This satisfying salmon Cobb salad is loaded with fresh greens, tomatoes, bacon, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs, topped with flaky salmon instead of chicken! It’s all tossed together with a zesty red wine vinaigrette with lemon, perfect as a meal or for sharing.
A Big, Colorful Salmon Cobb Salad Recipe
I’m officially wearing short sleeves, which means it must be salad season! Salmon Cobb salad is my solution to leftovers. After I cooked my sheet pan salmon the other day, I had enough left over to make this spin on a classic Cobb salad for lunch. It’s tasty, filling, and loaded with all the usual suspects: Fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, bacon, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs in addition to buttery salmon.
Red wine vinaigrette is the typical dressing for a Cobb salad, so I used a homemade one. I threw in a squeeze of lemon juice and mustard, which goes well with the salmon.
Cobb Salad vs. Chef Salad
It’s easy to confuse a Cobb salad with its close relative, the Chef salad. Both are made with meats, eggs, and greens. The main difference is that a Cobb traditionally contains chicken (which I’ve swapped with salmon in this recipe), blue cheese, and avocado. Meanwhile, a Chef salad often has deli meats, cheddar cheese, and a variety of veggies.
Baking Salmon for the Salad
If you don’t have cooked salmon already in the fridge, make quick air fryer salmon or bake it in the oven. Baking takes more time, but it’s very easy
- Arrange the salmon on a lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle it with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and rub on some minced garlic.
- Bake the salmon in a 425ºF oven for 15-18 minutes until it’s flaky.
Alternatively, you can make air fryer salmon bites or these grilled salmon kabobs.
What Else Goes in This Cobb Salad?
Aside from salmon (or traditionally chicken), these are the other ingredients in a Cobb salad. Scroll to the recipe card for the exact measurements for each ingredient.
- Fresh Greens – I use a combination of crisp romaine lettuce and baby spinach for some darker greens. You can use any salad leaves you’d like.
- Eggs – The eggs in a Cobb salad are hard-boiled. Cover the eggs with water in a saucepan, bring it to a rolling boil, then switch off the heat. Cover the eggs and set a timer for 10-12 minutes for hard-boiled. You can lose a minute or two if you prefer soft-boiled eggs. Afterward, move the eggs to an ice bath to cool before you peel and chop them.
- Bacon – Cooked to your desired crispiness however you like. Feel free to use streaky bacon, turkey bacon, or even cooked ham.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Or grape tomatoes, sliced in half. If you’re using larger tomatoes, like Romas, cut them into quarters.
- Feta Cheese – Classic Cobb salad recipes use blue cheese, but I thought crumbled feta worked better with the salmon. That being said, if you love a more pungent cheese, blue cheese would also work great in this recipe.
- Avocado – Choose a ripe avocado that’s firm but still gives a little when it’s lightly squeezed. Peel and pit the avocado, and slice it.
- Lemon – Sliced or cut into wedges as a garnish.
Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette
All you need to make the Cobb salad dressing is good-quality olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice, with Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce), Dijon, and garlic. Combine the ingredients in a jar with a lid, and give it a good shake. You can make the dressing in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
Serving Salmon Cobb Salad
While the salmon bakes in the oven, I boil the eggs on the stovetop and cook a batch of air fryer bacon. Meanwhile, I prep and chop the rest of the Cobb salad ingredients so everything is ready to assemble once those timers go off!
Toss everything together with the dressing, and then serve this salmon Cobb salad as a meal with a side of garlic bread or as a side salad to creamy lemon pasta or garlic butter noodles.
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Cook the Salmon:
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Get ready to bake. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil.
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Season the salmon. Drizzle some oil over the top of each salmon, just enough to coat the salmon. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper, and top each fillet with a bit of minced garlic.
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Bake. Place salmon fillets on the baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Remove from oven and set aside.
Prepare the Salad:
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Assemble. Arrange baby spinach and lettuce in a large salad bowl. Top the salad with the salmon, eggs, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, feta, and avocado. Set aside.
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Make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl or a jar with a lid, combine extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper; whisk until thoroughly incorporated. If using a jar, close it with a lid and shake the jar until well combined.
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Dress and serve. Pour dressing over the salad, lightly toss, garnish with lemon slices, and serve.
Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 788mg | Potassium: 1336mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 9683IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 245mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
