Vietnamese Pork Chops 
with Pickled Watermelon

By joanmarie

Ingredients

• Pork Chops
• 2 small shallots, thinly sliced into rings
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
• 4 1"-thick bone-in pork chops 
(about 2 1/2 lb. total)
• Salad
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 small shallots, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups trimmed purslane or arugula
• 1/2 pound seedless watermelon, rind removed, cut into pieces, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Pickled Watermelon Rind (click for recipe), thinly sliced

Preparation

Step 1

Pork Chops
Whisk shallots, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and Sriracha in a shallow baking dish. Add pork chops and turn to coat. Cover and chill, turning occasionally, 
at least 1 hour.

Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Remove pork chops from marinade, scraping off excess, and grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Do Ahead: Pork chops can be 
marinated 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Salad
Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt.

Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add purslane, watermelon, and Pickled Watermelon 
Rind; season with salt and pepper and toss gently to coat.

Serve pork chops with watermelon salad topped with fried shallots.