Recipes, Food Stories, Adventures, and Other Musings
Technique: How to Open a Pomegranate
Pomegranates are one of my absolute favorite fruits, and since it’s that time of year again that they are in season, I figured I would share a picture guide on the easiest way to open up a pomegranate to get to all of those beautiful seeds! I’ve been cracking into my stash almost every other day and using my pomegranates on various salads and eating them straight by the handful. I find the process of breaking into the fruit to be super relaxing, and I like a tackle a few at a time to have a nice supply of seeds on hand. So with that, let’s get to cracking!
As for special equipment, all you need for this is a big pot of cold water, a pairing knife, a colander/strainer, and a container to hold your final seeds. This process seems intimidating at first, but it becomes a fun habit as you practice! I think this method offers the most whole seeds opposed to other methods that I’ve seen online, so you get the most beautiful fruit out of each of the pomegranates.
Guide below with a picture associated with each step! Happy pomegranate season, friends!
Step 1. Score the pomegranates using a pairing knife, going through only the outer skin layer (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep). Do not cut all the way through the fruit as that will damage the seeds inside. Score fruit into quarters for easiest opening. Step 1, cont.: Make sure to score around the entire circumference (top to bottom) to make four even quarters all the way around!Step 2. Pull the scored quarters apart until the fruit separates into 4 individual sections. Notice that the scoring has only gone through the outside skin layer and that all of the seeds inside remain fully intact.Step 3. Using your thumb, gently push the seeds off of the connective membrane into a big pot of water. Push the seeds from the sides opposed to applying direct pressure from the top to avoid popping the seeds and to keep them perfectly whole as much as possible.Step 4. Continue picking off seeds using your thumb, and flip the remaining skin inside out to expose more layers of seeds. Continue to pull out all of the pockets of seeds until the full quarter has been cleared of all of it’s seeds.Step 5. I collect my seeds in a large pot of cold water as I go. The seeds sink to the bottom, and the extra membranes float to the top. Remove the extra membrane pieces before draining the pot of seeds using a colander to catch all of the seeds. Additional waste from the pomegranate (outer skins, inner white membranes) can all be composted or discarded.Step 6. Transfer the fully drained seeds to a container, and refrigerate the seeds for storage. Enjoy!
Posted by 
Claire Aucella 