Crispy Pork Belly & Grapefruit Sauce
Why on Earth is Dhale blogging while she’s on vacation?!?!
I just couldn’t bring myself to remain absent for 16 days straight without any contributions to the wonderful world of food blogs. So I decided to be super ambitious and compose a short little ditty ahead of time so that it’ll be ready to lock and load at the push of a button. Genius, right?
Short and sweet is what this will be. A simple recipe that incorporates our love for pork belly with a unique pairing of grapefruit juices. Something that I never would have thought of myself, this dish was a musing from Casa Mono, one of our favorite restaurants in Gramercy Park.
The citrus flavors really add a refreshing quality to the unctuous pork belly which somehow alleviates some of the guilt that’s connected to deep fried lard. And if you need a little more convincing, grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin c!
Until our return from the rain forests of Costa Rica, pura vida!
Ingredients:
| 1 | lb. thick cut pork belly (one strip) |
| 2 | medium-sized grapefruit |
| 4 | Tbsp orange juice |
| 1 | tsp rice vinegar |
| 3/4 | cup shaved fennel |
| 2 | cup micro greens |
| canola oil for frying |
- Fill a medium pot with with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, lightly salt the pork belly. When the water begins to boil, add pork belly and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Allow pork belly to cool completely and pat dry before deep frying.
- While the pork belly is cooking, segment one grapefruit. Keep chilled. Take the other grapefruit and squeeze the juices into a small sauce pan (use a mesh strainer to prevent the seeds from getting into your sauce). Simmer it on low heat and add orange juice then vinegar.
- Next, heat canola oil in your deep fryer to 375 degrees. Cut the pork belly into 3 inch segments. Deep fry each piece for 1-2 minutes just until it turns a golden color. Drain on a paper towel.
- To serve, ladle a small portion of the citrus sauce on each individual serving dish. Then place the pork belly and top with micro greens and shaved fennel. Drizzle a little more citrus sauce on the salad and serve immediately. Makes 3-4 appetizer dishes.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:43
What a creative combination! Hope you are enjoying your vacation.
March 19th, 2010 at 06:01
[...] Crispy Pork Belly & Grapefruit Sauce – Culinary Musings [...]
March 19th, 2010 at 16:55
i’d eat it…solely for the vitamin c, of course.
March 20th, 2010 at 09:05
Great site Dahle, your food is not only attractive looking… but speaks right down to my tongue.
(bookmark)
March 21st, 2010 at 11:57
I’m sorry, that just looks disgusting..I have liked some of your other recipes..but you’re a bit obsessed with trying to be French. Loved the rice pudding though..keep the good coming. Enjoy!
March 22nd, 2010 at 06:23
hello there
love to mix meat and fruits !! thanks for the recipe !! cheers from a sunny Paris
March 25th, 2010 at 06:34
Enjoy Costa Rica! Whatta dish. Beautifully plated too. And gorgeous photography!
March 27th, 2010 at 14:28
This is the perfect recipe to incorporate seasonal ingredients. I love pork belly!
March 28th, 2010 at 12:57
@cutiePIES: To each their own… I’ve always been open to trying unique flavor combinations and if it wasn’t for the culinary ingenuity at Casa Mono, I never would have even considered pairing the two. Luckily my boyfriend and I enjoy refined culinary combinations. Just be glad I’m not the one cooking for you every night
And I’ll choose to take it as a compliment that I’m obsessed with trying to be French because that just shows my genuine interest and dedication to accepting my boyfriend’s culture. Relationships are a two way street and as much as he has assimilated into the American culture, I’m having an amazing time absorbing the French way of life. I’m not one to keep a closed mind and deny acknowledging my significant other’s deeply rooted cultural background. It’s due to our desire to become both French and American that makes our relationship really well balanced.
Flattered that you enjoy some of my recipes!
March 30th, 2010 at 10:52
@Tiny Urban Kitchen: The ingenuity credit goes to the chefs at Casa Mono. Never even thought of combining these two but it was surprisingly refreshing! And yes, we enjoyed our trip way too much! Now we’re having withdrawals
March 30th, 2010 at 10:53
@Rob: Thanks for the link!
March 30th, 2010 at 10:54
@Grace: Me too! I always try to squeeze in the the vitamins and nutrients to ease the guilt
March 30th, 2010 at 10:54
@Pierre: You have the same name as my boyfriend! So glad you dropped by and thanks for the wonderful words
March 30th, 2010 at 10:57
@Pierre: Meat and fruits are great combinations because the sweet/salty factor. My favorite meat fruit combo of all time would have to be foie gras and figs
March 30th, 2010 at 11:01
@Ju: We had a wonderful time there and now we’re battling withdrawal symptoms
… Thanks so much!!!! Glad you stopped by!
March 30th, 2010 at 11:04
@Christine: Every season is pork belly season!!! Or did you mean grapefruit season?!?! Lol
April 12th, 2010 at 15:57
I’d like to disagree on Cutiepie’s comment. I dont think this dish is any where close to being “disgusting” — I think the grapefruit would pair nicely with the fatiness of the porkbelly.
Mother always says “If you dont have something nice to say you shouldn’t say anything at all”
Great post Dhale
April 21st, 2010 at 16:08
Will be making this tonight with a citrus (blood orange, grapefruit, and lime) risotto! Thanks for the recipe
April 28th, 2010 at 00:37
this looks great dhale! i shall add this to my list of “dishes to make.” i enjoy latin american food especially peruvian and cuban because they definitely play on combination of flavors.
i love using as much citrus as possible especially with meat dishes to help neutralize the “meatiness.”
last, your presentation is always superb!
May 5th, 2010 at 10:00
@Mike: The citrus risotto sounds delicious! I love combining citrus flavors to cut up the heaviness of heavier dishes. Hope you enjoyed the recipe!
May 5th, 2010 at 10:20
@Theresa: I totally agree on citrus being a good neutralizer for meaty foods! I, too, have a mental list of dishes to make and there’s never enough meals in a day to get through them all. And thanks so much for dropping by again