Green Salad With Pomegranate: A Very Easy Recipe
A fruit that's very trendy right now for its vitamin C and antioxidant content, the pomegranate fits perfectly in savory dishes like a poke bowl or tabbouleh. It's very easy to incorporate these tiny seeds with a thousand benefits into salads. We invite you to discover an extremely simple recipe for a pomegranate green salad.
Ingredients
Here are the necessary ingredients to prepare a green salad with pomegranate for 4 people:
1 pomegranate.
125 g of mesclun or mixed baby greens.
2 handfuls of arugula.
2 handfuls of walnut kernels.
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
Salt and pepper.
Note: in this salad recipe, you can replace the walnuts with pine nuts or other types of nuts, such as pecans for example.
Pomegranate Preparation
The pomegranate is a fruit highly valued for its vitamin C and antioxidant content, but also for its crunchiness, color, and attractive appearance.
Beneath its very hard rind, the pomegranate hides translucent pink or red seeds that resemble pearls. Thus, this fruit is very decorative in desserts as well as in mixed salads and appetizers.
Whether you want to prepare a pomegranate tabbouleh or a green salad with pomegranate, you need to retrieve the precious seeds contained within the fruit. These are the only edible part, but they are not easy to reach, so we will explain how to do it.
1- Using a cutting board and a sharp knife, cut off the base of the fruit to make it more stable.
2- Then cut the pomegranate vertically to open it in two.
3- Once you have the two halves of the fruit, you no longer need the knife. To retrieve the seeds without damaging them, the most effective method is to break the fruit apart with your hands.
4- Gently detach the seeds with your fingers, making sure to remove all the white skins which are not edible.
Salad Preparation
Once you have collected the seeds from the fruit, all that's left is to assemble all the ingredients to prepare the green salad with pomegranate.
1- Wash and spin-dry all the salads, including the arugula leaves and the mesclun or mixed young greens.
2- Prepare a vinaigrette by emulsifying the salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
Note: to enhance the fruity taste of this salad, you can substitute the balsamic vinegar with unsweetened pomegranate juice or raspberry vinegar.
3- Season the green salad with the vinaigrette and mix gently.
4- Sprinkle the salad with crushed walnut kernels and pomegranate seeds.
Tasting Tips
This green salad with pomegranate is a powerhouse of nutritional benefits due to its fiber content and antioxidants. The addition of crushed walnuts allows for the benefit of omega-3s found in these nuts.
This healthful salad pairs very well with a cheese platter or a charcuterie board, or even with a savory pie like a Maroilles tart, for example.
To turn this side dish into a more substantial mixed salad, you can also add cheese directly into the bowl. Depending on your preferences, you can choose a sheep's cheese like halloumi or feta, mozzarella pearls, or even shavings of Parmesan.
