Cuban-Spiced Pork with Pineapple Salsa
plus Citrus Glazed Onion Sauce & Cilantro-Lime Rice
- Milk
A citrusy blend of Cuban-style spices—featuring garlic, orange, paprika, and jalapeño—is just the thing to brighten up savory seared pork and tender, sweet caramelized onion. To complete the meal, serve the pork alongside fluffy cilantro-lime rice, plus a lime-infused pineapple salsa that gives the dish a bright, fresh finish.
Ingredients
10 ounce
Pork Filet
1 unit
Onion
¾ cup
White Rice
1 unit
Lime
1 unit
Orange
¼ ounce
Cilantro
4 ounce
Pineapple
Not included in your delivery
2 tablespoon
Cuban Spice Blend
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
3 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
½ tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
-
Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce.
-
In a small pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-20 minutes.
-
Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
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While rice cooks, drain pineapple, reserving juice in a small bowl. Roughly chop cilantro. Zest and quarter lime. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Zest and halve orange. Squeeze juice from orange into bowl with reserved pineapple juice; set aside for use in Step 5.
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Pat pork* dry with paper towels; season all over with half the Cuban Spice Blend (you’ll use the rest later).
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Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add pork; sear, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 4-8 minutes.
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Turn off heat; transfer pork to a baking sheet and roast on middle rack until cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Wipe out pan.
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Transfer pork to a cutting board to rest at least 5 minutes.
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While pork roasts, in a second small bowl, combine pineapple, half the cilantro, juice from one lime wedge (two wedges for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and lime juice as desired.
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Heat a large drizzle of oil in pan used for pork over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and beginning to soften, 4-6 minutes.
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To pan with onion, stir in remaining Cuban Spice Blend. Add ½ cup water (¾ cup for 4 servings) and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2-4 minutes. Add reserved juice mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes more.
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Turn off heat; stir in ½ TBSP butter, juice from one lime wedge, and as much orange zest as you like (1 TBSP butter and juice from two lime wedges for 4).
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Fluff rice with a fork; stir in lime zest and remaining cilantro. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
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Thinly slice pork crosswise.
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Divide rice and pork between plates. Top pork with glazed onion sauce. Spoon pineapple salsa over rice. Serve with any remaining lime wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the Cuban spice blend, praising the delicious mix of sweet and spicy flavors 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Several found it surprisingly easy to make, with minimal cleanup and clear instructions for perfectly cooked pork.
- Suggestions: Consider adding black beans, yuca, or extra vegetables like zucchini to round out the meal.
- Portions: Some wanted more pineapple salsa or larger meat portions; others found the serving sizes just right.
- Texture: The pork was often described as tender, though a few found it tough; consider adjusting cooking time.
Reviews from our home cooks
Thought I'd try something new & different. The Cuban-Spiced pork fit the bill. It was easier to make than I anticipated & the cleanup minimal. I enjoy pineapple so the salsa hit the spot! May order again - depends on the other selections.
Cuban spice was a nice change of pace. The entire combo of pork, pineapple and orange onions was delicious! It could have used a veg, maybe zucchini?
Absolutely DELICIOUS. Easy to make. Would be a great meal to serve for company. Might be too spicy for some children. For me, it was the perfect combination of sweet and heat. Yum!!
Pork was really good. I liked the seasoning very much. My husband and I didn't care for the pineapple salsa with it. Pineapple was not sweet at all. Also I had to purchase both orange and lime because both were not useable to zest.
The pork and onions were spot on. The pineapple was tasty. But the dish would be better with a side of yucca in mojo or avocado (with a little oil, lime juice, and salt).
Great sauce and interesting flavors. Was a little hesitant about the mixture of the ingredients, but this was a fabulous meal! Substituted baked potatoes for the rice...salsa was great on potatoes.
Flavor was good. Recipe should watch add rice after water comes to boil so it won't be mushy/sticky. Also....lime was almost dehydrated so that was not great.
Trust the process has never been so true! This was one of the tastiest meals I've had from Hello Fresh! I was sad when I finished my dinner, because there was no more left to eat. :)
Very good. Tons of flavor. In my opinion, maybe the best hello fresh meal
The flavor was amazing! Kids loved the pork. Husband and I loved the onions with it!
