How to Open a Pomegranate Without Making a Mess

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Dec 11th 2008 @ 1:59PM

bowl of arugula, goat cheese and pomegranate salad

Last Friday, I made one of my favorite early winter salads - arugula, red onion, goat cheese and pomegranate seeds, dressed with a balsamic/olive oil vinaigrette. It's an easy dish that looks impressive and festive, with all those shiny, red pomegranate seeds glowing in the tangle of greens and cheese.

The only challenge this salad presents is that getting the seeds out of the pomegranate is often a messy, frustrating and time-consuming task. Luckily, just before I made the salad last week, a friend reminded me of the helpful tutorial that Jaden (of the Steamy Kitchen) recently put up that offers a new, easier way to deconstruct a pomegranate.

You can see the pictorial how-to here or you can watch Jaden demonstrate her method on regional morning show here. All you need to follow her instructions is a knife and a bowl of water. I don't think I'll ever open a pomegranate another way, ever again.

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Filed Under: On the Blogs, Ingredients
Tags: arugula salad, ArugulaSalad, fruit, how to open a pomegranate, HowToOpenAPomegranate, salads, soup, steamy kitchen, SteamyKitchen

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-11-2008 @3:32PM Karl said... I've seen Jacques Pepin demo a method where you cut the pomegranate in half top-to-bottom, hold a half over a bowl cut side facing down, and whack the skin side with a heavy spoon. The seeds pop out and fall into the bowl. I haven't had a chance to try this yet, and my guess would be that Jaden's method gets you more seeds with less bruising. It's something to try, though.
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12-11-2008 @3:24PM Brandon said... I learned that on Good Eats about a year ago and my life hasn't been the same since.
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12-11-2008 @3:33PM Marisa McClellan said... Karl, I've tried the smacking method (I learned it from Nigella Lawson) and I don't love it. It's super messy and you really do bruise the seeds pretty badly.
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12-12-2008 @12:42AM Brent Cutler said... Marissa,

They are messy...roll up your sleeves and enjoy. It sounds tasty. Do you happen to know any method of making a sauce that is "low calorie" and fits works with Shrimp, Tilapia or other mild flavor seafood. I am working on a line of products that we are pushing the "health halo" of fish and want to identify some seasoning and sauce options. You seem to be the number one contact person on this site and it would be good to hear from you directly. I am the Chief Food Officer at Long John Silvers. This new line "Freshside Grille" is going well, but my team is looking at extending the offers in 2009. Would you be interested in trying any and giving me your comments? If so, let me know and I can mail you some coupons. Internal research is biased and the "core customer" is really used to batter fried, so some fresh opinions of the new line would be helpful. My direct e-mail is brent.cutler@yum.com. Send me an snail mail address if you would like some free food!
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