This fast and easy citrus pomegranate salsa is a delicious, tart-sweet topper for everything from lamb or chicken to toasted pita or tortilla chips. At only 96 calories per serving, this is a tasty treat that you don’t have to feel guilty about! Pomegranates and citrus fruit are both in season during the winter months, so take advantage of it and make this citrus pomegranate salsa this weekend.

pomegranate salsa in white bowl on marble counter — *Pomegranate Salsa*

What can I eat with this pomegranate salsa?

pomegranate salsa with lamb and hummus — *Lamb T Bones with Salsa*

As you can see from the photo above, I piled it on top of grilled lamb t-bones. We had family visiting for the day, so I wanted to try out this recipe on some new test subjects to get their opinions. It got rave reviews! The photo shows exactly what we ate, minus a sweet potato dish that will coming your way soon.

We ate the salsa by itself, on the lamb, with sweet potatoes and with toasted pita bread. It was delicious every single way we tried it. If you’re not a fan of lamb, pile it on top of chicken thighs, it will be sublime.

How to cut a pomegranate

winter fruit salsa in white bowl with green napkin — *winter fruit salsa*

Moment of confession: I bought pomegranate arils in a nice little package to make this salsa. I was at Costco and the case of pomegranates was twice as much as the package of seeds. Plus, it was already done, so that’s a no-brainer.

However, cutting a pomegranate and taking out the seeds can be rather therapeutic because you basically whack the hell out of it until they’ve all fallen out. Frustrated at work? Beat a pomegranate. You’ll feel better. A word about this method: the juice will stain and it is a bit messy.

Here’s a method to remove the arils without the mess (mostly): Cut a small piece from the bottom (stem) end of the pomegranate. Next, cut the top (the end that looks like a pointy crown) off. Run your finger along the sides of the pomegranate, do you feel those little ridges? Make a small cut from the top about halfway down along those lines on the side. You should have about 6 cuts. Pull it apart into 6 pieces and gently pry the seeds (arils) away from the flesh with your fingers.

Whichever method you choose, do it over a large bowl to catch the fleeing seeds!

citrus pomegranate salsa in large white bowl — *Citrus Pomegranate Salsa*

What does pomegranate taste like?

To me, pomegranate arils taste similar to cranberries. They are tart, but also a little sweet and they crunch when you chew them. Some people have an issue with that, I’m not one of them. I find them absolutely delightful and put them on everything while I can get them. I’ve even put them in my overnight oats.

Pomegranate Salad

Some might call this recipe a pomegranate salad instead of a salsa, like a fruit salad. They wouldn’t be wrong, it is a bunch of fruit mixed up together, but for me, I call it a salsa because that’s how I use it. Although, I’m not above piling it into a bowl and shoveling it into my face.

pomegranate salsa in white bowl — *Pomegranate Salsa*

Pomegranate molasses is another pomegranate product that I’m absolutely over the moon for. It’s used commonly in Middle Eastern food, so you may have had it at some point. What is it? Pomegranate molasses is simply pomegranate juice that has been reduced down to a syrup. Sometimes sugar is added, sometimes not, but even if it has added sugar, it’s never overly sweet.

I drizzled a bit on the sweet potatoes I served with this salsa and it was incredible. Totally worth trying if you’ve never had it. It is brilliant as a glaze for meat, stirred into yogurt, mixed into cocktails (or mocktails) and great for drizzling on roasted veggies. There is a link below to a trusted brand that I use.

Give this recipe a try and tag me @pookspantry to tell me how it turned out! I’d love to hear from you!

Pomegranate Salsa Essentials:

A sharp knife – this is an essential for basically EVERYTHING. Invest in a good knife and you’ll only do it once.
Classic white bowls – food always looks sexiest in white.
Mixing bowls – glass is great for this recipe!

Here are a few more pomegranate items! The pomegranate candle smells so good and that pomegranate seed remover bowl is an essential if you love pomegranates.