Mixed Herb Salad with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette

The fresh green herbs are super flavorful without the pomegranate vinaigrette…but don’t forget it, that’s the best part!

This Mixed Herb Salad with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette is sure to change up your dinner salad routine and WOW your guests! It has everything you could possibly want – some freshness, some acidity, some crunch. If you’re feeling a bit daring, you could even add some cheese (feta perhaps)!

This salad can be eaten all year-’round, but I think the pomegranate vinaigrette leans a little more towards the Fall/Winter season. It’s the perfect fresh side dish to complement those hearty winter soups and stews. The flavorful fresh herbs will brighten up the palate way more than regular salad greens. The sweetness and acidity of the vinaigrette will provide a great contrast to all the richness.

Missing Anything?

There are A LOT of different herbs in this salad, and I enjoy the flavors of each one of them. However, if you can’t find one of them in the store, substitute with extra of another. No mint? Put in extra dill and basil. No microgreens or watercress? Use extra arugula.

Ingredient Notes:

• French Finger Radishes – I love the look of these, plus they have a more mild spicy flavor than regular radishes. However, if you can’t find them, regular radishes will do just fine!
• Preserved Lemon – This wonderful ingredient is far superior in flavor to fresh lemon zest. Preserved lemons have a much more citrusy taste. They are cured in salt (maybe some sugar, too) for weeks, sometimes months. After you remove it from the salted jar, rinse it off underwater, and enjoy!
• Pomegranate Molasses – A very traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, it has an intense sweet and sour flavor. It’s made by reducing pomegranate juice, sometimes with lemon and sugar, to get an even more potent pomegranate taste. This will be a pantry ingredient you will use time and time again.
• Crispy Chickpeas – These add an amazing crunch to this salad. I use the same recipe here as I do for my Roasted Tomato and Chickpea Soup!

Mixed Herb Salad with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4

Equipment

• Mandoline
• Large Bowl
• Medium Bowl
• Whisk

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Salad:

• 6 scallions thinly sliced
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill
• 1 ½ cups roughly chopped fresh parsley
• ½ cup roughly chopped fresh mint
• 1 cup basil leaves packed, torn in half
• 1 cup microgreens or baby watercress
• 1 ½ cups roughly chopped baby arugula
• 10 French finger radishes thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline
• 3 Persian cucumbers halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons
• 3 tablespoons finely diced preserved lemon
• Pomegranate Vinaigrette recipe below
• Crispy Chickpeas

For the Pomegranate Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

For the Salad:

• In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the ingredients aside from the Pomegranate Vinaigrette and Crispy Chickpeas. Dress the salad with vinaigrette, to taste. Add more salt and pepper, if needed, and 1/4 cup of Crispy Chickpeas; toss to combine. Serve in a bowl with as many of the crispy chickpeas as you'd like on top.

For the Pomegranate Vinaigrette:

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly stream in the olive oil, while continuously whisking, until emulsified. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed (I prefer my vinaigrettes to be more acidic, however if you think it’s too tangy, whisk in another tablespoon of olive oil).

Notes

Prep and Storage Notes:

• All of the ingredients aside from the Preserved Lemon, Pomegranate Vinaigrette and Crispy Chickpeas can be prepped and tossed together ahead of time. Dress when ready to serve.
• The Pomegranate Vinaigrette: Can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
• The Crispy Chickpeas: Do not place them in the refrigerator, they will get soggy. They can be stored in an airtight container in your pantry for up to 5 days.

Keyword easy, fresh herbs, light, Tangy

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