Description

This Wild Rice Salad is a vibrant and nutritious dish combining chewy wild rice with fresh baby rocket, juicy pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans. Dressed with a simple yet flavorful vinaigrette of white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and a touch of sugar, this salad offers a perfect balance of textures and flavors, making it an excellent side or light main for gatherings or weeknight meals.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad

150g (5oz / 1 cup) wild rice, uncooked
120g (4oz) baby rocket / arugula, roughly chopped (~2 giant handfuls)
1 pomegranate, seeds only
100g (3.5oz) feta, preferably soft Danish, crumbled
3/4 cup dried cranberries (or similar)
3/4 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans
1 cup green onions, sliced (or chopped red onion)

Dressing

2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar, or other clear-ish vinegar)
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Cook the wild rice: Rinse the wild rice under cold water to remove excess starch. Place it in a pot with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 45-50 minutes until the rice is tender but still chewy. Drain any excess water if necessary, then fluff the rice with a fork and let it cool.
Prepare the salad ingredients: While the rice cooks, roughly chop the baby rocket (arugula), slice the green onions or red onion, and remove the pomegranate seeds from the fruit. Toast the pecans in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant and lightly browned—then roughly chop them.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, sugar, salt, and black pepper until emulsified and well combined.
Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooled wild rice, chopped baby rocket, pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and green onions. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated.
Chill and serve: For best flavor, refrigerate the salad for at least 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve chilled or at room temperature as a refreshing side dish or light main meal.

Notes

Note 1: Wild rice is a whole grain with a robust, nutty flavor and chewy texture that complements the fresh ingredients.
Note 2: Removing pomegranate seeds can be done by cutting the fruit open and gently prying the seeds out in a bowl of water to reduce mess and ease separation of the seeds from membrane.
Note 3: Soft Danish feta works best as it crumbles easily and adds creaminess to the salad, but any good-quality feta can be used.