Before I even begin, I need to give some credit to a good friend. Although it fits well into my Culinary School 101 series, I actually never learned how to seed a pomegranate in culinary school. And even though I could always find some way to seed a pomegranate, I (as well as the entire kitchen counter) was often left splattered in bright red pomegranate juice.
Then my friend let me in on a good secret: seed the pomegranate under water! At first, when I tried this, I wasn’t fully successful, but then I quickly understood the beauty of this easy tip. Now you can seamlessly have pomegranate seeds within minutes. They’re perfect for salads (like the one I made just recently), on top of yogurt or desserts, or if you’re a fan of Shirley Temples, you can get adventurous, break out the bar, and make your own fancy grenadine. Although the grenadine you see in most places is now far from what it used to be, original grenadine was made from pomegranate juice, sugar, and water. Talk about fancy.
1. Cut the pomegranate in half, and then again, into quarters. Smaller segments will make the under-water process smoother and easier.
2. Fill a medium bowl with water. Then place the segments in the water. Take each segment, rip it in half and began to gently remove the seeds. See below for the ideal size of segment you want in the water.
3. Drain the bowl with a strainer and pick out any leftover pulp or bad seeds.
4. Eat right away, or store them in an air-tight container in the fridge. I’ve found that they lasted a good week in my fridge.