Pork Schnitzel with Cucumber Salad

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It takes only five minutes to cook pork cutlets into perfect schnitzel. A crisp and bright salad of cucumbers with dill and yogurt is a perfect accompaniment to the meal, which has only a handful of ingredients. Slideshow: More Schnitzel Recipes 

Pork Schnitzel with Cucumber Salad
Photo: © John Kernick
Total Time:
45 mins
Yield:
4

Ingredients

  • 6 Persian cucumbers, sliced 1/2 inch thick

  • Kosher salt

  • Pepper

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped dill, plus small sprigs for garnish

  • 1 3/4 cups whole-milk yogurt

  • 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

  • One 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin, cut on the bias into 12 thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick

  • Canola oil, for frying

Directions

  1. In a colander, toss the cucumbers with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, then gently squeeze out the excess water. In a large bowl, mix the cucumbers with the chopped dill and 1/4 cup of the yogurt and season with salt and pepper.

  2. Meanwhile, put the breadcrumbs and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of yogurt in 2 separate shallow bowls. Season the pork with salt and pepper and dip in the yogurt, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge in the breadcrumbs, pressing to flatten the pork and help the crumbs adhere.

  3. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil until shimmering. In batches, add the pork in a single layer and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve the pork with the cucumber salad and garnish with small sprigs of dill.

Air Fryer Variation: In Step 2, substitute 2 eggs, beaten with a bit of salt and pepper, for the 1 1/2 cups yogurt. In Step 3, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. After step 2 above, lightly grease the interior tray of the air fryer with olive-oil cooking spray. In batches if necessary (depending on the size of your air fryer), arrange the breaded pork in a single layer on the tray and spritz with olive-oil cooking spray. Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 4 to 5 minutes, until the top is browned and crisp. Flip the pork and spritz the other side with olive-oil cooking spray. Cook at 400 degrees F for 4 to 5 minutes more, until the schnitzel is browned and crisp. Transfer to plates or a baking sheet; keep warm. Repeat with the remaining breaded pork if necessary, and serve as directed above.

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