Turn your every day Cobb Salad into an epic summer platter worthy of a party with luxe lobster, whole avocados, and of course those quintessential summer vegetables, fresh corn and tomatoes! To top Lobster Cobb Salad all off, or dip it all in, if you're so inclined, Avocado Green Goddess. Shall we?
This Lobster Cobb Salad recipe draws inspiration from the original Cobb Salad, which, like many a "legendary" old classic dish, has competing unconfirmed origin stories. However, they all begin at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood sometime during the Golden Age of Hollywood between the late 1920s and 1930s.
What Makes Lobster Cobb Salad Different and Maybe Even Better
Look, as far as salads go, the original Cobb Salad is pretty much the perfect standard from which all other salads should be measured. It has everything from crisp greens, fresh crunchy vegetables, lean protein in the form of chicken, and a generous dose of (healthy) fat-equals-flavor from avocado and eggs. A little of blue cheese and bacon don't hurt in the flavor department either.
However, far be it from me to leave a classic alone. How can you improve on something that's already pretty much perfect? Add some luxe. In the case of this recipe, lobster replaces the chicken breast. Traditional Cobb Salads have a simple Red Wine Vinaigrette or something called "Cobb Salad Vinaigrette" but because we're dipping here instead of dressing, we're serving Avocado Green Goddess, a bright green, garlicky, herbal dressing that tastes as rich as cream or mayo, but gets its silkiness from naturally buttery avocado.
Everything you need for Lobster Cobb Salad—ingredients lists, shopping resources, pro-tips and techniques—first, recipe follows.
Ingredients You Need for Lobster Cobb Salad
You need all of the classic ingredients that make a traditional Cobb Salad— avocado, tomatoes, bacon, hard-boiled eggs—a few small tweaks and of course, the whole lobster. Here's the list:
- 1½ - 2 pounds whole lobster
- Avocado
- Corn on the—wait for it—Cobb
- Tomatoes
- Pickled onions, which is my preference for the onion component, but you can use more traditional fresh red onions or chives
- Other peak summer vegetables including cucumbers and snap peas
- Arugula or other salad greens
- Bacon
- Boiled eggs
- Avocado Green Goddess Dressing to dress and dip
Optional garnishes and extras for lobster: lemon wedges, melted butter
Additional Ingredients and Resources
- Live Maine lobsters from Santa Monica Seafood, $18/pound. I have a whole story about cooking live lobsters. It is for another day. This post is about the salad. You can also likely buy pre-steamed lobster from local fish markets.
- Avocados are at their peak in the summer. For this recipe, allot ½ a large avocado per person.
- Corn is from the farmers' market. You can cook the ears of corn by steaming/boiling, or even grilling them in their husks, which keeps the corn kernels juicier, but then you don't get the charred look and flavor on the kernels.
- Bacon from the somewhat over-priced butcher at Whole Foods Market.
- Eggs are pasture-raised eggs. I use Vital Farms Alfresco Eggs, available at Whole Foods Market
- Salad Greens: According to sources, the original Cobb Salad was served with watercress, which is a small, tender leafed green with a bit of a bitter/spicy kick. But this is almost nothing like the original Cobb Salad, so use whatever the hell greens you like, if any at all. The greens in these photos are wild arugula, which are tender in texture, spicy in flavor.
- All other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market on Wednesday, or Whole Foods Market when I can’t find it at the farmers’ market.
- The original Cobb Salad has blue cheese, which I LOVE, but I used feta here because some people are weirded out by the very strong smell of blue cheese. Not that feta is any milder, as it still has tang, but not as much funk as blue.
Best Dressing for Cobb Salad
The traditional Cobb Salad was dressed with a simple Red Wine Vinaigrette, but a Lobster Cobb Salad is anything but traditional. Instead, this recipe calls for a rich, silky
These are some of the best dressing options for Peach Salad:
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Hot Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Basil Pesto Vinaigrette
- Ginger Lime Vinaigrette
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Lobster Cobb Salad Preparation and Cooking Notes
- On lobster serving sizes: I generally allot half a lobster per person, which is a LOT of lobster per person given the other hearty ingredients in the salad, but it makes it easy for serving — how would you split a lobster four ways? who gets the coveted claws?! Most people will not eat all of the lobster, because of all the other delicious little things on the board. However, leftover cooked lobster meat will keep for about three days in the refrigerator, or frozen for a few weeks, and is a great protein addition to your lunch and dinner grain bowls. Let's not even get started on Lobster Nachos.
