Christmas Pomegranate Salsa Recipe and the easiest way to open a pomegranate

This fresh pomegranate salsa recipe is always tasty, but it’s especially fun for Christmas parties with it’s beautiful bright red and green colors.

I am always trying to come up with creative ways to eat pomegranates. I absolutely love them, and get so excited when they go on sale this time of year. In the past I’ve used them in Pomegranate Saffron Rice, Pomegranate Tuna Salad, Homemade Pomegranate Juice, Homemade Pomegranate Molasses, Pomegranate Chicken, and a Pomegranate Saffron Yogurt Parfait.

Unfortunately, I often end up buying the Costco sized box of six pomegranates, and having half of the them go to waste because I forget to use them. I hate wasting food, and I hate wasting money by throwing away food!

This year, I decided to start with a pomegranate salsa, because we are a chip and cracker family. If it can go on a chip, it will definitely get eaten before it goes bad!

PIN TO SAVE FRESH POMEGRANATE SALSA:

I loved the idea of the red pomegranate seeds, or arils, tossed with green peppers and onions for a festive mix of Christmas colors. I played around with the flavors, and decided to keep this salsa mild so that it’s kid friendly.

Corban actually really loves spicy food, but I try not to set his tongue on fire too often. If you want it spicier, feel free to leave some seeds in your jalapeno.

This recipe uses mostly fresh ingredients. I used minced garlic in a jar (even though fresh usually has a better taste), because I didn’t grow my own garlic this year, and the giant Costco jar in the fridge ends up lasting longer and costing less than buying the bulbs.

I also used fresh lime juice (forgot the lime for the picture) but you can use bottled lime juice if you have some.

Start by seeding and chopping your bell pepper. You want it chopped into pieces about 1/4 inch in size.

I suggest wearing gloves to seed and chop your jalapeno. It’s the best way to prevent getting burned when dealing with hot peppers. These are my favorite food prep gloves which I wear to work with hot peppers, raw poultry, or when I’m feeling under the weather and don’t want to pass a cold on or wash my hands five million times. Chop both the jalapeno and your garlic cloves (if using whole cloves) as finely as you can.

Chop the ends of your green onions until you have about half a cup. Do the same for your cilantro, except only 1/4 cup.

I used to peel my pomegranates underwater, but this is my new favorite technique. To seed the pomegranate, start by scoring it all the way around the middle.

Get your thumbnails into the crack you made and pull. Repeat all around the pomegranate until you can pull it apart.

You should now have two pomegranate halves with the seeds in a pretty star shape.

Pull and stretch each pomegranate half at the cut edge to help separate the seeds from the pith.

Hold the pomegranate half over your bowl and hit the end repeatedly with a wooden spoon. The seeds will just fall right out!

Squeeze your lime into the bowl then stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Eric and I love to eat this pomegranate salsa with organic corn tortilla chips. Corban eats his with a spoon! I think it would also be great with fish or chicken.

If you like fresh salsas, you might also like my Fresh Mango Salsa, Fresh Avocado Salsa, or Fresh Tomato Salsa. Have you tried making fruit salsas before? What’s your favorite?