How to Make a Picture-Perfect Cobb Salad

A well-made Cobb just might be the perfect dinner salad—it’s versatile, hearty, easy to make, and gorgeous. Unfortunately, there are many lackluster Cobbs out there that skimp on the toppings or are ho-hum in the flavor department. Enter our Birmingham, Alabama–based test kitchen colleague Jasmine Smith’s recipe for a classic Cobb: It rises above those sad Cobbs with its Hollywood-worthy looks and perfect balance of textures and bright flavors. Each bite features crisp bits of romaine lettuce and bacon, juicy tomatoes, savory poached chicken and hard-boiled eggs, and creamy avocado and blue cheese, all tied together by the star of the show: a tangy, slightly sweet homemade vinaigrette. 

A Brief History of Cobb Salad

The Cobb salad has been an American favorite since its creation in the 1930s and its origins are as colorful as the salad itself. It’s said to have been created by Robert H. Cobb, the owner of the legendary Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, where it quickly became a staple menu item. Some accounts attribute the salad’s invention to Cobb, while others credit the Brown Derby’s chef, Paul J. Posti. According to The Wall Street Journal, one popular story about how the salad was created is that Cobb had not eaten until nearly midnight, so he mixed together leftovers he found in the kitchen and tossed it with the Derby’s already popular tangy house dressing. Other stories keep the general storyline of an impromptu late-night meal, but have Posti tossing the salad together. 

The stories of its invention might have an element of Hollywood-style fantasy, but that’s fitting for a salad that captures the essence of fresh and flavorful California cuisine. It’s no surprise that it quickly became a favorite, not just at the Brown Derby and other Hollywood eateries, but in households and restaurants nationwide.

While this salad is simple to prepare at home, Jasmine found that there are a few golden rules to follow to make the best Cobb salad possible.

3 Rules for the Ultimate Cobb Salad

1. Reach for a blender to make the dressing, and don’t be shy with the vinegar. Jasmine found that making the dressing in a blender, instead of whisking by hand, was not only easy and efficient, but also a foolproof way to create a smooth, velvety emulsified vinaigrette that clings to each ingredient. You’ll first blend together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper, then drizzle the oil into the blender with the appliance still running to ensure that the mixture emulsifies completely. 

And don’t skimp on the vinegar! A half cup of vinegar might seem like a lot, but trust us, it creates the vinaigrette’s signature tangy flavor, which livens up the salad and stands up to the rich ingredients like hard-boiled eggs and avocado.

2. Use the traditional dressing in an untraditional way for flavor in every bite. Cobb salads can be served a variety of ways—the most common are as a tossed salad in which ingredients are all combined with the dressing or a composed salad with the dressing on the side. There are perks to both of these presentations: A tossed salad ensures every ingredient is well coated in the flavorful vinaigrette, while a composed salad has an attractive presentation that highlights the bounty of ingredients. To get the best of both of these serving options, we use the traditional dressing in an untraditional way by dressing the lettuce, chicken, and tomatoes separately before arranging them together on a platter to ensure that the entire salad is perfectly seasoned.

3. Attractively arrange the ingredients over the bed of dressed romaine. I’m a big believer in the old saying that “we eat with our eyes first,” and the Cobb is a great way to embody this principle. This salad is a celebration of fresh textures and vibrant colors, and we lean into this by attractively arranging everything over the chopped lettuce. Be creative and arrange everything in cute little bundles or in long, elegant lines over the entire bed of chopped lettuce.

We’ve included links for making the poached chicken, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs for the salad. They can all be cooked a few days in advance, so the salad can come together in just a few minutes before serving. Or feel free to use leftover chicken, bacon, and cooked eggs you already have on hand for the salad. That is, after all, how the Cobb was reportedly invented.

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