Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Strawberries

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Juicy, tender rosemary pork tenderloin with a surprising and delicious kick of sweet roasted strawberries and a delicate drizzle of strawberry dressing. This pork dinner is gorgeous, elegant and so simple to make.

Serve it to guests or impress your loved one with this quick pork dinner date night supper.  You can easily scale the recipe up/down using the function on the recipe card.

Using the oven, dinner will be on the table in under 30 minutes, with the sous vide machine it will take an hour.

What is Pork Tenderloin? And is it the same as Pork Loin?

Pork Tenderloin and Pork Loin often get confused, but they are not the same cut of meat and you can't easily substitute one for the other, as the cooking time varies so much. They will work with many of the same flavors though. In fact this rosemary pork tenderloin could be made with pork loin but you will have to treat the pork differently. (I have given some hints for that a little further down the post)

This video from the The National Pork Board shows just how different pork tenderloin and pork loin are:

Just to recap the differences between Pork loin and Pork Tenderloin

Pork Loin

• Alternative names: Pork Loin Centre Cut, Centre Cut Pork Roast or New York Pork Roast, Top Loin Pork Roast, Ribeye Roast.
• Where it's from: The back of the pig.
• Size: A typical large roast comes in at 5-8lb (2-5kg) But it can be cut to size for you.
• Texture: Fairly lean and tender if cooked properly.
• Flavor: Mildly flavored meat
• How to cook: Pork loin is best seared then slow roasted in the oven, or cook it using a sous vide machine. The internal temperature needs to be 145ºF (62ºC)

Pork Tenderloin

• Alternative names: Pork fillet, Pork Tender.
• Where it's from: Tenderloin is the muscle that runs alongside the pigs backbone.
• Size: These usually weigh about 1lb (500g)
• Texture: very lean and tender especially if cooked quickly.
• Flavor: Mild and delicately flavored meat.
• How to cook: You need to trim all of the silverskin from the tenderloin then cook quickly on a grill or in a hot oven. Alternatively tenderloin is perfect cooked with a sous vide machine. The internal temperature needs to be 145ºF (62ºC)

Wait can pork tenderloin be pink?

It sure can. Gone are the days of dry over cooked pork. The Pork Association now recommends that pork tenderloin, pork loin and pork chops be cooked to an internal temperature of 145ºF (62ºC)

I promise this is the tenderest pork tenderloin you will ever eat. Cooking it quickly and having the inside medium rare, will reward you with the most delicious and juicy cut of pork.

Don’t let the pink scare you off. Pork is perfectly safe to be served pink....think beef not chicken 😉

(Note the pork association still recommend ground pork (pork mince) be cooked to 160° F/71ºC)

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with strawberries? That's a little different.

Yes, pork and strawberries is a little bit different but it is so delicious. And pork and fruit is a well trodden path. Pork and Apple, Pork and Cherry, Pork and Pineapple, all delicious fruity pork dishes.

The sweet strawberries work well with the mild pork. And the rosemary ties everything together to make this dish truely memorable.

It is also so pretty! Just look at the gorgeousness:

What to marinade pork tenderloin in?

This recipe for rosemary pork tenderloin plays on the sweetness of the strawberries and the herbaceous rosemary. So I like to include plenty of rosemary in the marinade.

But in all honesty as long as you season the pork generously you could skip the marinade stage. But the rosemary is perfect here.

To marinade pork tenderloin use a simple mixture of olive oil, chopped rosemary, salt and pepper.

If you are serving this without the strawberries then garlic would be a nice addition but it is too strong for the strawberries here. (You might like to try out my Pork tenderloin with beans and bacon)

What oven temperature do you cook the pork tenderloin at?

Pork tenderloin is best cooked quickly, so to ensure you get the inside to 145ºF/62ºC by the time you are ready eat it (i.e including resting time) I like to have my oven set at 425ºF/220ºC and cook the pork for 12-15 minutes. Once the pork has cooked, tent it with foil and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. It will continue to cook slightly and the muscles fibres will relax.

As pork tenderloin can vary in thickness, do test your pork with a meat thermometer. (The one in these pictures is a thinner tenderloin and took just 12 minutes to cook in the oven.)

How to cook Pork Tenderloin in the sous vide machine

The sous vide machine was made for cuts like the pork tenderloin!! I set my water bath to 145ºF/62ºC and cook the pork for 1 hour.

You can sear the pork before its time in the water bath or after. I prefer before, it makes sealing it in the bag a little harder, but I love how the seared flavor intensifies as it cooks.

