Seafood Cobb Salad
If you’re looking for a little variety in life, this Seafood Cobb Salad might just be THE ticket! It’s a Seafood Lover’s Delight and keto-friendly!
Fresh, crispy greens topped with lump crabmeat, seasoned shrimp and buttery lobster with the traditional cobb salad ingredients: blue cheese, bacon, onion, tomatoes and avocado–all tossed in a sweet and tangy Remoulade salad dressing!
A spin-off of the traditional Cobb Salad with a slight variation and a delicious Remoulade salad dressing!
The traditional Cobb Salad was developed in 1937 by the owner of the infamous Brown Derby restaurant, Bob Cobb, and has since become an American classic!
History claims Bob Cobb was scouring the fridge in the wee hours of the morning and found a bunch of leftovers, put them on a salad and the Cobb Salad was born.
Traditionally, this salad consists of crisp greens, topped with ham and/or chopped turkey, blue cheese crumbles, bacon, tomato, avocado and a sliced boiled egg, and is typically served with blue cheese dressing.
I wanted to make a “New Orleans version” of this salad, so I substituted the ham/turkey with crabmeat, lobster and shrimp, and changed out the blue cheese dressing for a sweet and spicy remoulade dressing.
You’ll love this recipe:
- Quick and easy – doesn’t require a lot of time
- Versatile-put whatever you want on it
- Filling – No need for anything else-this is a meal in itself!
- Keto-friendly – if you’re following a keto diet, this salad has your name on it
Here’s what you’ll need:
Salad: a mixture of greens (baby spring mix/green leaf/romaine) – whatever kind of lettuce you like
Toppings: Use whatever you like but here’s what’s in this recipe: avocado, bacon crumbles, chopped red onion, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber and blue cheese crumbles. There’s usually a boiled egg, too. Add one if you like.
Seafood: shrimp, crabmeat and/or lobster
The dressing ingredients are shown below:
The recipe calls for “Chili Sauce”– this is not to be confused with Hot Sauce. The chili sauce in this recipe is an Asian condiment, usually found on the international or Chinese/Thai food aisle.
I use the SoyVay™ brand that’s called “Spicy ‘N Sweet Chili Heat” but there are other brands available. You can use on that’s plain “chili sauce” or get one that is “Sweet Thai Style.”
Several restaurants serve shrimp and crabmeat cobb salads with blue cheese dressing like Pappadeaux™ restaurants and Zaxby’s™ . The Gordon Biersch Brewery™ serves their version with Thousand Island dressing.
But this seafood version uses a sweet and spicy homemade remoulade dressing which pairs beautifully with the seafood!
Please take a look at the recipe notes before you begin; there, I’ve listed some substitutions and variations
A note about ingredients:
This recipe uses fresh seafood, however you can use frozen. Also, you can use imitation crabmeat and/or lobster (usually found in the seafood section of the grocer.)
Imitation seafoods aren’t quite as flavorful and authentic, but they work in a pinch.
A note about yield:
Frozen shrimp is packaged and labeled according to the number of shrimp per pound. So, if you buy medium shrimp (they’re usually 36/40 or 41/50) you’ll get anywhere from 36 to 50 shrimp per pound.
If you’re serving Seafood Cobb Salad as an appetizer, allow about 3-5 shrimp per person. If you’re serving this as a main course, allow 8-10 shrimp per person.
Keep in mind, you’re gonna have crabmeat and lobster on the salad, too, so you can easily make 4-entree salads with one pound of medium to medium-large shrimp.
How to make the dressing
Dump all the dressing ingredients into a bowl, mix it up and refrigerate it. It tastes best after it’s rested awhile in the fridge. Taste for salt and pepper after it’s rested.
The recipe yields about 3 cups of dressing.
How to prep the seafood
Frozen shrimp: give them a quick thaw by running cold water over them; devein and pat dry
Crabmeat: Drain lump crabmeat in colander; do not rinse
Lobster tails: rinse, pat dry and, using sharp kitchen scissors, cut a slit down the top of the lobster shell.
I recommend using fresh seafood, but frozen works equally well.
How to cook the shrimp:
Two options here and both work beautifully in this Seafood Cobb Salad. Either method takes about 5-minutes.
You can either boil the shrimp in Creole seasoned water (then drain and cool) or put a quick blackened sear on the shrimp.
How to boil shrimp:
Bring a pot of water to boil; add in 2-3 tablespoons of Creole seasoning; add shrimp; cook for 5-8 minutes until shrimp are pink/orange color; remove with slotted spoon and refrigerate until thoroughly cooled
How to blacken shrimp:
Pat dry the shrimp; season with Creole seasoning. Heat a dry cast iron skillet to medium high; do not add any oil or butter to the pan.
Place shrimp in hot pan in a single layer; allow to cook about 3-minutes, then flip the shrimp, cook another minute or so, and remove from pan. Place in fridge and allow to cool.
