Cobb Salad Recipe

Rinse and dry the mixed dark greens thoroughly; spin in a salad spinner or pat dry with towels. Place the greens in a large shallow serving bowl or on a platter and set aside.

Cook bacon

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) or heat a skillet over medium. For oven: lay bacon slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and bake 12–16 minutes until crisp. For skillet: cook 3–4 minutes per side until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool, then crumble or chop into bite-sized pieces.

Hard-boil eggs

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then cover, remove from heat, and let sit 9–11 minutes for fully set yolks. Drain and transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel, then quarter or slice each egg.

Scatter the crumbled bleu cheese over a small plate to be added to the assembled salad later.

Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Peel the English cucumber if desired, halve lengthwise and slice into 1/4-inch half-moons. Halve the avocado, remove the pit, peel or scoop the flesh and slice into 1/2-inch slices or cubes. Keep avocado slices in a bowl and toss very lightly with a few drops of lemon juice (from the dressing quantity) to slow browning if not assembling immediately.

Make the dressing: in a small bowl or jar combine red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), Dijon mustard, honey (if using), salt, and black pepper. Whisk together and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Assemble the Cobb salad: arrange the prepared ingredients over the bed of greens in rows or sections — bacon, quartered eggs, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, avocado, and crumble the bleu cheese over the top. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss gently, or serve the dressing on the side for guests to add to taste.

Serve immediately so avocado remains fresh. Offer additional salt and pepper at the table.