Pomegranate Cucumber Salsa

5 from 7 votes

This fresh Pomegranate Cucumber Salsa is crisp, light and refreshing! It's incredibly versatile and a delicious alternative to traditional salsa! You can serve it with chips, spoon it over fish or chicken, use it as a garnish for tacos, or add it to salads for a burst of texture and flavor! Or, you can serve it over cheese as a festive appetizer for the holidays!!

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American, Fusion

Keyword: cucumber, garnish, pomegranate, relish, salad, salsa

Servings: Servings

Calories: 68kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Equipment

Medium Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

½ small Red Onion – finely diced (about ½ cup)
2 large Pomegranates – sliced and seeds removed (about 2 heaping cups) (SEE NOTES)
½ Seedless Cucumber – small dice (about 1 heaping cup)
1-2 Jalapenos – seeds, ribs and stem removed & finely diced
1 Lime – juice and zest
1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves – roughly chopped
½ teaspoon Granulated Sugar – or more to taste
¼ tsp Cumin
Sea Salt

For Serving: Serve as a dip with Crackers or Chips OR Spoon over Grilled Chicken or Pork

Instructions

Soak onions (optional): Place red onions in a medium bowl. Cover with cold water and allow to soak for 15 minutes. Drain. (SEE NOTES)
Make the salsa: Return drained onions to the bowl. Add in the pomegranate seeds, cucumber, jalapeno and lime zest. Toss to combine.
Add seasoning: Add the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, cumin and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
Serve: For best taste, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Step one, soaking the onions, is completely optional but highly recommended. Soaking the onions will remove the harsh bite and mellow the flavor.

How to cut open and de-seed a pomegranate: There are numerous ways to cut open and de-seed a pomegranate, however this technique is by far my favorite! Not only is this method incredibly easy, it's also a lot less messy than other techniques I've tried!

Cut the top off. Use a sharp paring knife to remove the top, crown portion of the pomegranate. Make sure sure you hold your knife at an angle to remove a cone shape of pith, but avoid cutting into any seeds.
Make shallow, vertical cuts down the sides. If you look at the outside of the pomegranate you will see (and feel) there are some ridges that run vertically down the pomegranate. Starting at the top of the pomegranate where you previously cut, use your knife to cut along the ridges (from top to bottom) just through the red skin and most of the white pith portions of the pomegranate, but don't cut too deep or you will cut into the seeds. Note: The exact number of ridges will vary from pomegranate to pomegranate, but on average there are about six.
Pull the pomegranate apart. Place your thumbs inside the top crown end of the pomegranate and press against opposing segments of the pomegranate to pry open. Gently pull the pomegranate apart into segments.
De-seed: I've seen people use a wooden spoon to whack the outside skin portion of the pomegranate to release the arils, but honestly, that makes a huge mess. Instead, use your fingers to gently pry away the seeds from the peel and membrane - they should easily release! Make sure you work over bowl to catch the arils, or you can fill the bowl with a bit of cool water. The seeds will sink to the bottom while the white pieces of membrane will float to the top.

Recipe yields roughly 4 cups of salsa.

Nutritional information is an approximation and based upon 8 servings (1/2 cup of salsa)

Nutrition