Americans definitely know how to eat well, and the same goes for their own approach to salads. You might think that salads don’t have much to offer flavor-wise, but the Cobb salad that was invented in the US approximately 80-90 years ago is bound to change your mind.
What’s a Cobb Salad?
Cobb salad is not your typical salad side dish. No, this salad is served as a main dish. Namely, what makes this salad so special is the fact that, aside from tomatoes, salad greens, and other veggies, it also features the likes of avocado, Roquefort cheese, hard-boiled eggs as well as crisp bacon and chicken, be it grilled, roasted, or boiled.
There are different variations of this salad which involves using Stilton cheese instead of the Roquefort one (popular in the UK) or using pancetta instead of bacon, but the main ingredients and principles remain the same.
Why Is It Called Cobb Salad?
There are several different stories about this particular matter, but the most popular one tells about Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant and its signature dish around its opening in 1929. There are some differences in terms of who invented salad in the first place. Some people claim that the inventor was the restaurant’s chef Robert Kreis even though the salad got its name after the owner of the restaurant, Robert Cobb. On the other hand, some people believe that it was Cobb himself who came up with the Cobb salad almost a decade after the opening of the restaurant, in 1937.
What Makes a Salad a Cobb Salad?
In order for a salad to become the Cobb salad, it obviously has to contain certain ingredients and follow the rules of the making process.
Salad ingredients:
- Half a lettuce head (about 4 cups)
- 1 bunch of watercress
- 1 smaller bunch of chicory
- Half a romaine head
- 2 peeled tomatoes
- 6 strips of bacon
- 2 breasts of boiled chicken
- 3 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 avocado
- Half a cup of crumbled Roquefort cheese
- 2 tbsp of chopped chives
- Approximately 1 cup of Cobb salad dressing
Start by cutting the lettuce, romaine, chicory, and watercress finely and then arrange the pieces into a large salad bowl. Proceed to cut the tomatoes, chicken, bacon, avocado, and eggs into small pieces and arrange them on top of the greens. Then place the cheese in the strips of greens.
All that’s left to do is to top everything with chopped chives and remaining watercress for garnish. The Cobb salad dressing is added just before the serving.
What Kind of Dressing Goes on a Cobb Salad?
One of the most important ingredients in the Cobb salad is its dressing. The original dressing recipe is still widely used today in almost every Cobb salad restaurant.
Dressing ingredients for about 1.5 cups:
- A quarter cup of water
- A quarter cup of red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp of sugar
- 1 tsp of lemon juice
- 2 tsp of salt
- ¾ tsp of ground black pepper
- ¾ tsp of Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp of dry English mustard
- 1 finely minced garlic clove
- A quarter cup of olive oil
- ¾ cup of salad oil
- 1/4 cup full-flavored olive oil
Start by blending all of the above ingredients well except the oils. Once the first set of ingredients is blended, proceed to add the oils and blend again well.
Voilà!
If you’re looking for a way to relax and enjoy some fine cuisine, you won’t regret paying us a visit at Rakija Lounge. We have a killer Cobb Salad, as well as other Balkan delicacies which you absolutely must try. If you’ve never been to our place, we’re confident that our Serbian Miami-located restaurant will soon become your go-to place, for both food and entertainment.
