Radicchio Salad with Mint and Pomegranate

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A winter salad fit for a celebration. This radicchio salad recipe is the perfect balance of crunchy, bitter, red radicchio leaves and a touch of sweetness from pomegranate dates and honey.

Large bowl of radicchio salad on a white background with mint and pomegranate

This radicchio salad is one of my favorite ways to kick off a meal in the cooler months. Torn dates, mint, and a sweet dressing mix with this colorful leafy vegetable balancing bitterness, bright flavors, and the extra crunch of pumpkin and sunflower seeds and pops of pomegranate arils.

For more winter salad ideas, try my Escrole Citrus Salad With Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. You'll also love this, Roasted Acorn Squash Salad with Warm Buckwheat, Feta, and Pomegranate Seeds.

You'll Love this Recipe

A colorful salad for a festive time of year. This delicious salad is a beauty to behold and is perfect for a holiday dinner party.
Simple, easy, and interesting. This is the perfect salad recipe for when you are looking for a more interesting way to dress your serving platter than the standard leafy greens affair. The bitterness of the radicchio adds a bold flavor profile that's the perfect counterpoint to other strong flavors. like, creamy blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, and citrus. The best part is that its just as easy to make as a greens salad. It's no wonder this bitter beauty is a well-respected member of Italian cuisine.

Let's Get Cooking!

About Radicchio

Originally from Italy, Radicchio (pronounced rah-dee-key-o) is a member of the chicory family, and is sometimes called Italian Chicory in the market. It can sometimes be mistaken for red cabbage but its flavor is completely different and has no relation to the cabbage family.
The good kind of bitter. Radicchio is known for its trademark bitterness. Chiogga, the type of radicchio in this recipe, grows in tight heads and has a white and purple/red coloring. Other varieties include Catelfranco, Tardivo and Treviso radicchio. Radicchio's bitter taste lends itself to pairing well with sweet, salty, and savory flavor pairings.
Not just for winter months. Radicchio is available year-round in the grocery stores.

How to Balance the Bitter

Radicchio's bitter flavor needs ingredients that can match. Strong vinaigrettes, savory cheese, salty nuts, and rich fats like bacon make good radicchio partners.

For this salad, dates, and pomegranate lend a sweetness to balance radicchio's bitter leaves.
Lightly toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds further mellow radicchio by creating a neutral base while providing texture and enhanced crunch.
A dressing made with honey dials up the sweet profile and coats the leaves for maximum distribution

Ingredients

Radicchio – This is the main event. Bold, slightly bitter, crisp and crunchy.
Butter lettuce – butter lettuce is a mellow partner to the more assertive radicchio. This balances each bite with a softer green flavor.
Whole dates pitted and chopped– Sweet and chewy for texture and delight- make sure to remove those pits.
Pomegranate arils – These seeds or arils, add a bright sweet explosiveness with each bite. A perfect companion to radicchio's bitterness.
Fresh mint leaves – mint adds an elevating freshness.
Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds – perfect toothsome crunchy companions to the leafy salad components.

Tools

Sharp Knife
Cutting Board
Skillet
Large Bowl
Whisk

How to Make This Recipe

To make the salad base, separate radicchio leaves from the core. Leave half of them whole and cut the other half into long thin strips by rolling them into a cigar and slicing. Add to a bowl with bibb lettuce leaves. Using your hands, gently toss them together
Add pomegranate arils, chopped dates, and torn fresh mint to bowl.

Over medium heat, toast pumpkin, and sunflower seeds in a dry skillet until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly then add to salad.
Prepare dressing by whisking ingredients until well combined.
Toss salad with dressing, sprinkle with flaky salt, and serve immediately.

Recipe tips

Dressing can be made days ahead and stored in the fridge in a sealed container for 5 days. Shake or whisk vigorously to re-emulsify and blend.
Radicchio and bibb lettuce may be prepared ahead of time and stored in a sealed plastic bag for up to 3 days.
Dates and seeds may also be prepared and stored separately 3 days in advance. Store Date and seeds in separate containers.
While components may be prepared in advance for a quick assembly before serving, it is strongly recommended to prepare and serve on the same day for maximum freshness and flavor.

Storage, Reheating, and Freezing Instructions

STORAGE – Sliced radicchio (without dressing) can be refrigerated in a sealed plastic bag for 3 days.

Abra's Nutrition Tips – Bitter Veggies!

Bitter vegetables, like radicchio, have special GI supportive properties. In fact the bitter family of veggies I frequently recommend for my gut health clients.

Here is the cool part, the bitter taste impacts networks in our nervous system that alert your body to the presence of the bitter compound which increases the production and release of gastric (stomach) acid, a necessary important element of the digestive system.

Bitters also stimulate peristalsis, the natural wavelike motion of your digestive system that moves food through your digestive passages.

PUB MED REFERENCE

FAQ

Is radicchio healthy?

Packed with antioxidants like anthocyanins, which give it its deep color, radicchio boosts the immune system and combats inflammation. Radicchio is rich in vitamin K, a good source of dietary fiber, and may help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease.

Will soaking radicchio in water mellow the bitterness?

Soaking the cut leaves in cold water can remove some of the compound that makes radicchio bitter.

Dietary Modifications

This recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, Whole30 friendly, and low-fodmap friendly.

Keto – eliminate the dates and reduce the amount of pomegranate arils

I can’t wait for you to try this! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!

If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!