Cobb salad is a prime example of American ingenuity and creativity. It was created in the 1930s at The Brown Derby in Los Angeles by Robert Cobb, who also happened to be the restaurant’s famous owner. Robert Cobb discovered some leftovers in the kitchen, including hard-boiled eggs, salad greens, chicken breast, avocado, chopped bacon, tomatoes, and Roquefort cheese. He combined all the ingredients with salt, pepper, and a vinaigrette made of Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and other components, and the Cobb Salad was born. The well-prepared ingredients and their many textures, from juicy to crunchy to creamy, are solely responsible for the assembled salad’s success.
It would help if you used the homemade dressing to make the perfect Cobb salad, and there is genuinely no justification because it is so simple. Combine olive oil, Dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar in a mason jar and shake it up. The mason jar handles all the difficult work, so there’s no need to worry about the vinaigrette emulsifying.
Cobb Salad Nutrition Facts
| Nutrient | Amount per Serving (100g) | % Daily Value* |
| Calories | 151 | 7.5% |
| Total Fat | 10.1g | 15.5% |
| – Saturated Fat | 2.8g | 14% |
| Cholesterol | 79mg | 26% |
| Sodium | 500mg | 20.8% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 5.5g | 1.8% |
| – Dietary Fiber | 1.8g | 7.2% |
| – Sugars | 2.6g | |
| Protein | 10.6g | 21.2% |
| Vitamin D | 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium | 48mg | 4.8% |
| Iron | 1.4mg | 7.8% |
| Potassium | 254mg | 5.4% |
| Vitamin A | 1063IU | 21.3% |
| Vitamin C | 4.7mg | 5.2% |
| Vitamin E | 1.1mg | 7.3% |
| Vitamin K | 81.4mcg | 101.8% |
| Thiamin | 0.1mg | 7.2% |
| Riboflavin | 0.2mg | 11.8% |
| Niacin | 3.1mg | 15.5% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.3mg | 14.1% |
| Folate | 58mcg | 14.5% |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.2mcg | 20.1% |
| Pantothenic Acid | 0.8mg | 7.9% |
| Phosphorus | 139mg | 13.9% |
| Magnesium | 24mg | 6% |
| Zinc | 1.1mg | 7.3% |
*Percent daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Actual daily values may vary depending on your calorie needs.
What is Cobb Salad?
Cobb salad differs from traditional salad side dishes; no, the main dish is offered with this salad. In particular, what makes this salad so unique is the inclusion of ingredients like avocado, Roquefort cheese, hard-boiled eggs, crisp bacon, and chicken, whether it be grilled, roasted, or boiled, in addition to tomatoes, salad greens, and other vegetables. There are different versions of this salad, such as pancetta instead of bacon or Roquefort cheese (famous in the UK), but the fundamental components are always the same.
Where did the Cobb Salad Get its Name from?
The Cobb Salad was Beverly Hills’ go-to fast-casual lunch option long before the build-your-own chopped salad became a mainstay. The Cobb, an instant classic, is a chopped salad with lettuce, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, chicken, bacon, avocado, and Roquefort cheese (blue cheese is frequently replaced). In terms of salads, it is substantial, satisfying, and a little bit indulgent. And indeed, it was given a name that was genuinely a person.
But Who is the Cobb Behind Cobb Salad?
According to the most popular version, the Cobb salad was allegedly created on the spur of the moment out of necessity. Robert “Bob” Cobb, the proprietor of the well-known Brown Derby eatery on fashionable Wilshire Boulevard, reportedly entered the kitchen late one night when extremely hungry.
He assembled his salad from what was on hand, adding some of this and a little of that, along with some leftover hard-boiled eggs and roast chicken. He shared this kitchen sink salad with his buddy Sid Grauman of the storied Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, never knowing he would ever put it on the menu.
Because it was so good, Grauman returned the next day to have a “Cobb Salad.” It’s ironic to imagine famous people gushing over leftovers, but the Cobb salad genuinely shot to fame when it debuted on the Brown Derby menu in 1937.
There is debate over who took the audacious decision to put the item on the menu first—Cobb or his head chef, Robert Kreis. However, everyone agrees that it was named for Cobb and created at the restaurant.
It was a Runaway Hit
The Cobb Salad quickly became a local gourmet favorite after being added to the Brown Derby restaurant’s menu. Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Lucille Ball, and Harpo Marx frequented the 24-hour, hat-shaped eatery, which eventually became a mini-chain of four eateries. So it’s likely that the I Love Lucy actress was enjoying a Cobb salad along with the rest of us.
Because tableside preparations were common at this time in the history of food — watching a baked Alaska catch fire right in front of your eyes while dining was the height of sophistication — the Cobb salad was prepared in front of the customers who ordered it rather than being designed and assembled in the kitchen. All of the show’s charm was in its spectacle.
