Pomegranate Salsa Recipe

Pomegranate Salsa is the sweet, tart sauce that you will be putting in, on, and around everything from seared salmon to salad to nachos, yes I said it, winter nachos.

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The first time I ever tried Pomegranate Salsa, I was hooked. (In a restaurant, about 10 years ago). You will be, too. Because fall and winter foods, especially the dishes on Thanksgiving tables, can be a little bland and literally beige, pomegranate, like cranberry, will be the perfect bright, tart balance to perk those dishes up.

Not to mention that pomegranate is antioxidant rich and can support your good health.

This Pomegranate Salsa recipe as written is:

• 100% plant-based/vegan
• raw
• dairy-free
• gluten-free
• anti-inflammatory

Jump to:

• What You Need for Pomegranate Salsa
• How to Buy Pomegranates
• How to Cut Open and Seed a Pomegranate
• How Many Pomegranate Seeds are in a Pomegranate?
• Ingredients Resources and Notes
• Substitutions
• How to Use Pomegranate Salsa
• Variations on Pomegranate Salsa
• Pomegranate Salsa Recipe

What You Need for Pomegranate Salsa

Other than the pomegranate and pomegranate molasses (which is very easily substitutable), you probably already have all the ingredients on-hand! You will need:

• Pomegranate seeds, preferably seeded yourself from a whole pomegranate
• Pomegranate molasses
• Red onion
• Parsley
• Lemon
• Olive oil and salt, the yoozh!

How to Buy Pomegranates

There are different kinds of pomegranates, with skin and seeds that vary in color from deep ruby red to faint pink, almost white. In grocery stores, look for pomegranates that have smooth shiny skin without dark bruises. A little wrinkled is ok as it just means the skin is drying out. The seeds inside should be fine.

Pick up the pomegranates and feel for one that is "heavy for its size." If you don't know what this means, you just have to do it by picking up two similar sized pomegranates and see which one feels heavier.

How to Cut Open and Seed a Pomegranate

There are a few ways to cut open pomegranate and remove the seeds.

Peep the short video below to see how to cut open a pomegranate. Remove about an inch off the "top" or the blossom end of the pomegranate by barely slicing ¼-inch into the outer skin and peeling back the top. Then look for the white membranes that divide the pomegranate into segments and lightly score the skin along each of those membrane lines from top to bottom. Separate the segments where you made the scores.

What you should NOT do is take a knife to your pomegranate and just cut into it straight down the middle. This will also cut through all the seeds, spraying red juice everywhere.

To remove the pomegranate arils, aka the seeds encased in the red pulp, I find that removing them gently by hand works best to keep the most arils intact. The process is fairly slow, but nothing worthwhile is ever fast and easy. I find it to be very meditative for me to be honest.

As gentle as you are with removing the seeds, you will inevitably pop a few. Wear a dark colored top or an apron just in case.

How Many Pomegranate Seeds are in a Pomegranate?

A large, heavy pomegranate rendered a little more than 1 cup of seeds. This recipe calls for 1 cup of pomegranate seeds.

If you have the budget and storage space, buy more than 1 pomegranate. You'll thank me later.

Ingredients Resources and Notes

Pomegranate. I will always recommend that you buy whole fresh pomegranates and seed them yourself. However, if seeding a fresh pomegranate is the step that makes you hesitate, then by all means, buy pomegranate seeds in the containers. Baby steps, baby.

Pomegranate Molasses. Pomegranate molasses is a dark, sweet, thick syrup made from reducing down pomegranate juice. You can make your own Homemade Pomegranate Molasses with my recipe—it's super easy!—or you can buy it bottled at Middle Eastern markets or some larger grocery stores. This is the one I have in my refrigerator door: Cortas Pomegranate Molasses

Red Onions. If you don't have red onions, or find fresh red onions sharp in flavor, you can substitute shallots or even white/yellow onions. The white onions will become tinted pink from the pomegranate. Note: soaking the red onions in ice cold water, as directed in the recipe, softens some of the onion's sharp edge.

Lemons. This recipe call for 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Half a large lemon renders about 3 teaspoons of lemon juice. You can also add a teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to add another dimension of flavor.

Olive Oil. This is the everyday olive oil made with California olives that I use for this recipe. Use whatever olive oil you have. It doesn't have to be super fancy in flavor because the pomegranates and red onion are pretty robust in flavor.

All other produce from local Los Angeles farmers' markets or organic at Whole Foods Market

Substitutions

What can I substitute for Pomegranate Molasses? You can substitute maple syrup to keep it 100% plant-based, or honey, or any sweetener really, in the same amount for the pomegranate molasses. If you use a dry/granulated sweetener, just make sure to add it with the lemon juice and salt and whisk to make sure it dissolves completely.

Substitute for Red Onions. If you don't have red onions, or find fresh red onions sharp in flavor, you can substitute shallots or even white/yellow onions. The white onions will become tinted pink from the pomegranate. Note: soaking the red onions in ice cold water, as directed in the recipe, softens some of the onion's sharp edge.

Substitute for Lemons. You can substitute fresh lime or a Meyer lemon.

How to Use Pomegranate Salsa

When I say I put Pomegranate Salsa on everything, I mean it. Here are some ideas:

Smashed Avocado Toast with Pomegranate Salsa, Lemon Zest, and Flaky Sea Salt:

Roasted Butternut Squash with Feta and Pomegranate Salsa, recipe [here]

Avocado, Grapefruit and Greens Salad with Pomegranate Salsa

Butternut Squash Shakshuka with Feta, Pomegranate Salsa, and Grilled Toast for Dipping, recipe for Shakshuka coming soon:

Black Cod with Persimmon, Fennel, Radish, and Pomegranate Salsa {at Lucques, via LA Times}:

Persimmon Salad with Pomegranate and Prosciutto:

Probably the absolute best use, serve, like tart cranberry sauce, alongside turkey at Thanksgiving

Variations on Pomegranate Salsa

• Make a Spicy Pomegranate Salsa by adding 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeño pepper or Fresno chili pepper.
• Switch out the parsley for cilantro. This drastically changes the flavor of the sauce, you have to be into cilantro to want to make this variation.