Cobb Salad

There’s a few stories surrounding how Cobb Salad came to fruition. My favourite, and the one that pops up the most, is that in 1937 a hungry man was rummaging through the large fridge of the Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant kitchen (a chain of restaurants in LA), likely a chef or the restaurant owner, wondering what to do with leftovers.

He stumbled across leafy greens, tomatoes, cheese, boiled eggs, grilled chicken, chives and crispy bacon – which together, with a simple red wine vinaigrette, made a pretty darn good salad. Not long after, it adorned the menu and was an immediate hit.

Authentic versions of Cobb often include four varieties of leafy greens: iceberg lettuce, endive, romaine and watercress. Roquefort is the cheese of choice, but others like cheddar or Monterey Jack may also be used.

Plating-wise, the ingredients of a Cobb Salad are finely chopped and often laid in very composed, dramatic, self-contained strips across the lettuce base (though my snap wasn’t here, you can expect it!).

I ate my Cobb Salad in Cali, where it’s found across countless restaurant and diner menus today.