This Cobb Salad Recipe is made with crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and succulent shrimp marinated with cilantro and lime. With quick assembly and amazing flavor, this is the best Cobb salad you'll ever try!
At home, we eat a lot of salad so building a tasty salad has become second nature to me. This Cobb salad recipe is a family favorite!
It's the perfect side dish but also hearty enough to be a stand-alone meal! It has the familiar flavors of salty bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and crumbled blue cheese but the marinated shrimp is a fresh, mouthwatering addition.
Want to try another delicious salad recipe? Try my Kale Salad with Blackened Salmon next.
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What is a Cobb Salad?
The classic Cobb salad is lettuce topped with neat rows of ingredients like chicken breast, bacon, boiled eggs, and tomatoes. It originated in Los Angeles in the late 1930s at the Brown Derby Restaurant.
Ingredients
You haven't had a Cobb salad recipe this delicious! We've swapped chicken for shrimp, marinated in a zesty mixture of lime and cilantro. It's a tasty departure from typical Cobb salad dressing but just as protein-packed.
- Romaine lettuce
- Iceberg lettuce
- Shrimp, cleaned with tail off
- Cherry tomatoes
- Avocado
- Cucumber, chopped
- Hard boiled egg
- Bacon, cooked and chopped
- Blue cheese, crumbled
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
Cilantro Lime Marinade for Shrimp
- Lime
- Olive oil
- Cilantro, diced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make a Cobb Salad
This shrimp could not be any easier to prepare. Large shrimp are the best to use for this salad. If the shrimp are frozen, thaw them out completely. Buying the pre-cooked, with the tail off, variety is recommended. If not, extra steps must be taken to cook the shrimp.
Begin by marinating the cleaned shrimp in a mixture of lime juice, olive oil, diced cilantro, salt, and pepper for at least 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to infuse.
While the shrimp marinate, chop a head of Romaine lettuce and half a head of Iceberg lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Then halve cherry tomatoes, dice avocado and cucumber, and peel and dice a hard-boiled egg.
Cook crispy bacon, then chop it into pieces. Assemble the salad by arranging the chopped lettuce on a large platter or individual plates, followed by neatly layering the marinated shrimp, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, and chopped bacon over the lettuce.
Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese and shredded Parmesan cheese evenly over the salad. Serve immediately and savor the vibrant flavors of this delicious recipe for Cobb salad!
Hint: Let the shrimp marinate for at least 30 minutes in the cilantro lime marinade to infuse them with flavor. But don't marinate shrimp for more than 1 hour or risk them becoming tough and chewy.
Protein Substitutions
If you are not a fan of shrimp, no problem! Here are some amazing protein substitutions:
- Grilled chicken
- Blackened salmon
- Crab meat
- Steak
- Vegetarian- tofu, beans, or no meat at all.
Recipe Variations for Cobb Salad
- Cheese - No salad is complete without some variation of tangy cheese! Feta cheese and goat cheese are great substitutes.
- Eggs - I use hard-boiled eggs for this recipe, but if you prefer jammy eggs, boil the eggs for 2 minutes less (8 minutes instead of 10 minutes).
- Salad Dressing - You can use blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing. Balsamic vinaigrette is another tasty option.
Equipment
You'll need a medium bowl with a lid to marinate the shrimp. Use a large platter or bowl to assemble the salad.
Make Ahead Cobb Salad Recipe
This recipe is perfect to make in advance. Prepare and dice all the ingredients up to 3 days ahead of time and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Then assemble just before serving.
Storage
Once assembled, enjoy your salad within 2 days. Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge. Store the cilantro lime marinade or another Cobb salad dressing in an airtight mason jar until you're ready to use it.
Top Tip
Cobb salad is great for entertaining because it has a beautiful presentation. But arranging the ingredients in neat rows or layers on a large platter is practical too. This allows each ingredient to shine and makes it easy for guests to customize their salad with their different ingredients.
FAQ
What’s in a Cobb salad?
Traditional Cobb salad recipes include lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, skinless chicken breasts, hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, and red wine vinaigrette.
Why is it called a Cobb salad?
