Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Fresh Cherry Salsa

I bet you’re asking yourself “What should I make for dinner tonight”.  The answer?  Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Fresh Cherry Salsa.  You know I love you and that I’d never ever steer you wrong, right?  Ok, well, if you like pork and you like a little heat in your salsa, then you will want to scroll to the bottom and start your grocery list right now.  Wait.  Read the rest of this post first, then go make the list.  I promise you will not be disappointed by this recipe.

When you think Cherries, do you think “salsa”?  Ya, me neither.  But I had this giant bag of cherries that are absolutely the deepest darkest red and so sweet and needed to do something with them besides gorge myself.  So, I did a little searching for recipes and found that I wasn’t alone in the Cherry Salsa arena.  There are recipes on the big food sites like Bon Appetit, Epicurious and Martha Stewart and even the food bloggers like The Wicked Noodle and Pen and Fork have a variation of it.

The salsa is not too sweet, in fact it was barely sweet at all.  I kicked mine up with….you guessed it…my all time fave Sriracha.  I heart you Sriracha!  Anyway, I added a jalapeno to it too for some added crunch and a little extra heat.  Shallots, garlic and cilantro rounded out the tasty salsa.  A splash of olive oil and lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and you are ready to roll!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Fresh Cherry Salsa
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Serves 6


Pork Tenderloin 
Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins, rinsed and patted dry (1 package)
1 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice (or lime)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1 In a plastic resealable bag (or plastic container with a lid) add the pork and the remaining ingredients.  Seal the bag and turn it a few times to coat the meat with the marinade.  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Turning occasionally.
2 Heat the grill to medium high heat.  Remove the tenderloins from the bag and remove most but not all of the marinade.  Grill for 8 minutes, turn and grill for another 7-8 minutes.  Remove to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
3 Slice the tenderloins into medallions and serve with the Spicy Fresh Cherry Salsa

Spicy Fresh Cherry Salsa
Ingredients
3 cups whole cherries, pitted and quartered
1 jalapeno, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
1/4 cilantro leaves, chopped
1 shallot, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1 In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients together.  Allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Note: you could also put the Cherries into a food processor and chop coarsely for a less chunky salsa.  This method would produce a fantastic salsa for dipping chips or veggies into.