I love beautiful and well-balanced salads, and I’m crazy about this Salmon Cobb Salad! Loaded with tons of fresh vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, bacon, and blue cheese…and drizzled with a healthy avocado green goddess dressing. Try this delicious Salmon Cobb Salad for dinner tonight!
I am a big fan of salads, especially beautifully arranged salads. This salmon cobb salad is a pretty well-balanced, which makes it a great full salad recipe for dinner.
Cobb salads consist of chopped ingredients arranged in layers and drizzled with a vinaigrette or dressing. Typical ingredients you’ll find in a Cobb salad are greens, tomatoes, bacon, eggs, and some sort of main protein.
My version of salmon Cobb salad is loaded with delicious ingredients, including my favorite: avocado! It’s made with grilled or pan-seared salmon, greens, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, blue cheese, and avocado. Then, it’s drizzled with an amazing yogurt-based avocado green goddess dressing. I’m drooling just thinking about it!
It is highly customizable too. You can tweak the ingredients to your liking or make it extra healthy with substitutions. More ideas below!
Salmon Cobb Salad Ingredients
This recipe makes enough for about 4 people. Per usual, you can find the specific ingredient quantities in the recipe card below.
Here are the ingredients I used:
- Fresh salmon fillets: If you can, use wild-caught salmon.
- Greens: I used a variety of mixed greens and green leaf lettuce.
- Eggs: Hard-boiled, instructions in the recipe card!
- Bacon: Cooked and crumbled. To make it healthier, try turkey bacon.
- Cherry tomatoes: I love using heirloom tomatoes for color.
- Avocado: Possibly the best ingredient here?!
- Crumbled blue cheese: I love strong cheeses, but if you don’t, just use your favorite cheese.
- Avocado green goddess dressing: This one is dreamy. More details right below!
The Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
Let’s talk about the yogurt-based avocado green goddess dressing for a minute: best dressing EVER!
It’s creamy, delicious, and smooth. And to make it healthier, compared to your typical green goddess dressing, I used Greek yogurt. So, drizzle all you want!
Here’s what’s in it: scallions, Greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice, cilantro, avocado, garlic, salt, and pepper. Use a blender or a food processor to make the dressing, and in order to thin out the dressing, simply incorporate some water until you get the consistency you like.
It’s dreamy.
How to Make this Salmon Cobb Salad
This salad has several components, but it’s very easy to make. It should take you about 45 minutes from start to finish.
Per usual, find the specific ingredient quantities and steps in the recipe card below, but to give you an idea…
- Hard-boil the eggs: Hard boiling eggs is probably one of the easiest things ever. See below for instructions!
- Cook the bacon on a skillet until crispy.
- Cook the salmon fillets: About 4-5 minutes per side.
- Prepare the remaining salad ingredients: Wash and chop the other ingredients.
- Make the dressing: Use a food processor or a blender. This dressing is amazing!
- Assemble and serve! And eat it all!
This Cobb salad with salmon is a great make-ahead option as well:
- Prep the veggies: wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half, wash and dry your greens (use a salad spinner!). Store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.
- Cook the bacon, eggs, and salmon up to 1 day ahead. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- What needs to be made the day of: The avocado green goddess dressing needs to be made when ready to serve, or else it will turn brown if stored overnight. Avocados naturally turn brown when exposed to air. Slice up the avocado the same day too.
- When ready, assemble the salad and eat!
Easy Hard Boiled Eggs
Hard boiling eggs is super easy! You literally place them under simmering water for 2 minutes, turn off the heat, and let them sit in the water, covered, for about 10 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil (enough to cover the eggs).
- Carefully add the eggs with a spoon, making sure not to crack them. Lower to a simmer, and cover with the lid. Simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes.
- Run an egg under water, peel, and slice to check the yolks. If it’s cooked to your liking, peel and slice the remaining eggs.
I like my hard-boiled eggs a tiny bit on the creamier side, but if you want them more cooked, you can leave them in the hot water for an additional 1-2 minutes or so.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are some ideas if you want to customize your salmon Cobb salad:
- Greens: Mix it up by using a variety of greens, such as butter lettuce, frisee lettuce, romaine, arugula, radicchio, Boston lettuce, little gem lettuce, spinach, red or green leaf lettuce, or even watercress.
