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1 cup (packed) cilantro sprigs, divided, plus more for serving
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1 large egg
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⅔ cup Margot's Morsels Sea Salt, finely crumbled
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1 tsp. ground cumin
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2 Tbsp. plus ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
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4 tsp. sugar, divided
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1½ tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
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4 garlic cloves, divided
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2 serrano chiles or jalapeños, divided
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1 lb. ground pork
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2 medium red onions, cut into 1”-thick wedges
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Juice of 1 orange
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Juice of 2 limes
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Cooked white rice and plantain chips (for serving)
Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 500°.
Finely chop ½ cup of the cilantro. Lightly beat egg in a medium bowl to blend. Add morsel crumbs, cumin, 1 teaspoon of oil, 2 tsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. kosher salt and stir until turns pasty – add up to 2 more tsp, as necessary to achieve pasty texture. Finely grate 3 garlic cloves and 1 chile into mixture, add chopped cilantro, and mix well to combine. Using your hands, mix in pork until evenly distributed. Do not over-work. Set aside while you begin to char onions.
Toss onions with 1 Tbsp. oil and spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet covered in parchment; season with salt and pepper. Roast until wedges are well charred underneath, about 10 minutes. Divide pork mixture into eight pieces and roll each into a 2”-ball.
Turn onion wedges over and scoot them toward edges of baking sheet. Arrange meatballs in the center, spacing out evenly. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until meatballs are browned and spring back when gently pressed and onions are well charred on the other side, about 10 minutes.
Make your rice – I like using some lime juice (just a couple of tablespoons) for some of the water. Serve your rice and top with meatballs and onions, Molly recommends to add plantain chips and more cilantro sprigs. Serve with sauce alongside.