Recipes Meat Salad Summer Favorites

Steak-Swap Cobb Salad

Serves 4

Grilled steak replaces bacon in this classic Cobb salad.

Ingredients

4 small strip steaks (8-10 ounces)
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling, plus about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped or 1/4-1/3 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 lemons or 3 limes, divided
1 large shallot, peeled
1 clove garlic, grated or minced and pasted
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon warm water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 heart romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 small bundle watercress leaves, trimmed
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 baby Vidalia onions or 1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced or chopped
2 ripe Haas avocados, peeled, seeded and diced or sliced

Bring the steaks to room temperature and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the grill or an ovensafe grill pan over medium-high heat or under the broiler. When you’re about ready to eat, dress the meat with a drizzle of EVOO and cook the steaks for 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare doneness, up to 12 minutes, turning once, for well done.
Let the meat rest while you combine the chopped parsley or cilantro and the zest of 1 lemon or zest of 2 limes. Slice each steak thinly against the grain and dress the sliced steaks with the herb and zest mixture, the juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime, another drizzle of EVOO and a little more salt.
Grate the shallot and garlic into a bowl and add the mustard, Worcestershire, tomato paste and warm water, then whisk to combine. Add the vinegar and pour in the EVOO, about 1/2 cup, in a slow stream while you whisk the dressing to emulsify it. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
Combine the lettuces in a bowl with the dressing and blue cheese. Arrange the dressed greens on individual plates and top with an arrangement of sliced meat across the center. Place the tomatoes mixed with scallions along one side and the eggs and avocados along the opposite side. Dress the avocado with the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon or 1 lime before arranging on the salad to keep it from browning on the plate.