Help! I bought Pork Loin instead of Pork Tenderloin

If you have bought a pork loin rather than a pork tenderloin this rosemary pork tenderloin recipe isn't going to work in the same way. You can still serve it with the roasted strawberries, but your pork will take a lot longer to cook than the recipe suggests.

I would follow this recipe for cooking pork loin from Kelly over at The Anthony Kitchen and then add in my strawberries at the end. Or try this one from the lovely Whitney Bond who loves her sous vide as much as I do.
(For both these recipes just cook your meat until the internal temperature is 145ºF/62ºC)

If you have a sous vide machine, then you can cook your pork loin in there but it will take 3 hours rather than the 1 hour that pork tenderloin takes.

What kind of wine to serve with Rosemary Pork Tenderloin?

Pork is a delicate meat so you want a lighter wine that can still stand up to the sweet strawberries, for me the best pairing here would be a light Pinot Noir, but if you are a white fan then try a fruity Pinot Gris or a toasty unoaked Chardonnay.

What to serve with Rosemary Pork Tenderloin?

This dish is so beautiful it deserves a beautiful side dish.

Pair it with a crisp green salad and a delicious potato dish like my Hedgehog Roasted Potatoes or my Smashed Potatoes (I would swap the thyme in this for rosemary).

Enjoy x

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4.89 from 9 votes

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Strawberries

Juicy, tender rosemary pork tenderloin with a surprising and delicious kick of sweet roasted strawberries and a delicate drizzle of vinaigrette. This pork dinner is gorgeous, elegant and so simple to make.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Marinading time3 hrs

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Servings: 4

Calories: 509kcal

Author: Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

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Ingredients

US Customary - Grams

• 2 lb pork tenderloin (probably 2 pieces)

Marinade:

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

For the strawberries:

• 1 lb strawberries
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the dressing:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• pinch salt
• pinch black pepper
• Juice from roasting the strawberries

Instructions

• Cut any silver skin off the pork tenderloin and discard.
• Mix the olive oil together with the salt, pepper and chopped rosemary.
• Place the pork tenderloin in a ziplock bag (or container with a lid) pour over the marinade and then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

TO COOK THE PORK IN THE OVEN (See below for sous vide instructions)

• Pre-heat oven to 220ºC/425ºF.
• Remove the pork from the marinade, brushing off any chunks and gently pat dry with kitchen paper towel.
• Place a heavy based oven safe skillet (cast iron is perfect here) over medium high heat.
• Add the pork tenderloins and brown on each side for 1 minute as side.
• Roast the pork for 12 to 15 minutes (until an instant read thermometer registers 62ºC/145ºF.)
• Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a warm plate, tent with foil and leave to rest.
• If you are cooking your pork this way, roast the strawberries at the same time.

TO COOK THE PORK BY SOUS VIDE (See above for oven cooking instructions):

• Pre-heat your water bath to 62°C/145°F .
• Remove the pork from the marinade, brushing off any chunks and gently pat dry with kitchen paper towel.
• Sear the pork in a smoking hot skillet until nicely golden on all sides.
• Seal the pork in a vacuum bag, or use the water displacement method (see note 1)
• Place the pork in your water bath and cook for 60 minutes.
• Remove from the water bath and let the pork rest for 5 minutes.
• If you are cooking your pork this way, then you will need to start cooking your strawberries once the pork has had 45 minutes in the sous vide machine.

To roast the strawberries:

• Hull and cut the strawberries in half.
• Lay them on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with the oil then sprinkle over the sugar and salt.
• Roast for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove them from the oven and carefully pour the juices off into a small bowl/jug. Reserve this for the dressings.

  
  

  (See note 2 for more information on roasted strawberries)

For the dressing:

• Mix the reserved juices together with the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Whisk well and taste, it should be a little sharp and a little sweet. Add more seasoning as required.

To Serve:

• Slice the tenderloin into ¾ inch slices and arrange on the plate. Scatter the roasted strawberries around the pork, garnish with some fresh rosemary and drizzle with the dressing.

Notes

1. To use the water displacement method for sealing the pork in a bag:
   • Place the pork in airtight sealable bag, seal it almost all the way along.
   • Submerge it almost all of the way under water, leaving just the unsealed portion of the bag out of the water.
   • The water will push out all of the air from around the pork and you can seal the bag fully closed.
2. For a more detailed description for cooking the strawberries, check out my post on roasting strawberries (just note this pork recipe using more oil so you can make a dressing with the juices)
    

Nutrition

Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1285mg | Potassium: 1078mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 67.2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.8mg

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