- Wavy Bacon. To make magazine-cover wavy bacon like we did here, use this recipe for roasting bacon in the oven on a wire rack.
- If the Avocado Green Goddess is too thick/creamy as a dressing for you or your guests' taste, serve it separately as a dip, and dress the salad with a basic white wine, red wine, or Champagne vinaigrette, or even a lemony-slash-roasted-garlic vinaigrette would be ok, too.
Substitutions and Variations for Cobb Salad
Best Wine Pairing for Lobster
Speaking of wine, my favorites to drink with this salad are rosé, chenin blanc, and light bright sparkling white wines. This rosé and this rosé, like avocados and this salad, are both made in California and are two of my favs.
Lobster Cobb Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large firm-ripe California avocados allot ½ avocado per person
- 2 ears of corn shucked and silk removed
- 2 1½- to 2- pound whole Maine lobsters boiled or steamed
- 1 package bacon cooked (about 12 slices)
- 4 eggs hard boiled and sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 pound heirloom tomatoes sliced into wedges or rounds, and/or
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 4 small lemons cut into halves
- 2 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- ½ cup pickled red onions
- ¾ cup blue or feta cheese crumbled
- 4-6 cups greens arugula, frisée, romaine lettuce, watercress or any combination
- 2 cups Avocado Goddess Dressing see below
- chopped fresh herbs like basil chives, dill, and parsley
- ¼ cup melted butter for lobster
- optional ingredients to include on board: sliced fresh red onions, pickled peppadew peppers, olives, capers or caperberries
Instructions
Grill Avocado, Corn, and Lobsters
- Heat grill to medium-high.
- Slice each avocado in half lengthwise and remove pit. Rub the cut sides of the avocados, including the "divot" from the pit, with grapeseed or other neutral, high-smokepoint oil.
- Rub shucked ears of corn with oil.
- Place avocados cut side down, and corn, on hot grill. Cook the avocados and the corn for 8-10 minutes, until dark grill marks appear on the avocado. Do not move the avocados around on the grill. Rotate the corn every few minutes so they grill on all side. Remove avocados and corn from grill onto a plate and set aside to cool.
- Cut each cooked lobster in half lengthwise, all the way through the shells. Rub the cut sides with grapeseed or other neutral, high-smokepoint oil. Place lobster halves cut side down on grill. Allow the lobsters to develop color, 8-10 minutes. Do not move the lobsters around except to peek underneath for grill marks. Remove from grill onto a plate and set aside to cool while assembling the remaining ingredients for the salad.
- Grilled avocado, bacon, corn, and whole, peeled cooked eggs can be cooked a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator overnight. Simply take them out of the fridge an hour or so before to take the chill off.
Assemble the Lobster Cobb Salad
- Place the grilled avocado, corn, and lobsters on a very large serving platter or board.
- Arrange the cooked bacon, cooked eggs, tomatoes, lemons, cucumbers, snap peas, pickled red onions, cheese, and any other optional salad ingredients you might be using artfully around the avocados and lobsters on the board. Dress the greens very lightly dressed with the Avocado Goddess Dressing, then tuck handfuls of the dressed greens into spaces between the other ingredients on the board.
- (Optionally, you can serve the greens from a separate bowl.)
- Hit everything with black pepper and chopped fresh herbs including parsley.
- Serve Lobster Cobb Salad with Avocado Goddess dressing in small bowls alongside, awesome crusty grilled bread with soft salty butter, and bottles of rosé. Everyone gets to dive in and make a plate for themselves.
Avocado Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 anchovy fillets
- ½ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
- ½ cup basil
- ¼ cup scallions or chives or combination
- 2 tablespoons dill
- ½ large ripe avocado
- ½ cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon Champagne or white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- water 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed for consistency
Instructions
To Make the Dressing in a Food Processor:
- Chop garlic and anchovies on medium/low speed in a food processor. Add herbs, and some of the lemon juice to "help" the ingredients process. Add the avocado, yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt, and process until smooth — processing avocado gives the dressing a fluffy, mousse-like consistency. Taste, and add additional salt to taste (only if needed). With the food processor running, add water one tablespoon at a time to thin out the mixture to a pourable dressing-like consistency (as opposed to a thicker, dip-like consistency).
To Make the Dressing by Hand:
- Make the Dressing by Hand: Very finely mince garlic cloves and anchovy fillets, using the side of the knife to press and scrape the garlic and anchovies into the cutting board to create a coarse paste. Place minced garlic and anchovies in a bowl.
