This colorful Pomegranate Citrus Salad is a sweet and flavorful blend of winter produce! It makes the perfect side dish at any party or meal.
There is something about a change of season that brings a fresh perspective on things. When I think about winter I think of powdery white snow, Christmas and spending time inside with with the fireplace crackling and a mug of hot cocoa in my hands. With the changing of seasons, I also love the different produce that reappear in stores and recipes.
I get to have my fix of certain fruits and vegetables for a season, then move on to new ones in a few months when I start to get tired of them. Then when next year rolls around I am ready to go wild with those same seasonal produce…it never disappoints!
This pomegranate citrus salad combines some of the best fruits of the season (in my opinion) into a great side dish you could serve with any meal. The citrus flavors add that zing while the pomegranate seeds lends some of their signature subtle sweetness. On a side note – I love biting into pomegranate seeds – that burst of juice is so fun for my taste buds!
The honey, anise and mint finish off this seasonal side dish with a dose of sweetness to balance out the tartness of the citrus while also adding another dimension of flavor. If you have never tried anise, I will tell you now that it tastes and smells somewhat like licorice. I was introduced to anise during my college days. I forget about it sometimes and therefore don’t use it very often, but every time I pull it out of the cupboard I’m reminded why I have it on hand! It is very versatile, pairing well in both savory and sweet dishes.
Adding to why I love this recipe, is that it is pretty simple to make. The hardest part is deseeding the pomegranate. I have seen many tips and tutorials on how to cut and seed a pomegranate, but have yet to find a method that I truly love.
So far, the whacking the whole fruit, then breaking it open and letting the seeds “fall” out seems like a good method (and by fall out, I mean I still have to pick the seeds out and separate them from the membrane). I have also tried opening it under water, too. If you have a fool-proof and easy way to get all those precious ruby red pomegranate seeds out, let me know! Or, you can be lazy and smart at the same time and buy the ready to go pomegranate arils.
Add some zest to your meal with this Pomegranate Citrus Salad Click To TweetAfter that, this recipe is a breeze. Combine the fruit, stir in the toppings then add it all together. It’s best to make this beforehand (at least 1-2 hours) to allow it to chill as well as let the flavor of the ingredients combine together. Then serve and enjoy!
If you wish, you can wait to add in the mint leaves until just before serving if you like them to be more crisp. If you want the mint flavor to be combined really well with the other flavors, put them in with the rest of the ingredients before refrigerating, but know the leaves will be a bit more soggy – but still yummy. It all depends on how you like it!
I hope you enjoy the fruits of the season with this winter Citrus Pomegranate Salad!
PrintPomegranate Citrus Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: ~8 servings
- Category: side
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: American
Description
This vibrant pomegranate citrus salad combines the zing of citrus fruit with ruby red pomegranate seeds into a wonderful salad with a hint of mint.
Ingredients
- 2 large grapefruits, sectioned
- 4 medium oranges, sectioned
- 1 medium Pomegranate, seeded
- 3 tablespoons Honey
- 1 teaspoon Anise seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
Instructions
- Place the grapefruit and orange sections along with the pomegranate seeds into a medium bowl, gently stir to combine.
- Add the honey and anise seeds to the fruit mixture and stir until evenly coated. Lastly, gently fold in the chopped mint leaves.
- Cover and let refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours to chill and allow the flavors to combine. Depending on the exact sizes of your fruit, this makes about 4 cups of salad (Eight 1/2 cup servings).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Keywords: Pomegranate Citrus Salad
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Aliza B
We always have fruit salad Christmas morning with our Orange Rolls. This would be a nice refreshing change from our usual salad. Thanks for sharing!
Brittany
Orange rolls on christmas morning sounds like a great tradition – and paired with fruit salad sounds even better! 🙂
Heather with WELLFITandFED
I love pomegranate everything! We made a spinach, bacon, pomegranate avocado salad the other night and it was to die for!
Brittany
That sounds delish! Pomegranates is definitely one of my favorites, too!
Jamie | The Kitchenarium
Mmmmm. I am so excited for citrus season!
Brittany
It’s one of the best times of the year! 🙂
Val
This looks great and refreshing, I love pomegranate!
Brittany
Refreshing fits the description of this salad perfectly!
Charlene Asay
I love pomegranates this time of year. This salad looks amazing!
Brittany
Thanks, Charlene! Pomegranates are the best!
Christine | Vermilion Roots
I imagine the anise seeds must add a nice contrast in flavor. What a great idea!
Brittany
They do! Just a subtle hint of anise adds nicely to the salad.
Bree Hogan
Mmmm! This looks and sounds super yummy, thank you so much for sharing the recipe 🙂
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
Nothing better than pomegranates! Lucky for me, our orange and lemon trees have a lot of great fruit right now! I love the addition of anise seeds!
Brittany
You are lucky, I would love to have an orange or lemon tree – fresh fruit right in your yard! 🙂
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious
What a pretty fruit salad! I love the combo of citrus and anise – I often add fennel and orange segments to my salads! Btw, my fave method of getting the pomegranate arils out is the water submersion method. I find it really easy if you haven’t already tried it!
Brittany
Thanks! With fennel and anise being so similar in flavor, you could easily sub in fennel for the anise in this salad instead.
I have tried the water submersion method once for pomegranates, but it’s been so long I can’t even remember how it turned out. I will have to try it again!
footnotes and finds
such an interesting take on a salad! sounds so refreshing!
http://www.footnotesandfinds.com
Melanie
This salad looks delicious! I love the colors! I’ve always just whacked the pomegranates and then let the arils fall out in the bowl, but I hear the under water method is pretty good too. The best things in life take the most work 😉
Brittany
Isn’t that the truth – and it is always worth it!