my ex-vegetarian heart wavered a bit but the fried pork won in the end

Pork can be a very bland meat which is why it lends itself so well to apple sauce, bacon and…cajun flavouring.

For this dish, I simply sliced up a pork tenderloin, went a bit mad with a few spices and then fried everything.

the spice mix – make sure it stays dry and it’ll last for months

It’s a great mid-week supper since the whole thing (from fridge to plate) took about 20 mins.

warning: your house will smell of fried meat for days afterwards

If I ate bread, I’d be tempted to stick this in a bun to make a kind of cajun pork sandwich.

Otherwise, do what I did and serve it up with some simple greens.

steamed broccoli goes with everything

The meat’s the star here so you don’t need to do much.

Spicy Cajun Pork Medallions

• 1 1/2 tsbps paprika
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup coconut oil/butter
• 1 pork tenderloin

1. Pare the silvery fat off the pork tenderloin. Cut it into medallions about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Place the medallions between two sheets of cling film and whack them with a heavy implement until they flatten slightly (this’ll help them cook quickly so the thinner the better).
3. Mix together the paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne, black pepper and salt to make your cajun rub. This will make more than you need but it lasts months.
4. Coat the medallions with the cajun spice mix.
5. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan ’til very hot. Add the pork discs to the pan and fry for a few minutes on each side ’til cooked. It’s best not to overcrowd the pan so do them in batches of 3 or 4 and keep the rest in a warm oven until they’re all cooked.

Like this? You might also like:

• Roast Pork with Apple Thyme Sauce
• Pan-fried Pork Chop with Parsley Butter
• Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin