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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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Great recipe, I’ve made it numerous times.
Need to turn temperature up at the end to crisp.
★★★★★
Thanks Paul!
Against my gut instinct, I made this at the insistence of a family member. It was awful. Not just the flavor but the “crust” consisted of a hot, wet paste when it had finished cooking. I managed to salvage it by rinsing it off and quickly mixing together a glaze of brown sugar and mustard and sticking it under the broiler. I should have known better considering none of the reviews were from people who actually made it. Live and learn.
★
Sorry you were disappointed in the recipe Dave – thanks for taking the time to share your feedback.
This looks so DELICIOUS, I will be definitely making this real soon! Thank you for your love of good cooking. I enjoy your blogs tremendously.
Thank you so much Dorinda! We hope you enjoy the recipe!
oh yum! I just picked up a pork loin last night! I will have to go back to the store to make the crust. This looks really tasty!
Thanks Tanya!