The Tart Fruit You Should Be Adding To Salads

Truly, anything goes when it comes to getting creative with a salad. From the greens to the toppings to the dressing, there's no right or wrong way to dress up the dish. For some expert inspo on taking salads over the top, Food Republic approached Chef Abbie Gellman, a registered dietitian, three-time cookbook author, and Have A Plant® Ambassador, to learn some of her go-to ideas for jazzing them up. One tart fruit in particular tops the list as one of the chef's favorite fresh add-ins.

"I love incorporating fun and flavor to my salads by using ingredients that also add texture," Gellman told us. "For example, a favorite ingredient is pomegranate seeds. This fruit provides vitamins and minerals but also adds a flavorful crunch and a pop of flavor to your salad."

Thick-skinned pomegranates are classified as a berry, and the edible portions are the juicy flesh around the seeds, called arils. The flavor profile of the arils is both tart and sweet, and biting into these seeds elicits a juicy burst that is both fun to eat and also pairs well with many ingredients, both savory and sweet. For some flavor identification guidance, pomegranate is the little-known main flavor of grenadine. It lends brightness to salads of all types, pairing perfectly with all manner of greens, from kale to arugula. It plays well with various toppings and dressings, too, making it a truly great go-to for brightening up salad.

Abbie Gellman also let us in on another addition she likes with her leafy greens. "Toasted nuts and seeds are another great way to add flavor and crunch to a salad," she shared. "Plus, they contain plant-based protein, healthy fats, and fiber."

Like pomegranates, nuts and seeds are very versatile mix-ins, incorporating well into all types of salads. Toasting them before adding them into the mix enhances both crunch and flavor for a significantly elevated bite. There's also a clever way to add nuts to your salad for even distribution, which is finely chopping and then mixing them directly into the salad dressing. This helps ensure a balanced amount of crunchy bits with every bite of salad, rather than working with whole nuts that are difficult to spear with your fork and also tend to sink to the depths of the bowl.

In terms of your pomegranate seeds, there are some tricks to getting the most from the fruit, too. To choose the tastiest pomegranates at the store, you want to go for the heaviest globes that are the most vibrant in color, the firmest, and also have unblemished skin. Removing the arils can be challenging, but a shortcut is to segment the fruit and then tap the back of each half with a spoon to free the seeds.