Satsuma, Red Onion, and Pomegranate Salad Recipe | Foodal (2024)

There’s something I can’t stop thinking about lately, and it’s the reason why my fridge is currently stocked with fresh greens:

I love salad.

I know, I know. This isn’t the kind of revelatory factoid you want someone to drop on you at a dinner party.

As Bart Simpson says, “You don’t win friends with salad.”

It doesn’t provoke much response, or invite lengthy discussion. Salad can be boring.

What’s there to say about it? We eat it before we consume something heartier and more interesting. Like, say, enjoying a homemade roast chicken dinner.

Nonetheless, I love it. I really do. I love the way I feel when I eat a salad, particularly afterwards. I feel so light and refreshed and… I don’t know. Clean.

I started making salad for Tim and myself regularly in the midst of our holiday celebrations, when my digestive system was starting to feel so overloaded with rich back-to-back-to-back dishes like creamy casseroles, succulent meats, and flaky pies that it didn’t know what to do with itself.

And we’ve had one almost every day since.

Lately, there’s been one ingredient in particular I’ve been loving in particular on my mixed greens:

Pomegranate!

Our local grocery store sells these for less than a dollar a piece, so we’ve routinely had the vibrant red, juicy arils on our salads lately.

We’ve been enjoying the combination of these ruby jewels with sweet satsumas and thin slices of red onion on top of assorted greens.

I love how colorful everything looks on the plate. But what I really appreciate is how seasonal the ingredients in this recipe are.

Believe it or not, winter is the perfect season for citrus fruits, in addition to the typical cool-storage root vegetables. And pomegranate season is also in the late fall through early winter!

I always like to take full advantage of the winter season’s bounty. You’ll find me in the kitchen baking fluffy satsuma cakes, and making huge bowls of this simple salad.

I love how it features different flavors and textures: crunchy pomegranate seeds that burst with juice, sweet and citrusy satsumas, and savory red onions. They all get tossed together with a zippy homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

What would take it to the next level is a sprinkling of our savory granola!

There’s nothing else like it. And while you could say it’s just that crazy salad obsession talking, I’ve been making this delicious recipe constantly, all winter long.

Don’t be surprised when you find yourself wanting another plateful.

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep the Ingredients

With a sharp knife and sturdy cutting board, roughly chop the romaine lettuce. Thinly slice the red onions, and don’t forget our advice on how to avoid those tears!

Peel and segment the satsumas.

Remove all the seeds from the pomegranate.

Is this your first time trying to accomplish this, or do you need a refresher? Study our tutorial for perfectly prepping pomegranate. And if you need some other ideas to use up any leftovers, use them as a garnish for our pomegranate orange ice cream, or in our vegan cookies!

Measure out the balsamic vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and olive oil.

Step 2 – Combine the Greens, Fruit, and Onion

Add both varieties of lettuce, the red onions, citrus segments, and pomegranate seeds to a large salad bowl. Play with what greens you decide to use! Add some arugula, or use some frisee!

But don’t mix yet! Keep those orange segments as pristine as possible by only tossing the ingredients together once, when you’re ready to add the vinaigrette.

Step 3 – Make the Vinaigrette

Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Continue whisking while you pour the olive oil into the bowl in a thin and steady stream, until an emulsion forms and the vinaigrette becomes thick and smooth.

Step 4 – Toss and Serve

When you are ready to serve (and not a moment before!), pour the vinaigrette into the salad bowl. Gently mix everything together with tongs until the vinaigrette is evenly distributed.

Serve immediately!

A dressed salad will quickly become limp and wet if you combine the dressing with the lettuce mixture too far in advance before serving, a common error made with most salads. So we always recommend combining the vinaigrette directly before eating.

Another way to avoid this is by serving the lettuce, fruit, and onion mixture on plates with the dressing on the side.