- Finely chop Italian parsley, basil, scallions and/or chives and dill, then add to bowl.
- Using a fork, mash the avocado into the minced ingredients in the bowl using a fork. Vigorously stir in yogurt, lemon juice, and vinegar. Stir in salt, then taste. Add more salt to taste.
- Stir in water as needed to thin the consistency of the dressing.
- Dressing will keep, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for five days.
This post originally created for California Avocado Commission. Updated July 2022.
Barbara says
Oh you tease!
Catherine says
Why do I feel like I've just looked at Internet porn?
That reminds me (the picture reminds me, not the porn), warmer seasons are just around the corner! THAT is a perfectly cool dish...mmm
Dolores says
Yum... three of my favorite things and a promise for more!
Maure says
biscuit girl is right - that is the
mother of all teases.
now of course, everytime i accidentally come across internet porn, i'll think about an avocado/
lobster tower - and summer.
sarah says
awww, thanks guys! and better to get caught with a naked lobster on a bed mango and avocado on your computer screen than...well, porn. LOL!
Rasa Malaysia says
OMG, this looks too good I will have to make them...lobsters claws are the best...I guess I can use crab meat or crab claws too. :)
sarah says
rasamalaysia: thank you! too bad i made them, but didn't eat anything but the avocado, to which i am slightly allergic anyway. LOL!
sarah says
rasamalaysia: thank you! too bad i made them, but didn't eat anything but the avocado, to which i am slightly allergic anyway. LOL!
Aimée says
This post made me hungry...I could probably pack away all 10 servings of this. Love the flavor profile.
natalie says
oh yum! that looks delish!
Olga says
What a humorous post!
I absolutely loved the dish you described. I think it'd be also good with seared tuna.
Did not you had twin sisters: I'm a twin myself :)
Olga says
What a humorous post!
I absolutely loved the dish you described. I think it'd be also good with seared tuna.
Did not you had twin sisters: I'm a twin myself :)
Anonymous says
Yum yum and yum.
I love all those three things. And btw, Massages rule. : P
-Amy
The Food Librarian says
This is lovely! I want some right now and it is before 9 am!
The Food Librarian says
This is lovely! I want some right now and it is before 9 am!
Pandalicious says
how can a girl resist a gorgeous handbag?
love your pix and blog.
sarah j. gim says
aimee: 10 servings? the way i eat, it's really just barely two ;)
natalie: thanks!
olga: oh. OMY. seared tuna is an AWESOME idea! (and i'm not allergic to tuna!)
anonymous amy: the funny thing is, even with massages, i don't pay for the $200 massages at the luxury spa that serves cucumber water, provides fluffy robes, and burns aromatherapy candles in the room. i just go into a barebones massage center :)
food librarian: ain't nothing wrong with that. i eat potato chips for breakfast (well, not this detox week)
pandalicious: it's not easy...but then again, some of those super high end designer handbags aren't all that pretty right?
keri says
Oh WOW. I just ate and am now hungry again. That looks amazing.
Btw, have you tried shiatsu massage? Can't beat the $48 price tag for a 60 minute massage....oh, heaven.
mattatouille says
Valentine's is a huge boon to local restaurants and my local kitchen. As in, my kitchen (or maybe this year my girlfriend's kitchen). Nice idea...I just might use it. Nice post.
Tim says
my girlfriend and i are pretty stoked about this little treat. i'm gonna delicious this page and use it later. thanks!
Tim says
my girlfriend and i are pretty stoked about this little treat. i'm gonna delicious this page and use it later. thanks!
Anna says
Ha, this makes me laugh because I know exactly what you mean! Frou frou food has it moments, but I like my "peasant food" (someone else's term, not mine) more often than not. My dad's a chef and loves to do elaborate things with really simple, really accessible food--food at its best, in my opinion.
mr.riff says
I made this with fried strips of halloumi instead of the lobster and it worked rather well indeed.
Many thanks for the idea,
Dawn says
oh my stars, what a great photo! I know I would eat that precious little tower very fast.
Dawn says
oh my stars, what a great photo! I know I would eat that precious little tower very fast.
Greg Pehrson says
Hi Sarah,
I love you food blog on twitter, as a part time chef i would love to follow you.
Kevin says
That looks really good!
nick says
Classic:
"Lobsters mate for life, until you eat one of them"
Lobster Queen says
I love the comment about "peasant food" - I like best food that is local, fresh, in season, and simply prepared. I love lobster, but my preferred way is simply prepared, boiled whole, though I do have a few lobster recipes in my repetoire.