Fresh snow crab and sweet bay shrimp sub in for the traditional chicken in this light but filling Cobb salad tossed with a tangy red wine vinaigrette.
The old saying may go, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” but the literal translation is: “The toppings are what make a good salad GREAT.”
You get me? Let’s break it down.
Any great Cobb salad’s list of ingredients could certainly stand on their own any day of the week. I mean, who hasn’t sprinkled salt and pepper on a freshly-cut summer tomato and deemed it the best thing they ever ate? Or scooped avocado straight from it’s shell and slipped it down the old pie hole in one creamy bite? And don’t get me started on how salty, crispy bacon bits magically disappear thanks to those nibbling elves before reaching their plated destination.
But together, those bites of tomato, avocado and bacon alongside bits of spunky cheese, crunchy romaine, and the sweet bites of snow crab and tender bay shrimp, is when this salad becomes the whole Cobb and nothing but the Cobb. Even though I forgot to show the hard boiled egg in the photos. Grrr. Next time!
If you’re at all familiar with Market Street Grill in Utah, then you’ve likely seen this seafood Cobb salad. It’s been on the menu since 1980, and while it’s had a maybe one or two tweaks through the years, it’s essence has always remained the same.
When I was a server at Market Street Grill, this was always a #1 summer seller. And still today, when my dad orders his usual Grilled Crab and Avocado Sandwich, it’s very likely guaranteed that this salad is what both my mom and I will order every.single.time. Creatures of habit or creatures of really good food? Perhaps a bit of both. And I’m totally okay with that.
About the Recipe
The twist to this Cobb salad is the replacement of chicken with sweet and tender snow crab and bay shrimp. I prefer a larger bay shrimp and look for the biggest I can find, and as always, frozen shrimp thaws just right so frozen in the bag is an easy way to go. You’ll likely need just one 5-legged section of snow crab legs, and because they’re previously cooked, simply thaw or rinse the crab in cold water and then remove the meat from the shell. Or do like I did and buy the crab meat already shelled. You’ll pay more this way, but you only need ¼ pound of crab (and also of shrimp) to make 2 servings as a main course salad.
In the recipe photos I’m sharing today I totally spaced adding a hard boiled egg. If you’re like me and sad that I didn’t include, add 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs roughly chopped as a layer to the salad. That should certainly do the job.
For years I’ve searched the internet for the recipe to Market Street’s vinaigrette dressing and finally, after a deep dive into Google, I found a version of the recipe on this recipe board. It’s not 100% the same to my buds of taste, but it is certainly delicious at the 99% mark. When making the dressing, be sure to use very lightly cracked black peppercorns rather than fine ground pepper. That in itself is a game changer.
And one more tip: If you’re like me and don’t love the lingering smell of a bacon-saturated home, try cooking your bacon in a cast iron skillet on the grill. It’s a super easy baconless-smelling-home solution.
Crab and Shrimp Seafood Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon diced
- 6 cups romaine lettuce sliced
- ¼ pound bay shrimp
- ¼ pound snow crab meat
- 3-4 cocktail tomatoes diced
- 2 hard boiled eggs diced (not pictured but essential!)
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- 1 avocado sliced
- For the Market Street Red Wine Vinaigrette
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons shallots minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan or skillet, cook the diced bacon until cooked through, drain on a paper towel and cool.
- Layer the romaine lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl. Place the salad toppings in rows on top of the lettuce. Serve with ¼ to ⅓ cup of the red wine vinaigrette dressing and refrigerate the rest for later salad making.
- For the Market Street Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Place the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together, or place in a jar with a fitted lid and shake until combined. makes 1 cup
