Golden Pork Schnitzel with Lemon-Caper Butter

⏱ 40 min · Serves 4

Pounded thin, crisped in shimmering butter and oil until the crumbs puff away from the meat, then showered with a sharp lemon-caper butter. Ridiculously good with buttery potatoes and a sharp cucumber salad.

Per serving: 720 kcal · 42.0g protein · 45.0g carbs · 41.0g fat

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (about 150g each), trimmed
• 100g plain flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 150g fine dry breadcrumbs (or panko, crushed a little finer)
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to season
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 150ml neutral oil, such as sunflower, for frying
• 80g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 lemon, half juiced and half cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Place each pork chop between two sheets of cling film or in a large freezer bag and pound with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet until an even 5mm thick. Pat dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Set out three shallow dishes: flour mixed with the nutmeg in the first; eggs beaten with the milk in the second; breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tsp salt in the third.
3. Coat a cutlet in flour and shake off the excess, then dip in egg letting the surplus drip away, then press gently into the breadcrumbs. Do not pack the crumbs down hard — a loose coating puffs best. Repeat with the rest and rest on a rack for 5 minutes.
4. Heat the oil with 20g of the butter in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat until a crumb sizzles briskly. The fat should be about 5mm deep.
5. Fry one or two schnitzels at a time for 2–3 minutes per side, tilting and swirling the pan so the hot fat washes over the top — this makes the crust balloon. Turn once, until deep golden.
6. Drain on a wire rack (not paper, which steams the crust) and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest, topping up the fat if needed.
7. Tip out the frying fat, wipe the pan, and melt the remaining 60g butter over medium heat until nut-brown and foaming. Off the heat, add the capers, lemon juice and parsley; it will hiss.
8. Spoon the lemon-caper butter over the schnitzels and serve at once with lemon wedges.