How to cook the lobster:
Place lobster tails (with the shell split) on a baking pan; turn oven to broil setting; place baking sheet on middle rack and cook about 8-10 minutes; remove, allow to cool, then tear away shell and remove lobster meat; set aside
Note that neither of these take long to prepare and both the shrimp and lobster are done when they turn pink.
Once the shrimp, crab and lobster are done, you’re ready to assemble your masterpiece!
Tips for assemblying Cobb salad:
I recommend using a shallow salad bowl versus a deep, “cereal” bowl; there’s so many things to mix together, you need plenty of plate space so either a shallow bowl or a plate works best.
If you’re serving Seafood Cobb Salad to several people, I recommend plating each salad individually.
Otherwise, a big bowl of beautiful cobb salad turns into a mess by the time the third person has made their salad and…presentation is important!
Plate greens first; then add your chopped and crumbled toppings in small portions.
Some folks like to arrange them around the perimeter of the plate while others like them place in a line–it’s your call.
Serve the Remoulade dressing on the side
Chef vs Cobb Salad: What’s the difference?
The difference between a Chef and Cobb salad is minor. The original chef salad was simple and consisted of iceberg lettuce with turkey and/or ham, with cheese and a boiled egg.
The Cobb salad uses the same basic concept, but typically consists of a variety of greens, sliced avocado and tomato.
There’s really no “rule” to making the perfect Cobb Salad. In the case of this Seafood Cobb Salad recipe, feel free to switch out the ingredients to suit your palate!
Related recipes:
- Salmon Croquettes
- Dill Shrimp Salad
- Chicken Salad
- Buttermilk Dill Salad Dressing
- Bleu Cheese Dressing
- Original Caesar Salad Dressing – No Anchovies
Seafood Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp , frozen (use medium to medium large) see recipe notes
- 16 ounces lump crabmeat , fresh from seafood section; see recipe notes
- 6 lobster tails see recipe notes
- 16 ounces mixed greens
- 2 large cucumbers , thinly sliced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes , halved (or cherry tomatoes)
- 1 cup red onion , diced
- 10 ounces blue cheese , crumbled
- 1 pounds bacon , cooked and crumbled (see recipe notes)
- 2 large avocados , sliced
- Creole seasoning see recipe notes
Remoulade Salad Dressing Ingredients (yields 3 cups)
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- ½ cup chili sauce (in the Asian or International section); see recipe notes
- 2 tablespoons horseradish in the seafood section; see recipe notes
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard , course
- ¼ cup steak sauce , A1 or HP brand
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 large lemon , juiced
- 2 teaspoons dill , dried (see recipe notes if using fresh)
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
Cook the Shrimp
- To boil: bring large stockpot of water to boil; add in 2 tablespoons of Creole seasoning; add shrimp; cook for 5-8 minutes until they're pink/orange; drain and refrigerate till coolCreole seasoning, 1 pound shrimp
- To blacken: pat shrimp dry with paper towel; lightly season with Creole seasoning; heat DRY cast iron skillet to medium high heat; place seasoned shrimp in a single layer and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until shrimp are slightly pink and browned; refrigerate till cool
Cook the Lobster
- Rinse and pat dry; use kitchen scissors and cut a slit down the top of the shell lengthwise; Place on ungreased baking sheet
- Turn oven to 500ºF or "broil" setting; place lobster on middle rack and broil for 5-8 minutes, until the flesh turns slightly pink; remove and allow to cool. Once cooled, remove shell and scoop out lobster meat; set aside
Prep the Crabmeat
- Place in a fine meshed colander and drain; do not rinse
Make the Remoulade Salad Dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients into large bowl; mix well and refrigerate2 cups mayonnaise, ½ cup chili sauce, 2 tablespoons horseradish, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, ¼ cup steak sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup honey, 2 cloves garlic, 1 large lemon, 2 teaspoons dill
Make the Salad
- Dice red onion, halve cherry or grape tomatoes, slice cucumber; prepare bacon and drain on paper towel2 large cucumbers, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1 cup red onion, 1 pounds bacon
- Cut bacon (once cooled) into tiny pieces; set aside
- Plate mixed greens on plates or shallow bowls16 ounces mixed greens
- Add equal amounts of seafood, onion, bacon, blue cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers to each plate1 pound shrimp, 16 ounces lump crabmeat, 6 lobster tails, 16 ounces mixed greens, 2 large cucumbers, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1 cup red onion, 10 ounces blue cheese, 1 pounds bacon, salt and pepper
- Slice avocado and place equal amounts on each plate2 large avocados
- Serve with Remoulade dressing on the side
Notes
- Prep and cook seafood first
- Then, make the dressing
- While those two are cooling in the fridge, chop vegetables
Hi, thanks for the recipe; it is delicious. Just wanted to let you know that your ingredients include prepared horseradish but it’s not referenced again in your instructions.
Thank you!
Thank you, Wayne!
I am an idiot sometimes… I have updated the recipe instructions to include the prepared horseradish. Thank you very much for catching this!