How could a classic Cobb Salad get any better? Swap out the chicken breast with lobster meat.
Chris Hutten, Chef-Partner at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Newport Beach, garnishes a minus-the-chicken Cobb mix with steamed and chilled Maine lobster.
Revered for its flavor and texture, lobster also adds visual drama to the dish. Hutten fans slices of shell-off lobster tail atop the greens, using the claw meat as a tasty garnish.
For home cooks who want to save time, he advises that some supermarkets sell cooked whole lobster or lobster tails. Or, if you prefer, substitute cooked crabmeat or shrimp. Or chilled smoked albacore or thinly sliced grilled steak. The colorful salad will still be delectable even without that most-showy of crustaceans.
Fleming’s Lobster Cobb Salad
Yield: 4 servings
8 asparagus spears
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch kosher salt
Tarragon Ranch Dressing:
1 green onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon half-and-half
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pinch kosher salt
Salad:
8 ounces mixed baby greens
1 pound cooked, cleaned lobster tail and claw meat, see cook’s notes
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 large avocado, diced
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled, diced
8 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 bacon slices, cooked crisp, diced
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
Cook’s notes: Cooked crabmeat or shrimp can be substituted for the lobster. Or smoked albacore, or thinly sliced cooked steak
1. Adjust oven rack to 6- to 8-inches below broiler element; turn on broiler. Break off tough ends of asparagus spears. Cut remaining tender stalks into 3-inch long pieces; toss with olive oil and pinch of kosher salt. Place on rimmed baking sheet. Broil 1 to 2 minutes or until just tender; set aside to cool.
2. Prepare dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in bowl; mix with whisk until well blended. Place in container and refrigerate. This yields about 1 1/4 cups, but leftover dressing can be refrigerated airtight up to 5 days and used in other dishes.
3. Mound greens in center of 4 large chilled shallow bowls. Cut lobster tail into crosswise slices and fan, overlapping slightly, in the front center of each bowl. Place the claw on top of the lobster tail meat pointing up.
4. Starting at the 8 o’clock position, and working clockwise around the bowl, place blue cheese crumbles at the edge of greens. Follow with piles of avocado, egg, halved tomatoes, bacon crumbles and sliced mushrooms at the 3 o’clock position. Cut asparagus in half lengthwise and place crisscross on top of greens. Present salads with dressing in sauce boats. Guests or host can pour dressing as desired, generally about 2 tablespoons of dressing each. Gently toss. Source: Chris Hutten, Chef-Partner Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is in Fashion Island –
455 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach
949 – 720 – 9633
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