Cobb salad
A Cobb is a salad that is arranged, not tossed. Everything goes onto the platter in parallel stripes, so anyone reaching in can see exactly what they are taking. That is not decoration: tossed in advance, the blue cheese takes over everything and the avocado starts to break up before the platter reaches the table. It gets mixed only once dressed, in front of the person eating it.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Eggs 12 min
- Bacon 8 min
- Chicken 12 min
- Dressing 5 min
- Arranging 10 min
Step by step
0 / 7 doneBoil the eggs for exactly 9 minutes
Lower the eggs into boiling water and cook for 9 minutes, then move them straight into cold water. Nine minutes gives a fully set white and a yolk still orange and moist. Twelve gives you a grey ring and a dry, crumbling centre.
Ingredients: 1 pcs romaine lettuce · 350 g chicken breast · 120 g bacon · 4 pcs eggs · 1 pcs avocado · 250 g cherry tomatoes · 100 g blue cheese · ¼ bunch chives
Yolk set, but still orange and moist.Start the bacon in a cold pan
Lay the slices in a cold pan and only then turn on the heat. The fat has time to render slowly before the meat seizes, and the bacon comes out evenly crisp rather than burnt at the edges and raw in the middle. Set it on paper and keep the fat.
Ingredients: 1 pcs romaine lettuce · 350 g chicken breast · 120 g bacon · 4 pcs eggs · 1 pcs avocado · 250 g cherry tomatoes · 100 g blue cheese · ¼ bunch chives
A cold pan — the fat renders before the meat seizes.Fry the chicken in the bacon fat
Flatten the breast to an even thickness, season and fry in the bacon fat for 5–6 minutes a side, until no pink juices remain in the centre. That smoky fat is a second seasoning here and it is what ties the chicken to the rest of the plate. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Ingredients: 1 pcs romaine lettuce · 350 g chicken breast · 120 g bacon · 4 pcs eggs · 1 pcs avocado · 250 g cherry tomatoes · 100 g blue cheese · ¼ bunch chives
Shake the dressing in a jar
Put the dressing ingredients, except the lemon, in a jar and shake for 20 seconds. The mustard is the emulsifier — without it the oil separates from the vinegar before you carry the platter to the table. Taste it: it should be sharply acidic, because it is about to meet fatty bacon, cheese and avocado.
Ingredients: 90 ml olive oil · 30 ml red wine vinegar · 1 tsp Dijon mustard · 1 clove garlic · 1 tsp honey · ½ pcs lemon · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
Cut everything to a similar size
Chop the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, chicken and eggs into roughly equal dice. A Cobb is a finely chopped salad: every mouthful should hold a bit of everything, and that only works when the pieces are comparable.
Ingredients: 1 pcs romaine lettuce · 350 g chicken breast · 120 g bacon · 4 pcs eggs · 1 pcs avocado · 250 g cherry tomatoes · 100 g blue cheese · ¼ bunch chives
Arrange in stripes on a wide platter
Spread the lettuce over the base, then lay the other ingredients in parallel stripes, placing contrasting colours side by side. Crumble over the cheese and bacon, scatter the chives. Add the avocado last and squeeze lemon over it so it does not brown.
Ingredients: 1 pcs romaine lettuce · 350 g chicken breast · 120 g bacon · 4 pcs eggs · 1 pcs avocado · 250 g cherry tomatoes · 100 g blue cheese · ¼ bunch chives
Stripes side by side, not a heap — everything is visible.Dress it only at the table
Serve the dressing separately, or pour it on just before eating and toss at the plate. Lettuce dressed earlier wilts within minutes, and its crispness is the backdrop for every rich ingredient here.
Ingredients: 90 ml olive oil · 30 ml red wine vinegar · 1 tsp Dijon mustard · 1 clove garlic · 1 tsp honey · ½ pcs lemon · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
Before you start
Yesterday's chicken
This is the ideal use for leftover roast chicken or meat from a stock pot. The whole salad then comes together in 15 minutes.
Without blue cheese
Roquefort is the original, but a sharp feta or mature cheddar works too. What matters is a distinct salty note that cuts through the avocado — a mild cheese simply disappears.
Packed for work
Layer it in a jar: dressing at the bottom, firm ingredients next, lettuce on top. Turn the jar upside down before eating.
