Smoked salmon cobb salad
The Cobb salad is the ultimate American summer classic – a hearty, throw-it-together kind of dish that’s become an icon. Legend has it that this salad was first whipped up back in the 1930’s at the famed Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood by owner Bob Cobb. And can we just take a moment to appreciate the poetic rhythm of this dude's name? Fabulous. The story goes that Cobb was rummaging through the fridge late at night, gathering leftovers, and voilà – the Cobb salad was born! Traditionally, it’s a mix of crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, grilled chicken, blue cheese, and a zesty dressing. It’s all about that perfect combination of textures and flavours and all we can say is we’re in awe of the contents of Bob’s fridge. Ours is jammed with... oh, nevermind. Let’s just say, it’s not as schmancy as B.C’s harmonious assortment of goodies.
For this version of Cobb Salad, we’ve kept the crispy bacon, avocado, and egg going, but swapped the chicken for silky smoked salmon and added creamy brie because we can’t come at blue cheese with fish. It’s finished with a honey-mustard dressing amped with so much dill it goes green... perfect. The whole thing is fresh, vibrant, and absolutely loaded with yum – perfect for when you want something that feels a little fancy, but still has that dig-in vibe. The magic of it is in the presentation although honestly. It doesn’t need to be up-tight perfect (ours sure isn’t) and you can add or substitute to your heart's content. Add some corn, or asparagus, cut into pieces, for example.
SERVES 4
400g rindless streaky bacon
4 eggs, room temperature
3 baby cos lettuce, roughly chopped
400g smoked salmon
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large ripe avocados, cut into large chunks
250g-350g brie or camembert, cut into chunks
Dill and Honey Dressing
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1½ tbsp honey
50ml white wine vinegar
100ml olive oil
handful dill sprigs, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the bacon on a baking tray in a single layer, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until deep brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a paper towel-lined plate. Break into bite-sized pieces.
Meanwhile, place the eggs in a small saucepan of cold water, bring to a boil, then cook for 8 minutes for hard-boiled. Drain well, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool, then peel and halve.
For the dill and honey dressing, combine the mustard, honey and vinegar in a bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil to emulsify, then stir in the dill. Taste, then season with salt and pepper. Alternatively, make the dressing by processing everything together using a stick blender.
Divide the lettuce among 4 shallow bowls, or place it in 1 large, shallow serving bowl. Make neat (ish) lines using the smoked salmon, bacon, halved eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado and cheese. Season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper. Serve with the dressing to drizzle over, to taste.
