Red Onion & Pomegranate Relish

This Red Onion and Pomegranate Relish originates from the cuisines of the Middle East. If you are not a fan of raw onion in your food you needn’t worry – the addition of salt and the acid of the pomegranate juice help remove the acrid taste of the onion and the end result lends a beautifully fruity flavour to meat and vegetarian dishes alike.
This relish tastes great on burgers (such as the Herbed Turkey Burgers pictured below), in stews, tagines or in lentil or bean salads. The pomegranate seeds, which are also called arils, add a slight crunch and little bursts of fruitiness, which makes both the texture and the flavour of your meal much more interesting. To make this recipe, you will only need a red onion, a pomegranate and some salt. Darker pomegranates with dark ruby coloured arils work better in this recipe as the juice of seeds tastes more acidic. You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week.
- - 1 small red onion, cut into half and then thinly sliced into half moons
- - 1 pomegranate, skin removed so that you are left with seeds
- - pinch of salt
- 1) In a bowl add the thinly sliced onion and the salt. Mix through, giving the onion a slight squeeze with your hands. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
- 2) Divide the pomegranate seeds into half.
- 3) Discard the onion juice that has formed at the bottom of the bowl.
- 4) Add one half of the pomegranate seeds into the bowl and mix through, squeezing the seeds and the sliced onion as you mix.
- 5) Add the rest of the pomegranate seeds to the bowl.
- 6) Serve over stews, salads or burgers.