Description
Learn these two easy (and safe!) methods for how to open and de-seed a pomegranate.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pomegranate
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with water. Set aside.
- Wash the outside of the pomegranate thoroughly. (This is important since the outer skin may eventually be underwater with the pomegranate seeds.)
- Hold the pomegranate firmly on a cutting board and use a large sharp kitchen knife to carefully make a vertical cut down the middle to split it in two. Then look for the ridges (see video) where the pomegranate arils reach the outer edges of the pomegranate, and use your knife to carefully score the outside skin along those ridges.
- Then (option 1) completely submerge one pomegranate half in the bowl of water, and spread the pomegranate open into a flour. Use your fingers to carefully separate the arils from the rind, gently prying the rind apart more and more to reveal all of the arils. Or (option 2) firmly hold the pomegranate arils-side-down right above the water, and use a strong wooden spoon to hit the outside pomegranate skin on all sides until the arils drop down into the water.
- You’ll notice that the arils will sink, and the rind will float. Once all of the arils have been separated, remove and discard the floating pieces of rind. And then use your fingers to once more pick through all of the arils that are sitting on the bottom to remove any tiny pieces of rind that are still stuck to individual arils. Remove and discard this rind.
- Then strain out the water, and your pomegranate arils are ready to go! Use immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.