From then to Now
The Cobb salad soon began to appear on menus in restaurants all around the country. The rows of components are customarily spread out on the plate and served now, leaving it up to the diner to assemble. Because it’s simple to change up the greens, substitute chicken for turkey, and use French dressing instead of vinaigrette, there are now many variations of the salad. However, given the salad’s impromptu beginning, everything seems in line with Cobb’s ideals.
How to Make Cobb Salad?
Here is the best recipe for cobb salad:
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch frisée
- 1/2 bunch watercress, coarse stems discarded
- Six slices bacon
- Two ripe avocados, seed removed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- One whole skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 3/4 pound total), halved, cooked, and diced
- One tomato, seeded and chopped fine
- Two large hard-boiled eggs were separated, the yolk and the white finely chopped.
- Two tablespoons of chopped fresh chives
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- One tablespoon of Dijon-style mustard
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely grated Roquefort
Steps to Make it
Here are the steps to make the cobb salad:
- In a skillet on medium heat until crisp on both sides. Remove from skillet and lay on paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Allow the bacon to cool. Crumble the bacon and set it aside.
- In a large salad bowl, toss the various lettuces and watercress together.
- Arrange the chicken, the bacon, the tomato, and the avocado decoratively over the greens and garnish the salad with the chopped egg and the chives.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a slow stream, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified.
- Stir in the Roquefort. Add sugar to taste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Whisk the dressing.
- Serve separately or toss in with the salad.
Dressing Goes on a Cobb Salad
The dressing for the Cobb salad is among its key components. Almost all Cobb salad restaurants still regularly employ the original dressing recipe.
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
- One finely minced garlic clove
- A quarter cup of olive oil
- ¾ cup of salad oil
- 1/4 cup full-flavoured olive oil
How Healthy is Cobb Salad?
Here are the health benefits of cobb salad:
- The salad’s high protein and fat content, which will keep you satisfied until your next meal, is its most vital feature, as was previously said. As a result of its low calorie and carbohydrate content, Cobb Salad won’t cause you to gain a lot of weight while you indulge in its mouthwatering flavor.
- A Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry study shows that some of the salad’s chemicals decrease cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Try using walnuts in your salad for even more health advantages.
- Antioxidants, abundant in blueberries, aid in preventing memory loss and age-related decline for a healthier brain. This salad will become a tasty and healthy treat when you include blueberries and other fruits and veggies. For an exceptionally excellent summer favorite, try freezing it.
- The calcium in Cobb Salad is abundant, which is necessary for healthy bones and teeth. The protein in this dish, which is excellent for promoting the growth of bones and muscles, will also benefit you.
- Vitamin C, abundant in Cobb salad and has natural anti-inflammatory effects, can aid your body in warding off infections and colds. It also has potassium, which aids in preserving normal blood pressure levels, which is particularly crucial for those at high risk of developing heart disease.
- This salad’s vitamins A, C, and K, are excellent for maintaining healthy skin, hair, and nails. For optimum bone health, make an effort to consume this salad frequently.
- In certain studies, fruits and vegetables have been linked to a reduction in pain, while in others, they have been linked to a decrease in inflammation. Put this on your list of fruits and veggies you must try.
Which Time is Best to Eat Salad?
According to a 2012 study, you were eating a salad before a meal increases vegetable intake by 23%. This is because you are likely to eat whatever is in front of you when you first sit down to a meal. After all, you are hungry.
You’ll feel fuller and consume fewer high-calorie foods during the main course and fewer calories overall if you eat a salad before your meal. This is ideal for anyone trying to lose weight or keep their weight in a healthy range.
Eating foods that digest more rapidly than foods that take a bit longer is much better for the digestive system. Doing this allows food to pass through your digestive tract without difficulty, avoiding problems like gas or bloating. Vegetables should come first because they digest quickly.
Since most of us have hectic workweeks, delivering a two-course lunch is significantly more complex than serving everything at once. Serving salad as a side dish is a good idea because it will still prompt you to eat your vegetables.
European cultures are known for their post-meal salad eating. Salad after a meal, according to French and Italian traditions, aids digestion and doesn’t affect wine flavor. I’m not sure what scientific basis there is for the digestive myth. Vinaigrette salad dressing makes red wine stronger and white wine sweeter while tasting wines.
Conclusion
It’s a salad that can quickly be served as a main course and a salad that will appeal to everyone. Full of bite-sized, intensely flavorful, crispy bacon, vibrantly delicious red onion, sumptuous eggs, creamy avocado, pungent blue cheese, and subtly sweet tomatoes. It’s the salad’s king and is well worth the extra work in preparation!
There are various distinct tales concerning this specific subject. Still, the most well-known one centers on the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood and its signature meal shortly after it opened in 1929. Regarding who created the salad first, there are some discrepancies.
Even though the salad was named after the restaurant’s proprietor, Robert Cobb, some individuals assert that Robert Kreis, the chef at the establishment, was its creator. On the other hand, some individuals think that Cobb invented the Cobb salad over ten years after the establishment of the restaurant in 1937.
