Make Cobb Salad The Star Of The Meal By Adding Lobster

Some salads are so well known they go by a first name basis. The Cobb salad is a prime example, providing a reliable foundation of ingredients that diners know to expect. But sometimes, the familiar deserves a novel twist, and that's exactly what Food Republic recipe developer Julianne De Witt does here. Her recipe makes Cobb salad the star of the meal by adding lobster, boosting it from deli staple to luxury dish. "This is a decadent take on the traditional Cobb salad with butter lobster in place of the usual grilled chicken," De Witt explains, describing, "It's paired with crispy bacon, blue cheese, jammy eggs, and a simple Dijon vinaigrette." 

This classic dish dates back almost a century, and De Witt notes, "The Cobb salad is said to have been invented in the 1930s by Robert H. Cobb, the owner of the famous Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles." Much like many popular longstanding recipes, De Witt says, "He put together a salad with what ingredients were left in the refrigerator: lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, roast chicken, avocado, tomatoes, blue cheese, and French dressing." And that was that. The combination of ingredients quickly became a hit, though simple swaps keep it new and exciting. This is a great meal to prep in under half an hour, and if you have leftovers, they'll keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

For this lobster Cobb salad, you'll need large lobster tails. De Witt notes that both fresh and frozen works. "Lobster can be thawed overnight in the fridge or to thaw lobster quickly, submerge the sealed bag of lobster in cold water, changing the water frequently to maintain a cold temperature," she recommends.

Next, get salt, ground black pepper, butter, eggs, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard. To assemble, get chopped romaine lettuce, crumbled blue cheese, cooked and chopped bacon slices, and halved cherry tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Using a sharp knife, split the lobster shells by cutting lengthwise through the shell and tail meat. Flip the shells open so that the meat is exposed.

Season the lobster tails with ½ teaspoon of both salt and pepper and add 1 tablespoon of butter (cut in half) to each tail.

Add water to cover the bottom of an oven-proof pan or baking dish. Place the lobster in the pan.

Cover and bake the lobster for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 F.

While the lobster is cooking, bring a small pot of water to boil. Using a spoon, carefully drop the eggs into boiling water. Cook for 7 ½ minutes.

While the eggs are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette by adding the olive oil, balsamic, Dijon, and the remaining salt and pepper to a mason jar. Cover and shake well.

Cool the eggs in an ice bath for 3 minutes.

Peel the eggs.

Slice the eggs in half and set aside.

Remove the lobster from the shells and chop into bite-sized pieces.

Spread the romaine lettuce out on a large platter.

Arrange the eggs, lobster, blue cheese, bacon, and tomatoes on the romaine.

Finish with more ground pepper and serve with the balsamic vinaigrette.

As this recipe highlights, it's easy to customize a Cobb salad to include your favorite add-ins and omit those you don't like. It's unclear when a Cobb salad stops being a Cobb salad, merely overlapping with the original recipe, but no one is stopping you from making a few swaps. For example, typical recipes call for avocado; De Witt skips it here but points out that it can be included too. 

"The addition of olives or capers would be fantastic, as would other veggies such as radishes and scallions," she suggests. These ingredients all add a briny or sharp flavor that helps cut through the sweet, tangy, and fatty elements in the rest of the salad. Blue cheese can be a pretty divisive ingredient, so De Witt suggests using feta instead to add a salty, tangy flavor that pairs well with the other salad components. And if you're looking for extra texture, sprinkle a few croutons or crushed pita chips on top when serving.

Lobster can be an intimidating shellfish to work with, even if you're not starting with a live one. Plus, depending on where you live it can be pretty pricey, so it's worth cooking it right. For starters, De Witt warns against overcooking it and specifies, "The internal temperature should be no more than 135 to 140 F." Overcooked lobster meat is typically dry and rubbery, two characteristics that are not so desirable. Using a digital meat thermometer is a good way to ensure you don't overshoot the cooking time.

Instead of boiling the lobster, De Witt opts to steam it. "Adding a little water to the pan then covering it with a lid helps to steam the lobster and lock in flavor and moisture," she explains. Aside from the internal temperature, she adds, "You can tell they're ready when the shells turn red, and the meat is opaque."