Pomegranate Pico De Gallo

As I type this, I’m bracing for the really angry person who is undoubtedly going to yell at me in the comments about how this isn’t “real” pico de gallo because it doesn’t have any tomatoes or serrano peppers. Yeah, yeah, I know.

This pomegranate pico de gallo from http://meatified.com is a nightshade free spin on the classic recipe, no tomatoes needed! Crisp, refreshing and perfect as a dip or by the spoon.

But here’s the thing: although my Pomegranate Pico de Gallo doesn’t contain any nightshades, it’s a salsa fresca that can fill the same pico-shaped dietary hole left on the elimination phase of the AIP. You can scoop it onto chips, sprinkle it over salads, stir it into guacamole or pop it on the side of your plate just like the original version.

I will admit that I am fully on team Pomegranate All The Things and originally I was drawn to the idea of making a pomegranate because of their gorgeous, vibrant color. Visually, there’s not a lot of red going on when it comes to AIP plates and I loved that the idea of using pomegranate arils would create a traditional red, white and green pico de gallo. It would look closer to the salsa that I was missing in the absence of tomatoes.

This pomegranate pico de gallo from http://meatified.com is a nightshade free spin on the classic recipe, no tomatoes needed! Crisp, refreshing and perfect as a dip or by the spoon.

I thought the pomegranate arils would bring some much needed color with their glossy, gem-like appearance, but what I didn’t bargain for was what a great texture they would bring with their crunchiness. They make this really fun to eat!

Keeping the traditional onion, lime juice and cilantro was a no brainer, since I wanted to keep that classic light and zingy flavor of tomato based pico de gallo, but I decided to keep with the crispy-crunchy texture by adding in jicama. Jicama plays perfectly with those flavors and balances out the more pungent onion. Adding radishes also brings a gentle heat that works really well here, too.

This pomegranate pico de gallo from http://meatified.com is a nightshade free spin on the classic recipe, no tomatoes needed! Crisp, refreshing and perfect as a dip or by the spoon.

This pomegranate pico de gallo from http://meatified.com is a nightshade free spin on the classic recipe, no tomatoes needed! Crisp, refreshing and perfect as a dip or by the spoon.

This is delicious paired with fish or chicken, scooped into avocado halves, or just piled on top of plantain chips or sweet potato chips. My favorite way to eat this pico right now is sprinkled on top of avocado toast made with Yucan Crunch, tostones or slices of baked sweet potato: it’s the perfect blend of crunchy, creamy and refreshing!

You can keep the Pomegranate Pico de Gallo in the fridge for two or three days, but it will become more and more pink in color from the radishes and pomegranate juice the longer you leave it in the fridge, so don’t be surprised if that happens!

This pomegranate pico de gallo from http://meatified.com is a nightshade free spin on the classic recipe, no tomatoes needed! Crisp, refreshing and perfect as a dip or by the spoon.

This post was linked in the Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable!

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Pomegranate Pico De Gallo

  • Author: Rachael Bryant / Meatified
  • Yield: A little over 3 cups / 475 g

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup / 140 g diced red or white onion (about 1/2 medium)
  • 1 cup / 130 g diced jicama (about 4 slices of a medium jicama)
  • 1 cup / 120 g diced red radish (about 6)
  • 1/2 cup / 85 g pomegranate arils
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Handful of fresh cilantro
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. COMBINE: Dice the onion, jicama and radish into similar sized pieces and add to a mixing bowl, along with the pomegranate arils and lime juice. Mince the cilantro finely and add to the bowl, then stir all the ingredients together to combine. Season with salt, to taste.
  2. SERVE: You can serve immediately, or cover and chill for an hour or so to let the flavors mingle. This is delicious paired with fish or chicken, scooped into avocado halves, or just piled on top of plantain chips or sweet potato chips. My favorite way to eat this pico right now is sprinkled on top of avocado toast made with Yucan Crunch, tostones or slices of baked sweet potato: it’s the perfect blend of crunchy, creamy and refreshing!
  3. STORE: You can keep the Pomegranate Pico de Gallo in the fridge for two or three days, but it will become more and more pink in color from the radishes and pomegranate juice the longer you leave it in the fridge, so don’t be surprised if that happens!
This pomegranate pico de gallo from http://meatified.com is a nightshade free spin on the classic recipe, no tomatoes needed! Crisp, refreshing and perfect as a dip or by the spoon.

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