strawberry-Rosemary Compote is bursting with summertime flavor. It’s a snap to make, light and delicious- an easy way to cook strawberries in a savory dish!
The first fruit to ripen during our growing season is juicy sweet strawberries. Tender skinned and full-flavored these are very different than the strawberries you’ll find at the grocery store which were most likely bred for size, looks, and long truck rides from California. Sure they’re pretty, with their glossy red skin and perfect shape, but all too often lack flavor.
When you experience a locally grown strawberry, picked the very same day you plop it in your mouth, you’ll come to understand the difference. Everything you thought about strawberries will change. At least that’s how it was for me.
When I was young, my Finnish mother would often tell me that the strawberries from the grocery store, were not “real” strawberries. She would say that this is because they were not red all the way through, had no scent and very little flavor. They looked red enough to me and seemed to taste fine. I guess I just didn’t understand what she meant.
It wasn’t until I was older and tasted a strawberry on my cousin’s organic strawberry farm in Finland, that I finally understood what she meant. Their flavor was startling. Their scent filled the whole house. There are some things in life that just can’t be described with words, only experienced.
This recipe for Grilled Balsamic Pork Tenderloin with a savory Strawberry Sauce is bursting with summertime flavor. It’s a snap to make and an easy way to cook strawberries in a savory dish.
Rosemary and balsamic vinegar are good accents to bot the pork and the strawberries.
FYI, We are still in Japan. It’s been such a great experience….can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Serve this up with Simple Sauteed Greens and a starchy side!
Hope you enjoy!
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Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Strawberries and Rosemary
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
- Category: main, pork
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: Northwest
Description
A simple grilled pork tenderloin, marinated in a balsamic glaze with a savory strawberry compote
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin
- Marinade:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1–2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- 3 garlic cloves
- Savory Strawberry Compote
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small shallot – finely chopped ( 2 tablespoons)
- 2 cups strawberries- small diced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- generous pinch salt and pepper
- squeeze lemon juice- 1 teaspoon
- Garnish: 1 cup diced strawberries, balsamic reduction or glaze, fresh rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Blend marinade ingredients together in a blender. Place loin and marinade in a large ziplock bag, or in a shallow baking dish, coating all sides. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
- In a small pot, heat oil over medium low heat, then add shallot. Stir and sauté until golden about 2-3 minutes. Add strawberries, wine, sugar, salt, pepper. Bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer on med-low heat until wine has reduced and strawberries have thickened, about 10 minutes. It should look like a loose jam. Add a squeeze of lemon. Set aside.
- Pre -heat grill on high heat.
- Remove loin from marinade and pour extra marinade into a small pot. Boil for one minute, or until it has darkened — you will use this cooked marinade to baste the loin whilst on the grill.
- Once the grill is hot, scrape it clean. Turn to medium-high and place pork loin directly on the grill, and cook for 12 minutes total, tuning and basting every 3 minutes. Cover in-between turns. Check temperature. Continue cooking on grill , lowering heat if necessary – or finish it in the oven- just until loin reaches 140 F at thickest point. Let rest 5-10 minutes.
- When ready to serve, slice loin into ¾ inch slices, then plate, topping with compote ( or place pork over the compote).
- Garnish with fresh diced strawberry, rosemary sprigs and balsamic reduction.
Keywords: grilled pork tenderloin with strawberries, grilled pork tenderloin
1
I made this for my family…DELICIOUS!!!! The great thing about this recipe is that you can prep ahead of time. I let the pork marinate overnight and cut the strawberries up the day before. All of the flavors complimented each other and looks so fancy plated. I will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Great to hear Lisa- thanks!
What would your recommend as a side dish and salad with this pork recipe? We are making it for a dinner with friends. Your website is absolutely fantastic and we have enjoyed so many of your recipes!
Sorry for the delay! Simple Sauteed Greens and maybe creamy polenta? 🙂
Made it and loved it as with all the recipes I have tried so far from this website. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of cooking. i made it with roasted potatoes and carrots.
Hi there. Just wondering what the nutritional value is for the incredible dish.
Just uploaded- sorry about this- an older recipe. 🙂
Delicious and quite special! It is a great use of flavors and your instructions were perfect (especially for me that was nervous grilling a pork tenderloin for the first time). Thank you for a great recipe to start my transition to summer cooking!
★★★★★
Thanks Lauren, glad you liked it!
My go-to to make a good impression at a summer cookout. And it never fails!
★★★★★
I made this tonight for dinner, and it was amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!
YaY!!! glad you enjoyed. I liked this one a lot too! happy thursday.
I haven’t tried this yet. It looks delicious and I want to compliment you on the gorgeous photos.
★★★★★
Thanks!!!
Hi, is this recipe written for a pork loin or a pork tenderloin? I often buy the wrong one bc I always thought they were interchangeable.
Tenderloin. Sorry I’ll better clarify and thanks for it pointing out!!