The salad is named after restaurateur Robert Howard Cobb, who is credited with inventing the salad in 1937. It's been said that Cobb mixed restaurant leftovers after hours to make the first iteration of the salad. However, another theory suggests his chef, Paul J. Posti, actually made what we now know as the Cobb salad.
What does Chick Fil A put in their Cobb salad?
Chick-fil-A's Cobb Salad recipe includes chicken nuggets, mixed greens, roasted corn, crumbled bacon, hard-boiled egg, grape tomatoes, shredded Monterey Jack, and cheddar cheese.
What's the difference between a Cobb salad and a chef's salad?
Although both salads include protein, lettuce, and assorted vegetables, Cobb salad also contains a mixture of lettuce types, avocado, and blue cheese or Roquefort cheese.
Related
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- ½ head Iceberg lettuce
- 1 pound Shrimp cleaned with tail off
- 10 Cherry tomatoes
- ½ ripe Avocado
- ¼ cup Cucumber chopped
- 1 whole Egg hard boiled
- ¼ cup Bacon cooked and choppped
- ¼ cup Blue cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
Cilantro Lime Marinade for Shrimp
- 1 Lime juiced
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- ¼ cup Cilantro diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl with a lid, add the shrimp, cilantro, olive oil, and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to your desired taste. Mix well, and cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Chop the romaine and iceberg lettuce into bite size piece. Dice the tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, and hard boiled egg and set aside.
- Using a large platter or a bowl, begin layering the lettuce first. Next, assemble the vegetables in rows.
- Add the marinated shrimp, cheeses, and bacon into neat rows also.
- Serve with desired dressing on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 145°F (63°C) for shrimp.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat or seafood.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat or seafood.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
Chenée says
The marinade worked well on raw shrimp too! And it made the salad so flavorful -- I can't wait to make this salad again soon!
Chenée says
Cobb salads are my FAVORITE, and this might be my new favorite Cobb salad!! I only had raw shrimp on hand, so I just marinated them as you instructed and pan-seared them before adding them in. The flavors in the marinade made the shrimp SO amazing! Definitely making this again soon.
Jazzmine Woodard says
I really enjoyed making this and trying to mimic your presentation. It was gone in seconds. So good!
Jazz says
I really enjoyed making this and trying to mimic your presentation. It was gone in seconds. So good!
Britney Brown says
When I saw you post this on instagram, I knew I had to try this recipe immediately! This salad was sheer perfection and that cilantro lime marinade is beyond delicious!
Immaculate Ruému says
This salad was so filling, I couldn’t believe it was a salad. I enjoyed every bite and the combination of cheese, shrimp and avocados was perfect.
Immaculate Ruému says
This salad was so filling, I couldn’t believe it was a salad. I enjoyed every bite and the combination of cheese, shrimp and avocados was perfect.
Capri says
This is my kind of cobb salad! It was so easy to make and the shrimp made it even more delicious!
Mila says
A cobb salad is always super easy to throw together. I loved the addition of some light shrimp for extra protein! It was really good!
Crystal says
I LOVE. A good bacon salad but had never even thought to add shrimp! It was so good and the directions were so clear!
Crystal DaCruz says
Recipe was super easy to make and the salad was delicious!
Kate says
I made this cobb salad for lunch yesterday and I have to say I was blown away! Even my picky6 year old said she loved it! Making this again!
Renia says
I've never been a salad fan but this marinated shrimp masterpiece has changed my attitude. I look forward to making it again and again.
Marta says
I've always been so boring when it comes to my cobb salad. This shrimp was a much-needed (and tasty) change of pace.
Heather says
Gave this recipe a try for dinner this week and loved it! I substituted blackened salmon because that is what we had on hand. It was a winner!
Carita says
This salad was so easy to make and even more delicious! I typically shy away from salads for dinner as they can leave you unenthused and hungry. Well, this salad did just the opposite! Full of flavor, texture and color and the salad dressing was spot! Will definitely make this again!
Jessica says
I make Cobb salads all the time at home but never thought to make it with shrimp before. I always keep frozen shrimp around so I made this and I just want to say the marinade is SO GOOD. This will be in my meal salad rotation from now on.
Cheryl says
This salad looks and sounds amazing. I am bookmarking to make for dinner later this week.