Meltingly Tender Spanish Pork Belly with Zesty Mojo Verde and Crispy Potatoes

When it comes to comfort food, few dishes can compete with Spanish-style slow-roasted pork belly. The rich aroma and savoury flavour create an inviting atmosphere that everyone loves. This gorgeous dish features meltingly tender pork, zesty mojo verde, and crispy roasted potatoes which soak up the delicious paprika, sherry infused pork juices. It’s the perfect choice for gatherings with family and friends or for treating yourself to something special.

The Star Ingredient: Pork Belly

Pork belly is a game changer in the kitchen. When cooked right, its rich fat layers break down during roasting, resulting in a tender, juicy texture that melts in your mouth. The scored skin crisps to a perfect golden brown, ensuring a wonderful contrast to the succulent meat beneath. This makes it suitable for various cuisines and flavour profiles.

For this Spanish Pork Belly recipe, we’ll enhance the belly with sweet smoked sweet paprika, honey, and a blend of flavourful liquids like dry sherry and chicken stock. By using 1.5 kg of pork belly, you’ll have enough to serve about six people, making it a fantastic option for a dinner party.

The vibrant combination of herbs and spices in the Mojo Verde creates a refreshing sauce that complements the richness of the pork belly beautifully.

Spanish Pork Belly with Zesty Mojo Verde - The Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Pork

• 1½ kg pork belly, skin scored

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

• Salt and black pepper

• 2 tbsp honey

• 200ml dry sherry

• 150ml chicken stock

• Zest of 1 lemon, pared off in strips

• 5 large potatoes, cut into chunks

For the Mojo Verde

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 green chili, finely chopped

• 1/2 red chili, finely chopped

• 100g fresh coriander, finely chopped

• 50g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar

• 120ml extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Rub the pork belly all over with the olive oil, paprika and some salt, ensuring they all get right into the scores, then put it in an oven tray and roast for 30 minutes.

Turn down the oven to 160C (140C fan)/325F/gas 3. Mix the honey, sherry and stock in a small bowl or jug, add the lemon zest, then pour around the pork in the tray. Cover tightly with foil and roast for a further two and a half hours.

At around the last half & hour, toss the potato chunks in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in the roasting pan around the pork belly and replace the foil.

When the two and half hour cooking time is up, take off the foil lid, turn the heat back up to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, and cook for a final 20 - 30 minutes, to crisp up the crackling and potatoes. Remove the pork and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

While the pork is finishing off cooking, make the mojo verde. Put the garlic, chilli, coriander, parsley, sherry vinegar and oil in a blender, pulse to a rough paste, then season to taste.

Slice the pork belly and serve with the roast potatoes and any pan juices and the mojo verde drizzled over the top.