This Summer Cobb Salad with Grilled Flank Steak includes all the favorites from the classic dish, with seasonal flavors added in! A satisfying and simple summer meal.
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Summer Cobb Salad with Grilled Flank Steak
Leaning in to seasonal produce and ingredients is a pillar of So Happy You Liked It. It’s how I personally eat, and how I encourage others to as well. This means using each changing season’s finest in all sorts of ways. This time of year I’m using sweet corn and fresh garden tomatoes in almost every single meal. This Summery Cobb Salad is one of my new favorite ways to use all of that fresh produce up!
How To Make A Summer Cobb Salad
A classic Cobb salad features a combination of savory ingredients in perfect harmony. The following ingredients are standard on a traditional Cobb salad:
- Bacon
- Hardbiled Egg
- Avocado
- Blue Cheese
For my summery twist on this classic salad, I add the following seasonal ingredients:
- Sweet Corn
- Tomato
- Chives
- Lots of fresh herbs blended into the vinaigrette
Tips For Making The Best Cobb Salad
- Use the freshest possible ingredients. Seek out the best looking produce possible! Your greens should be fresh and crisp, the kernels of your corn should be plump, the tomatoes should be blemish free and heavy for their size, etc.
- Pre-dress your greens. Rather than serving the dressing over the top of all of your ingredients, give your greens a light drizzling of dressing, tossing them completely to combine. This means that you won’t have an overly soggy salad, adding the right amount of tangy flavor, not masking the other ingredients.
- Choose the right vinaigrette. I am all for short cuts in the kitchen, so if a store-bought vinaigrette is more your speed, more power to you! I recommend using a red wine vinaigrette packed with fresh herbs which offers flavor, but again: doesn’t mask the deliciousness of the other ingredients!
- Presentation is everything! As they say, “we eat with our eyes“, so make your plate beautiful! I love arranging the variety of ingredients in small piles on top of the greens, making notice to not arrange to like colors near each other. For example, the tomatoes and bacon, which are similar in color, I would arrange on opposite ends of the plate.
Ways To Make Summer Cobb Salad Your Own
Are you reading this article and it isn’t summer? No problem. Make this tasty salad your own by adding whatever ingredients are in season! Here are a few ideas, based on the seasonality of fresh produce:
- Fall: roasted vegetables of all sorts, such as carrot, beet, squash, or parsnips, apple, pear
- Winter: swap out the greens for a heartier option, like kale or cabbage, winter citrus, roasted potatoes
- Spring: asparagus, fresh peas, mushrooms, a lighter cheese such as goat cheese
Tools To Make A Summer Cobb Salad
Other salads to try:
A Cobb Salad features greens topped with ingredients like tomato, hardboiled egg, bacon, blue cheese, chives, and avocado.
This classic salad recipe was first created in the 1930’s at Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, which was owned by Robert Cobb.
A classic Cobb Salad features:
- Bacon
- Hardboiled Egg
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Blue Cheese
- Chives
- Add greens to a large bowl.
- Drizzle with herby red wine vinaigrette dressing and toss to combine.
- Arrange remaining ingredients on top of the greens in rows or small piles, artfully.
- Sprinkle with cheese and chives.
Warm toasted bread would be a great accompaniment to this delicious and classic salad. A crisp white wine, such as a Californian Sauvignon Blanc or medium bodied Pinot Noir would be lovely wine pairings.
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Summer Cobb Salad with Grilled Flank Steak
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1 ear of corn, peeled and gently boiled
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
- 2 eggs, hardboiled
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1/2 avocado, chopped
- 1 lb grilled flank steak, recipe linked below
- 1/3 cup herbed goat cheese, crumbled
- Chopped chives and parsley to garnish
For the herby red wine vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp aminos
- 5-6 basil leaves, torn
- 2-3 sprigs fresh parsley, torn
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Pinch Salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
For the herby red wine vinaigrette:
- First, prepare the red wine vinaigrette by combining all ingredients in a small blender or food processor. Blend until combined.
For the salad:
- Add greens to a large bowl. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, adjusting the amount to your liking. Toss to coat the greens, and transfer to a serving platter or bowl.
- Using a bundt pan, or a small bowl placed in a large bowl, hold the cob of corn upright, and using a knife, slice kernels from the cob allowing them to fall into the bundt pan or bowl. Arrange on greens.
- Arrange red onion, hardboiled egg, tomatoes, bacon, avocado, and grilled steak on top of the greens.
- Sprinkle with herbed goat cheese, chives, parsley, salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!