BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE
August 2024
I’ve been putting this lemon and olive gremolata sauce on everything – grilled fish, pan seared chicken, roasted veggies, fresh mozzarella cheese, and the list goes on. But the real winner has been pork cutlets. Gremolata is traditionally a topping of parsley and lemon zest. Turned into a sauce with olive oil and lemon juice, it verges on becoming a salsa verde or maybe even a southern Italian salmoriglio. Then add meaty Castelvetrano olives and you’ll have the perfect topping for crispy, juicy cutlets.
I prefer the ease and flavor of thinly sliced bone-in pork chops, but you can certainly opt for a boneless cut, either sliced thin or pounded thin, it’s up to you. I just can’t leave behind the added flavor and juiciness of a bone-in chop. Choose the cut of meat you prefer and call them fried pork chops or pork cutlets… we’re all talking about the same basic concept, and let’s focus on the star of this recipe – the bright and refreshing gremolata.
Start with flat leaf Italian parsley. A medium sized bunch will yield about a half cup of chopped tender leaves and stems. Add a bit of fresh oregano, about two tablespoons chopped. Fresh oregano has a hint of citrus that dulls when it’s dried, so opt for fresh if you can find it, or substitute one tablespoon of dried oregano. Then, roughly chop a cup of Castelvetrano olives, and zest and juice one lemon.
To make the sauce, combine the lemon zest, chopped parsley and oregano with a quarter cup of olive oil and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Season to taste, then add a splash or two of lemon juice as you like.
The pork chops get a classic dredge and breading. Mix garlic powder and a pinch of salt into the flour, beat the eggs also with a pinch of salt, and use plain breadcrumbs. Pat the chops dry and season each side with salt, then dredge in the flour, shake off the excess, coat in egg then breadcrumbs.
Heat vegetable oil in a wide-bottomed cast iron pan or chicken fryer. Aim for about a half inch or less of oil for a shallow fry, and work in batches to not crowd the pan. Once the oil reaches 350°, or a bit of breadcrumbs thrown in to test sizzles immediately, gently lower the chops into the oil. For half-inch pork chops, cook for a minute and a half on each side. Remove from the oil, blot with paper towels and season each with a pinch of salt. Plate and serve with the gremolata sauce on the side.
Don't stop at pork cutlets. This sauce lasts a few days in the fridge and gets better as it sits. It's the perfect summer condiment.
PORK CUTLETS WITH LEMON AND OLIVE GREMOLATA SAUCE
Season: Any
Makes four to six servings
Ingredients
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, chopped
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
4-6 bone-in pork chops, thinly sliced at about ½ inch to ¾ inch
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp granulated garlic
2 eggs
2 cup plain breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil
PREPARATION
Combine the parsley, oregano, olives, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Add additional lemon juice and salt to taste.
Set up your breading ingredients: Combine the garlic and the flour in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt in a second shallow dish and add the breadcrumbs to a third shallow dish.
Pat the pork chops completely dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Dredge first in the flour mixture, shake off excess. Coat with egg, then breadcrumbs.
Heat vegetable oil in a wide-bottomed cast iron pan or chicken fryer. Heat to 350° or until a pinch of breadcrumbs sprinkled into the oil sizzles immediately. Gently lower the pork chops into the oil, in batches as needed. Cook one and a half to two minutes per side, remove. Season with salt.
Plate and serve topped with the gremolata sauce, with additional sauce on the side.
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