Apricot stuffed pork tenderloin

5 from 4 votes

Tender meat with a flavorful rub and fruity-nut filling. This stuffed pork tenderloin is smart enough for date night but easy too.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Fusion

Servings: (or 2 large)

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

3 tablespoon dried apricots chopped
2 tablespoon parsley chopped
2 tablespoon pine nuts
12 oz pork tenderloin pork fillet - 1 small-medium, a bit larger (1lb/450g) is fine
½ tablespoon olive oil for searing

For spice rub

2 cloves garlic
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed/finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together the chopped apricots, parsley, pine nuts and oregano for the stuffing. Set aside.
Separately, mix together the spice mix. Roughly chop the garlic then sprinkle over the salt and crush them together with the side of a knife. Crush the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar or chop finely with a knife. Mix the mashed garlic, fennel, paprika and cumin with the olive oil to a paste.
Cut off any excess fat or sinewy bits from the pork and then carefully cut along one side the whole length of the pork, being careful not to cut the whole way through so it flattens out. If the pork is relatively short and fat, you may want to flatten it slightly at this point. Turn it over so the cut side is down.
Rub the spice mix all over the outside of the pork then turn it over so the cut side is back up. Add the stuffing all along the middle of the pork, leaving a slight gap on either side.
Tie up the pork with string by tying a knot around one end, holding the stuffing in, then looping through around an inch/2.5cm apart the whole way along the pork, carefully pulling the string to tighten as you go. Tighten so that the string is taught against the meat but doesn't push the stuffing out (see picture above for looping trough). When you reach the other end, tie another knot to secure.
Cover and leave overnight in the refrigerator to marinade.
When ready to cook the next day, preheat oven to 400F/200C and take the pork out of the fridge.
Ideally using an ovenproof pot/skillet so you don't have to transfer, warm the pot over a medium-high heat. Put approx ½tbsp olive oil in the pan then sear the pork on all sides so it's gently brown.
Roast the pork for approx 20min, or a little longer (5-10min max) if the meat is relatively thick (aiming to reach min internal temperature of 145F/65C).
Leave to rest a couple minutes then cut into slices, removing the string before serving.

Video

Notes

You can easily use a larger pork tenderloin/fillet, just increase the rest of ingredients proportionally to ensure it is well-filled and has a good amount of marinade on it. With larger pieces of meat, you may want to flatten it with a tenderizer slightly before adding the stuffing. Cooking time may need to be increased slightly if thicker, but not by too much - it's best to check using a thermometer.

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