Salmon Cobb Salad is a twist on a satisfying and delicious classic main course salad that proves that salad can complete with tacos or pizza any night of the week!
salmon cobb salad is part of my main course salad challenge
The original cobb salad recipe was introduced the 1930s at Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant, and quickly become an American classic. The salad has hung around this long for a simple reason, it’s good! I ‘m staying more or less faithful to the original today with one simple little variation ~ I’m swapping out the chicken for salmon, a pretty good trade if you ask me. The rest is true to the original, even the dressing, which is simple but oozes old school restaurant charm.
what is in a cobb salad?
- chicken is traditional but today we’re subbing in buttery spring salmon
- a combination of romaine lettuce, endive, and watercress greens, all sturdy and super nutritious
- boiled eggs ~ that extra dose of protein really makes this salad a meal
- bacon
- crumbled blue cheese
- avocado
- tomatoes
- red onion (not traditional but I think essential)
- the dressing ~ it’s a red wine and mustard vinaigrette, which is very close to the original Cobb salad dressing recipe
what’s the difference between a chef and a cobb salad?
They’re both main course salads topped with meats and cheese, but the cobb specifically features the above mix of lettuces, avocado, and tomato. A chef salad will sometimes contain other meats like ham, turkey and roast beef, and is traditionally served with thousand island dressing.
One of the must haves on a cobb salad is boiled eggs. And while in past years they would have been hard boiled, modern tastes lean more toward jammy centers.
how to cook eggs to jammy perfection…
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Lower your room temperature eggs into the boiling water carefully.
- Cook exactly 6 1/2 minutes, no more, no less, set your timer!
- Place the eggs directly into an ice bath for 2 minutes (Thanks Bon Appétit for this genius method)
- Put the eggs back in the drained pan and shake them vigorously against each other and the side of the pan, don’t be afraid! The network of small cracks will allow you to peel the eggs effortlessly.
- Don’t slice until ready to use, the jammy yolk will dribble 🙂
- Enjoy, or store for up to 3 days
- Note: if you’re concerned about eating runny eggs, use pasteurized eggs, which can be found right in your supermarket next to the regular eggs. Or you can cook your eggs longer, from 8, 10, to 12 minutes which will produce hard cooked eggs.
the mix of greens for a salmon cobb salad
The mix of greens for a cobb salad is unique and interesting, and not ones that I would ordinarily think to throw together:
Romaine: stays super crunchy without ever wilting and makes a great base for a bulky salad like this.
Endive: curly endive is a frilly leaved green with a slightly bitter flavor. It adds great texture to the mix.
Watercress: possibly my favorite green, it has a peppery flavor and it’s packed with nutrients.
are leafy greens safe to eat?
- Yes. And no. It’s complicated. Check out my post on the safety of eating fresh greens for details.
- Washing your greens is important, but know that this will not protect you completely. Washing can remove some or all of dirt and pesticides, but it can’t kill bacteria. What’s worse, some bacteria can live inside the lettuce itself, not on the outside.
- Buy the freshest greens you can find. Avoid buying bruised or damaged greens, and always remove outer leaves from heads.
- Keep greens refrigerated and use within a week.
- Avoid cross contamination with other foods, keep greens bagged or in containers in the crisper.
- Wash your produce just before using, not when you get home from the supermarket.
- Wash your hands well before handling greens ~ yes, you can contaminate your greens too!
- There’s new labeling going into effect that will assure you that your lettuce is safe, look for it.
- When in doubt, ask your produce manager, that’s what they’re there for.
6 lettuces you can substitute for romaine
- iceberg
- arugula
- spinach
- green leaf or red leaf lettuce
- Boston or bibb lettuce
- little gem lettuce
“I had this on my mind when I saw your post. Today I stopped and got all the ingredients and we are now enjoying it along with roasted garlic oval bread. Made it as directed. The dressing is fantastic! Thank you for sharing your recipe.” ~Fern
more recipes for salmon lovers
- Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto)
- Salmon Sushi Bowls
- Greek Tomato Salad with Salmon
- Smoked Salmon Salad
- Blistered Corn and Asparagus Salad with Salmon
- Mediterranean Sheet Pan Salmon
- How to Eat Salmon Once a Week and Love it!
Salmon Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 4 handfuls of chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 handfuls endive, chopped
- 2 handfuls watercress, trimmed
- 1/2 lb cooked salmon, broken into large flakes
- 6 -8 slices crisp bacon, crumbled or broken
- 4 boiled eggs, sliced in half
- 4 1/8 inch thin slices of red onion
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 10 cherry tomatoes, or strawberry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 avocado, sliced (squeeze lemon juice over all the exposed areas to prevent browning)
vinaigrette (feel free to double the recipe for extra dressing)
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Make sure your greens are rinsed and thoroughly dried. Add them to a large wide salad bowl.
- Add the salmon to the center of the bowl. Surround it with the crumbled bacon, eggs, sliced onions (separate the rings as you add them) cheese, tomatoes, and avocado.
- To make the dressing shake the ingredients together in a mason jar until they combine into a creamy emulsion. Taste and adjust in any way you like.
- Dress the salad at the table, tossing it optional. I like to leave it as is, and let people serve themselves.
Notes
If you’d like to cook your salmon for this salad: preheat your oven to 400F and
line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. Lay out the salmon and brush lightly with oil and season with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes, or just until the fish flakes. I sometimes add a squeeze of lemon or top the fish with a couple of slices of lemon before baking.
Nutrition
Yum! Cobb Salad is my favourite salad in the universe – and I usually order it with salmon! I’m interested that you are cautious with greens. Maybe Australian producers do things differently. I’m not aware of poisonings here.
This looks divine! How long would you boil the eggs to have them look like your beautiful picture?
I detail that right in the post Nancy, about 2/3 of the way down the page.
Great looking Salad ! Making tonight. I cook Salmon in a cast iron on the grill.
Thanks for the Salad and Vinaigrette ! Your Recipes look great ..
Enjoy JC, love the idea of putting the cast iron skillet on the grill 🙂
This was FABULOUS!!!!!
Thanks Beth, I’m pretty sure I’ll be making it a lot from now on 🙂 Glad you liked it.
Absolutely gorgeous looking salad! Any suggestions on preparing the salmon?
Thxs ?
I should add that to the post, thanks J ~ this is my go-to method: Preheat oven to 400F
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and lay out the salmon. Brush lightly with oil and season with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes, or just until the fish flakes. I sometimes give it a squeeze of lemon before baking, or lay it on a bed of lemon slices.