Kale and Pomegranate Salad with Persimmons is definitely one of my favorite winter salads. The Maple Butter Pecans make it so addicting.
Ingredient Notes
- Kale- I prefer to use lacinato (aka Tuscan or black) kale for this recipe, but curly kale or purple kale are fine too. You can even use whole leaves of baby kale or arugula.
- Persimmons- Make sure to choose a fuyu persimmon for this recipe, not a hachiya. Fuyus can be used when they’re still somewhat firm, or completely ripe. On the other hand, hachiya persimmons are best when they’re very ripe and soft. To differentiate the two, remember fuyus are short and squat, and similar in shape to a tomato. Hachiyas are taller, and are wider on the top and more narrow on the bottom.
- Cheese- Feta or goat cheese work well in this salad.
- Nuts- You can use pecans, walnuts or pistachios.
Step by Step Process
To make this salad, first prepare the pecans. Toast nuts in the oven for about 5 minutes (1). Stir together the nuts, melted butter, maple syrup and salt (2). Bake until crisp and season with flakey salt, if desired (3).
Next, prepare the produce. De-stem and chop kale (4-5), de-seed the pomegranate (6-7), and slice the persimmon (8).
Then make the dressing. Whisk together balsamic vinegar and lemon juice . Then stream in olive oil while constantly whisking until emulsified (9). Add all the salad ingredients to a bowl and toss with the dressing.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- De-stemming kale: I find the easiest way to remove the stem from kale is to hold a kale leaf by the large end of the stem, and gently strip the leaves off by pulling them from the bottom end towards the top with your opposite hand.
- Make more nuts: I suggest making a double or triple batch of the nuts and saving the extra for snacks. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
- Variations: Try baby kale or arugula instead of mature kale. Also feel free to use any nut of your choice, or to sub goat cheese for feta.
Use a salad spinner or a bowl and a colander to clean the kale. Soak in cold water and lift basket (or colander) with kale from bowl, leaving the water and dirt on the bottom. Toss out water and rinse dirt from salad spinner. Return kale to spinner, and spin dry. Place on paper towels or dish towels to dry completely. Then, remove stems and chop into thin strips.
To remove the seeds from a pomegranate, use a knife to cut around the circumference going completely through the skin and pith without puncturing the seeds. Break the pomegranate in half where it is cut. Gently break one half in half again. Working over a sink, remove the seeds and place them in a bowl. Discard the white membrane and skin.
More Great Salad Recipes
- Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios
- Farro, Beets and Goat Cheese with Dijon Vinaigrette
- Herbed Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Tahini Yogurt
- Orange and Fennel Salad with Radicchio
- Kale and Apple Salad with Blue Cheese and Glazed Walnuts
- Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Pistachio Pesto
- Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
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Kale and Pomegranate Salad with Persimmons
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 main or 4 side servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Kale and Pomegranate Salad with Persimmons will be your new favorite winter salad! Make sure to check out my recipe notes for ideas for substitutions.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed, thinly sliced (~4.5 oz/8 cups)
- 1 fuyu persimmon, cut into thin half circles
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- 4oz feta cheese*
Pecans:
- ½ cup pecans*
- 2 tsp butter, melted
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Kosher salt, plus flakey salt (maldon or fleur de sel)
Dressing:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Toast nuts: Preheat oven to 325°F. Place pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes. Whisk together butter, maple syrup and a pinch of kosher salt. Pour over pecans and stir to combine. Transfer back to oven and bake an additional 10-12 minutes or until maple mixture is thickened. Sprinkle over flakey salt, if desired. Allow to cool.
- Make dressing: Stir together vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Season with salt.
- Toss salad: In a large bowl, combine kale, persimmons and pomegranate arils. Drizzle over desired amount of dressing. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.
- Serve: Transfer salad to serving dishes. Top with pecans and crumble over cheese. Enjoy.
Notes
Substitute goat cheese for feta, if desired.
Substitute walnuts or pistachios for pecans, if desired.
Store any leftover maple butter nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
Store any leftover dressing in a jar in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Slice, Bake, Toss, Chop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ of salad with dressing
- Calories: 564
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 260mg
- Fat: 45g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 35g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
This is everything! I’m all about the healthy eating right now and this is definitely going on my to-make list.
Thanks so much, Nicole!