- Salmon: you can bake the salmon, season your salmon differently (herbed, blackened, etc), or even use smoked salmon!
- Cheese: Try gorgonzola, roquefort, goat cheese, or feta cheese.
- Bacon: Use turkey bacon to make it healthier!
- Additions: Onions, cucumbers, shaved brussels sprouts.
- Dressing: Try the sweet garlic vinaigrette I use in my asparagus and sweet potato salad.
Or make it a Summer Salmon Cobb Salad! Add berries, peaches, and corn for a nice summer salad touch.
I’m so in love with this salad! It’s beautiful and full of goodness. It’s also an awesome make ahead salad recipe, so if you’re looking for meal prep ideas, this is it.
More amazing salads for dinner:
- Moroccan Couscous Salad
- Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad
- Beef Taco Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- Strawberry Chicken Spinach Salad
- Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad by my sweet friend Valentina at The Baking Fairy
Thank you for reading, and please don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!
Tips for Success
- If you prefer, you can bake the salmon on a sheet pan for about 15-18 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Use a salad spinner: Use a salad spinner to wash and dry the greens. It removes the water from washing, and this helps the dressing to cling onto the greens much better.
- Make the avocado green goddess dressing right before serving. Since it contains avocado, it will turn brown if you store it overnight. Avocados naturally turn brown when exposed to air.
- You can also use your favorite store-bought salad dressing to make prep easier!
If you try my recipe, use #cookingformysoul on Instagram! Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook for the latest fun updates and recipes!
Salmon Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 pound boneless salmon fillets, skin removed
- Salt and pepper - (for the salmon)
- Olive oil for pan
- Mixed greens or your favorite lettuce, chopped - (about 8 cups)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Avocado Green Goddess Dressing:
- 2 scallions, roughly chopped - (top ends removed)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - (or to taste)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, lightly packed
- 1 avocado, pitted and diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Water to thin out the dressing
Instructions
- Hard-boil the eggs: In a medium saucepan with a lid, bring water to a boil (enough to cover the eggs). Once boiling, carefully add the eggs with a spoon, bring down to low heat, and cover. Simmer for 2 minutes, covered. Then turn off heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes, still covered. Once ready, run them under cold water, peel, and cut into wedges or slices. Note: 10 minutes will result in eggs with a tiny bit of creaminess inside. If you want them more cooked, let them site for another 1-2 minutes in the hot water.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon on a large skillet over medium heat, until cooked through and crispy. Drain excess fat on a plate lined with paper towel. Then chop the cooked bacon. Set aside.
- Cook the salmon: Season salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the salmon, about 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes. Roughly shred with a fork.
- Meanwhile, make the avocado green goddess dressing: in a blender or food processor, blend or process all the dressing ingredients. Add water as needed to thin out the dressing. Set aside.
- Assemble: Arrange a bed of greens or lettuce on a large platter. Arrange the ingredients in rows: tomatoes, salmon, eggs, bacon, avocado, and blue cheese. Drizzle with the avocado green goddess dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Special equipment: food processor or blender.
- Make the avocado dressing right before serving. Avocado naturally turns brown when exposed to air if exposed for too long.
- Use a salad spinner: If you can, get a salad spinner to wash and dry the greens. It gets rid of the water from washing, and this helps the dressing to cling onto the greens better.
- Make-ahead instructions: You can cook and prepare the eggs, bacon, and salmon up to 1 day ahead of time, and store in airtight containers in the fridge. You can also wash and chop the tomatoes and greens ahead of time. Prepare the following right before serving: the avocado green goddess dressing and the sliced avocado.
Laura R says
My daughter and I love this recipe. I make one batch and use the two extra portions for meal prep. Her coworkers are always so jealous when she brings it for lunch. Sometimes I use Trader Joe’s Green Goddess premade dressing if I’m lazy.
Leanne says
This really is a beautiful salad! Salmon is something both my husband and I agree on, so I cook it often. Love adding it to salads for protein. I’ll have to give this cobb salad a try. I bet the grilled salmon and blue cheese pair nicely together!
Tania says
Thank you, Leanne!