Tomato, Cucumber and Pomegranate Salad with Pomegranate Molasses
It’s got colder in recent days and lower temperatures reminded me of the upcoming end of tomato season. I’m preserving it for the winter (preparing especially my beloved Indian chutney) and I eat raw ripe sweet tomatoes every single day, sometimes even twice, trying to enjoy them as long as they last. Last week this side dish was added to my favourite duo (Tomato and Shiso Salad and Indian Tomato Salad) and I cannot get enough of its various textures, flavours and scents, all in just one bowl.
This is a vague interpretation of a tomato salad and probably also inspired by other cold dishes from Persiana. Recipes from the Middle East and Beyond by Sabrina Ghaynour, a wonderful book I was offered by a friend. As an avowed carni- and piscivore I was surprised to realise a rare phenomenon : vegetable dishes stayed most firmly engraved in my memory after leafing and leafing through it. The presence of pomegranate is also particularly visible, so, as someone who has been buying it quite rarely, I suddenly feel very inspired and plan to include it in many dishes. Persiana has also made me buy a bottle of pomegranate molasses and though it’s the only dressing/sauce I used in this salad, it was just perfect, just like the author said. I felt no need even for salt or pepper! Another product to play with in the upcoming months!
In case you wonder what else to do with ripe, delicious, end-of-season tomatoes….
TIPS: Pomegranate molasses are simply thickened pomegranate juice, so if you buy it, read well the ingredients. If anything else (apart from pomegranate juice) appears (for example sugar), it’s not the real thing.
Emptying a pomegranate is not obvious at first. Until now the best tip I have found is cutting through the fruit in half and emptying it submerged in a bowl of water. The yellowish skins will float at the surface and thus will be easy to remove. Beware! Pomegranate juice stains clothes!
Preparation : about 10 minutes (if you have emptied your pomegranate)
Ingredients (serves two-three):
seeds from 1 small pomegranate
1 small cucumber (or 1/4 of a long cucumber)
3 medium very ripe tomatoes
1/2 – 1 small red onion
kernels from 3-4 walnuts
a generous splash of pomegranate molasses
(fresh mint)
Cut the cucumber and the tomato into chunks.
Slice the onion finely (I have used a mandolin).
Chop the walnut kernels roughly.
Arrange all the ingredients in a bowl.
Add the pomegranate molasses and serve.
(This salad keeps quite well in the fridge for at least 24 hours though it’s best freshly made).
Beautiful salad. I’ve been curious to try pomegranate molasses but never got around to it. A dressing sounds like a good way of using it but I’ll have to research some others before making the purchase.
Thank you! I eat salads several times a week (and much more often when it’s warm outside), so this only use is enough to keep on buying pomegranate molasses.
I have a bottle of pomegranate molasses which I bought to make some Syrian stuffed grape leaves and Syrian dip, but have never used the stuff for anything else. I love the idea of adding it to salad, I will keep this in mind.
Thanks a lot, Adina. It was so good as a salad dressing, I’ll buy it only for that (though I hope to find some other ways to use it too).
What a gorgeous salad Sissi! I’m combining cucumbers with tomatoes all of the time, but your added walnut, pomegranate seeds and that splash of pomegranate molasses really elevate the boring tomato/cucumber salad. Love it!
Thank you so much, MJ. It’s so simple but soooo good….
Stunning salad Sissi! Was just about to look up recipes using pom molasses as I’ve got them leftover from another recipe I was trying from the Ottolenghi book. This sounds ace, simple fresh and seasonal.
Thanks a lot, Shu! It’s probably the easiest way to use it.
We were recently in Granada, Spain and guess where the name Granada came from? Pomegranate! They actually have pomegranate trees lining the streets, it’s so cool.
Your salad looks wonderful, so fresh and vital, the colours are wonderful. I have pomegranate reduction/syrup too and I love its sweet and sour flavour as well as its incredible colour.
Thank you so much, Eva, for so many compliments. I hope you’ve had wonderful time during you whole holidays. And I hope you will share with us some new food inspirations too!
I bought two pomegranates yesterday and made a lovely Mediterranean salad for lunch, entirely inspired by you! I used my pomegranate molasses but I added a shot of cider vinegar to loosen it a bit. For lettuce, I use kale (because we are craving salads and high fibre from having eaten out for three weeks) but I massaged it with the dressing to soften it up, and it spreads the dressing out nicely. A little sprinkled Greek feta was the icing on the cake. I wish I wasn’t so hungry, I would have taken a pic of it. JT loved it. Thank you, again for the inspiration.
Dear Eva, thank you so much for such a kind message! I’m really happy I inspired you to make a pomegranate salad with pomegranate molasses (mine are quite tangy and not very thick in texture, so I didn’t added any vinegar). Feta sounds like a perfect addition! I already had feta with pomegranate seeds in a salad and loved it too. Have a wonderful weekend!
I love pomegranate molasses and generally anything molasses! This salad is right up my alley!
Thanks a lot, Katerina. Sadly good tomatoes are almost finished, but I’ll continue preparing it with mini oval ones which are edible even in winter.