Pomegranate Salad with Savory Soy Vinaigrette
This pomegranate salad recipe is bright, fresh and fruity. Add as many pomegranate arils as you want because it can never really be too much. 
Pomegranate Salad Recipe
I have my little red seasonal joys, those tiny flavorful things that are plentiful this time of year—-pomegranate arils! These juicy, tangy, sour, sweet pops of flavor are such perfect accompaniments to salads. It’s amazing how simple additions can change the whole dynamic of a salad. When my salads feel lost and lacking, I love adding fresh fruit for that missing piece of the puzzle. In Autumn and Winter, I feel so fortunate that our pomegranate trees dangle huge red orbs in our face, reminding us that pomegranates can be enjoyed in a bundle of frilly greens.
Gigantic garden pomegranate! “Almost” bigger than my head.
Fresh Fruity Salad
I’ve been seriously lacking in eating salads as of late and blame it all on oven cooking because it’s so much more therapeutic to dig my face into a hot casserole on a cold day. Anyone with me on this? But after reading David’s splendid post on How to Make French Vinaigrette, I’m reminded of two things: it’s time to eat salad again and I’ve been butchering the classic the French Vinaigrette with my soy sauce. My apologies to fine Frenchman like Romain to set me straight.
Soy Sauce for Umami Flavor
I love soy sauce for this pomegranate salad recipe makes the dressing amazing. My parents seasoned everything with fish sauce and soy sauce for umami depth to their cooking, so naturally, I evolved into the same type of cook: forget the salt, pass the soy sauce! I blame it all on Mom and Dad.
Juicy sweet tart pomegranate arils for pomegranate salad
Maybe I should just stop the blame and accept that fact that I do love making Romain and David’s French vinaigrette recipe with soy sauce. I obviously can’t call it a true French Vinaigrette anymore, but maybe I can still call it a Soy Vinaigrette? Or maybe Vinaigrette a la Soy Sauce? or Franco Asian Vinaigrette avec Soy Sauce? Regardless of what’s it’s called, I thank David & Romaine for teaching me how to make it right and maybe I’ll let go of the soy sauce and reach for the salt someday.
The soy sauce adds lots of exceptional flavor to the dressing for me and this pomegranate salad recipe adds the perfect fruity balance to the dressing. Salads that are loaded with flavor, delicate texture and simple ingredients are my favorite. Just simple, crisp, fresh lettuce and my pommy seeds make a fabulously seasonal pomegranate salad. Everyone that has ever had this pomegranate salad has walked away happy, satisfied and a even bit confused that they just had a French vinaigrette with soy sauce in it. Oh well, I’ll get it right one day. Oui Oui!
Pommy happy,
-diane
More Pomegranate Recipes:
- Our refreshing pomegranate spritzers
- Party time pomegranate margarita recipe
- Steamy Kitchen’s great video tutorial on How to open a pomegranate without making it look like a murder scene
- Former Chef’s Butternut Squash with Pancetta and Pomegranate Recipe
Pomegranate Salad Recipe with Soy Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 head lettuce , washed, drained, torn
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (1 small pomegranate)
Instructions
- In small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients (soy sauce, red wine vinegar, shallots, dijon mustard, olive oil, and thyme).
- In large bowl, add lettuce. Add dressing to lettuce and gently toss. After plating the salad on individual plates, toss pomegranate arils on top.
Your pomegranate photos are incredible- so beautiful.
This time of year, I also love to use pomegranates in salads. My favorite is an apple and fennel salad with pomegranate seeds.
My god that was one big pomegranate. I think that the flavor combination you came up with is just brilliant. The umami flavor of the soy, vinaigrette, and bright acid kiss of the Pomegranate is spectacular.
Guess who’s craving pomegranate now?
hmmm, soy sauce as a component of vinaigrette- what a lovely idea. a dimension of umami in the salad. love that. this is a gorgeous, simple salad. twitter is absolutely wonderful, so many other foodies to discover- that is how i stumbled upon your blog.
I was going to refrain from saying this ’cause it’s a bit inappropriate, but that is some sexy salad! I love, love, love pomegranates.
You also have pomegranate trees, that’s another fantastic fruit to add to salads. I am trying to eat more salads during winter but soups & stews often top the list. My addiction is maple syrup. I add it to my salad dressings even if it does not call for it. So I will be making this French Vinaigrette with 1/2 tsp of real maple syrup. 🙂
Helene- I love the maple syrup idea, how fantastic!
Having an addiction to umami is something I, too, suffer from at least 2 or 3 times a week. Can’t blame it on my parents, though, my addiction is self taught I guess! Love the pairing of that gorgeous pomegranate with your soy vinaigrette.
Debi- thank you, Umami is wonderful!
I am amazed by the beauty and size of these pom gems. Gorgeous photos! Not only am I adding this recipe to my menu for the pasta & wine dinner I’m hosting for my ladies next week, I’m also making a note to get my paws on a Cali pom the next time I visit my fam in NorCal. Thanks!
I’m a huge fan of anything with pomegranate seeds in it! Perfect timing for this salad too–it will look gorgeous on a table during the holiday season.