Cobb Salad Recipe

make dates

Pit each date if not already pitted. Using a small spoon, open the date slightly and drizzle about 1/4 teaspoon of honey into each. Sprinkle a light pinch (about 1/8 tsp per date) of Aleppo pepper into the honey in the date. Set aside on a plate.

quick pickle

Place 1 cup very thinly sliced sweet red onion in a jar or bowl. Heat 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) and 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt until sugar dissolves. Pour hot brine over the onions, let cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes), then refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Drain before assembling the salad. Reserve 1–2 tablespoons of the drained pickling liquid to add to the vinaigrette if desired.

soft boil eggs

Bring a medium pot of water to a gentle boil. Carefully lower 4 room-temperature eggs into the water and boil for 6 minutes for jammy yolks. Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking. Peel gently and keep chilled until assembly. Halve eggs lengthwise just before plating; season cut sides with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

crisp prosciutto

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Arrange prosciutto slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet, not overlapping. Bake 8–12 minutes until crisp and slightly browned. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool and crisp further; break into bite-sized pieces before plating.

make vinaigrette

In a small bowl or jar combine 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 2 tbsp finely minced sweet onion, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Whisk while slowly streaming in 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning; optionally add 1–2 tablespoons of reserved pickling liquid from the onions for brighter flavor.

Place 6 cups of artisan mixed greens in a large shallow bowl or platter and toss gently with about half of the sweet onion vinaigrette (reserve the rest to allow guests to add more). Arrange the halved Campari tomatoes in rows or groups on one side of the greens.

Fan the sliced avocado in another section of the platter. Place halved soft-boiled eggs in a row. Scatter the drained quick-pickled sweet red onions in another area.

Crumble 3 oz Danish blue cheese over the salad in a section. Add the crispy prosciutto pieces in their own section. Tuck the 8 Aleppo honey dates among the ingredients for sweet pockets of flavor.

Season the whole salad lightly with the remaining sea salt (use sparingly because blue cheese and prosciutto are salty) and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Just before serving, drizzle additional vinaigrette as desired (reserve some for guests). Serve family-style so diners can combine components on their own plates to preserve the composed Cobb look.