They show up in every grocery store during the winter season: beautiful, deep-red rounds filled with hundreds of seeds enrobed with mouth-bursting sweetness. Pomegranates have become increasingly popular as their juice has been noted not only for its distinct flavour, but also for its anti-oxidant qualities. The culinary challenge with this fruit, beyond eating them straight up, is, what else can be done with them? Recently, I was given a book full of recipes that fuses Italian and Middle Eastern cuisines, and it is rife with recipes using pomegranate. Here is a recipe I selected, inspired by the many uses for this fruit.

Salmon with pomegranate and orange salsa

Ingredients:

Pan seared salmon

• 1 to 1 ½ lbs salmon, cut into 4 fillets – can also use halibut, tilapia, cod, red snapper, etc
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• 2 tbs lime juice
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 -3 tbs butter or oil

Pomegranate salsa

• 1 cup pomegranate seeds or arils, from ½ large pomegranate
• 3 oranges, peeled and cut into supreme style segments (all the skin/pith/membranes/seeds removed), plus any remaining juice
• Juice from 1 lime
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• 2 serrano peppers, seeded and membranes removed, finely diced – replace with jalapenos for milder version
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Sides – Quinoa with tomatillo and cilantro sauce, fried ripe plantains or fried green plantains

 Preparation:

1. Mix the crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, fennel, lime juice, white wine, olive oil, salt and pepper together to prepare a marinade for the fish.
2. Let the fish marinate for 1 to 2 hrs.
3. Meanwhile to prepare the pomegranate salsa, combine the pomegranate arils, orange supreme, any juice squeezed from the orange membranes, lime juice, diced onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, cumin seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Mix the salsa well and let it rest refrigerated until ready to use.
5. Heat the butter or oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, add the salmon fillets and cook until browned on each side and cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets.
6. Serve immediately with the pomegranate salsa on top or on the side.

Recipe source: Laylita’s Recipes

Posted by websitedev

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