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We have to thank my mother-in-law Jean (aka Nanny) for the recipe inspiration behind this Anchovy-Crusted Pork Loin! We were visiting Jack’s parents a few weeks ago, and Nanny was in the midst of preparing dinner for later in the afternoon.
Nanny happened to mention a dinner she once made – pork loin that she rubbed with an anchovy paste before roasting it in the oven! Jack and I looked at each other – like we always do these days when someone mentions a delicious-sounding idea – and we laughed and said at the exact same time, “Blog recipe!”
So a few days later – after buying some anchovies and other ingredients at the supermarket – Jack got creative in the kitchen! He finally landed on a delicious concoction for today’s recipe which includes anchovies, Kalamata olives, garlic, whole grain mustard, capers and lemon.
This Anchovy-Crusted Pork Loin roasts up extremely juicy and tender – and that anchovy crust is out of this world! It has a citrusy, garlicy, briny flavor that is wonderful with the pork – but that distinctive, deep and salty flavor of anchovies is what totally makes this dish! (As I mentioned here – please don’t be afraid to cook with anchovies!)
On a side note: This recipe can be made Whole30 compliant – just look for an organic pork roast (if possible) and use mustard, anchovies and capers with no added sugars. Enjoy!
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Anchovy-Crusted Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 2 2-ounce cans anchovies packed in oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic chopped
- Zest of one half lemon
- Juice of one half lemon, about 1 1/2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 8 pitted Kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (3 to 5-pound) pork loin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Drain the oil from the anchovy cans and discard. We will be using a better quality olive oil in this recipe.
- In a small food processor, such as this one, process the anchovies, garlic, zest, juice, mustard, olives, parsley, capers, pepper and oil until blended but not totally pureed.
- Place pork in roasting pan and smear the spread all over the pork.
- Roast to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (use a probe thermometer for best results). Roast vary in size so the cooking time will vary. We cooked a fairly small roast which was done in 45 minutes.
- Allow roast to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
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Made this recipe yesterday and it turned out perfect. Loved the lemony anchovy taste.
Thank you Loretta!
Great recipe, I’ve made it numerous times.
Need to turn temperature up at the end to crisp.
Thanks Paul!