Karin's Bonus Week 14 Recipe: Lime Pork Chops with Tomato Sour Cream Garnish (but not with pork)

This recipe is from a book that we got for a wedding present, The Big Book of Backyard Cooking. I have made this recipe in the past with boneless pork chops and it was amazing.  This time, I didn't have the pork chops, but had some nice tuna steaks thawed.  I thought, hmmm, citrus and seafood usually have an affinity, I wonder what would happen if I used the tuna?

Lime Pork Chops with Tomato Sour Cream Garnish

6 - 5oz boneless centercut pork loin chops, 3/1-1" thick, trimmed of fat (I used tuna steaks instead.)
1/4 c olive oil
3 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
2.5 T fresh lime juice (2-3 limes) (I used bottled)
1.5 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Garnish
3/4 c sour cream
12 small cherry tomatoes, quartered & seeded
3 green onions including 3" of green stems, finely sliced
Kosher salt
3 T chopped fresh cilantro

*I ended up using 2 tsp of red pepper flakes in the marinade, as I forgot to buy the chile peppers. I also used 1 med tomato instead of the cherry tomatoes, as there were none at my market.

1. Place pork chops in a shallow glass dish that will hold them in a single layer. Whisk together 1/4 c oil, chiles, lime juice, cumin, 1 tsp salt and red pepper flakes. Pour over pork. Cover & refrigerate. Marinate 6 hr or overnight, turning several times. Bring to room temp 30min before grilling.

2. Prepare the garnish 30 min before grilling. Mix all garnish ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside at room temp.

3. When ready to cook, oil a grill rack & arrange 4-5 in from heat source (we don't usually oil the rack). Prepare grill for a hot fire. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry. Grill until cooked all the way through, 6+ min per side. Arrange chops on a platter. Garnish with sauce, and pass extra sauce separately.

Results: Just as good with the tuna steaks. However, I would cut in half the spicy pepper if I do it again with tuna, as it was WAY spicier than with the pork, even with only half of the marinating time. We had to use the sour cream sauce to cut the spice. But, still, the tuna was a great alternative to the pork. I wonder what would happen if I used chicken? Hmmm....