Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa

This is a revisited and revised recipe I originally created in 2009.  The mango salsa recipe is unchanged, however, the pork tenderloin is a different interpretation of a recipe I originally made with a sauce from Williams-Sonoma that is no longer available.  This recipe makes its own delicious pan gravy and perfectly compliments the salsa.

A pork tenderloin is a small, round cut of pork that comes from the back of the animal. It is very tender and second only to a skinless chicken breast for the lowest fat content of any meat. It therefore works well with bold seasonings and flavorful side dishes.  I made my version of rice pilaf as a side dish, which can be found here.  

Many grocery stores will carry prepared mango that has been peeled, cored and cut into chunks.  If you can find it, it's an easy matter to pare it down to salsa-size pieces, making the salsa that much easier to prepare.

You will need a meat thermometer. The tenderloin cooks fast but you do not want to overcook it.  While I have approximate cooking times in the recipe, not all tenderloins are the same size, and other factors, like humidity and altitude, will affect its cooking time, so best to use a thermometer for pinpoint accuracy and a perfectly roasted dinner.  The best kind of meat thermometer to use, in my opinion, is the digital kind that has an ovenproof probe which reads the internal temperature of the meat in real-time.  This is far easier than removing the meat from the oven every so often to take a reading with a hand-held model.

Ingredients
For the Tenderloin
2 1-lb pork tenderloins
2-3 tbsp paprika
3/4 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked salt (like, San Francisco Salt Company Cherry Wood)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin 
3-4 tbsp olive oil

Ingredients
For the Mango Salsa
1 small ripe mango, peeled, cored and finely diced
1-2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 medium jalapeno pepper, cored, seeds removed and finely diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 green onions, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp honey (you can substitute Splenda)
juice of 1 fresh lime
salt and pepper to taste

The Recipes
First, prepare the Salsa
Make the salsa at least a few hours before preparing the pork tenderloin to give all of the flavors time to marry. Overnight is even better because the acid from the lime juice and vinegar will break down the fiber in the mango and tomatoes, giving you a saucier salsa.

Mix all the ingredients together and test for salt and pepper.  Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Then, make the Tenderloin
Preheat an oven to 425F with a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven. Put a cast iron skillet in the oven to get it screaming hot.  Bring the tenderloins out of the fridge an hour or so before cooking.

Mix the paprika, chili powder, smoked salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cumin and olive oil in a mixing bowl and using a whisk, blend well.

Liberally apply the spiced olive oil mixture to each tenderloin. Use your hands to get it into all the nooks and crannies of the meat. Insert your meat thermometer horizontally into the end of one of the tenderloins such that the probe is more or less in its center.

Carefully remove the hot cast iron skillet from the oven, add a bit of olive oil to the pan, then place both tenderloins in.  They'll start to sizzle right away. Return the pan to the oven, and roast for fifteen minutes. Turn the tenderloins over and roast another ten to fifteen minutes or until your meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Remove from the oven and take the tenderloins to a carving board, tented with aluminum foil and allow them to rest for five minutes.  You'll note they've left behind a delicious pan gravy.

Carve the tenderloin into 1/2-inch thick medallions, spoon over a little of the pan gravy over top and serve with the mango salsa around the meat.