A complete meal in a salad—dinner doesn’t get any easier than this. There’s no need to heat up the house during summer’s hottest days, and you can take advantage of store-bought rotisserie chicken, precooked shrimp and pre-steamed lobster. Top with my custom vinaigrette recipes fine-tuned to each salad—and enjoy!
CHOPPED COBB SALAD
Serves 4
Salad
6-8 cups mixed greens
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 avocados, sliced
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
8 slices crispy bacon, crumbled
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
4 large hard-boiled eggs, halved
Vinaigrette
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup garlic-infused olive oil (or oil plus 1 large garlic clove, minced)
Instructions
On a large platter, arrange the greens, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, bacon, chicken, and eggs. (Prefer to arrange these ingredients in a line across the platter for a more impressive presentation.)
In a small measuring cup, add the salt, pepper, and vinegar and whisk until salt and pepper are dissolved. Add the mustard and honey and continue to whisk until combined. Slowly whisk in oil until completely emulsified. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve.
Mango Chicken Salad
Photo by Gina Moore
Serves 4
Salad
6 cups romaine lettuce, broken into bite-size pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup cucumber, diced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large avocado, sliced
1–2 mangoes, diced (set aside ½ mango for dressing)
2 chicken breasts (from a lemon garlic rotisserie chicken), sliced
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Vinaigrette
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup cilantro
¼ cup mango, diced
⅓ cup olive oil
In a large serving bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, avocado, mangoes, chicken breasts and cilantro.
In the bowl of a blender, add salt, pepper, lemon juice, cilantro and mango. Pulse just until mango is smooth and vinaigrette is blended. Drizzle on top of salad and serve.
Chef’s Tip
What to do with leftover rotisserie chicken? Don’t let it go to waste. Shred and use to make chicken salad, a chicken quiche or frittata, or chicken tacos, or add as a twist to deviled eggs.
Shrimp Cucumber Artichoke Hearts Salad
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
Serves 4–6
Salad
1 pound large, extra large or jumbo cooked shrimp (store-bought), see chef’s tip
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
6 cups spring mix greens
½ English cucumber, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 14-ounce jar of quartered artichokes, drained
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Vinaigrette:
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
⅓ cup garlic-infused olive oil (or oil and 1 large garlic clove, minced)
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, add shrimp, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, salt and pepper and let marinade in the refrigerator for up to two hours. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, add the greens, cucumber, artichoke hearts, red onions and feta.
In a small measuring cup, add salt, pepper, lemon juice, vinegar and Italian seasoning. Whisk until combined. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Spread shrimp across the top of salad. Drizzle lightly with vinaigrette and serve.
Chef’s Tip:
Sizing shrimp: How many shrimp are there in a pound? It depends on the size. Use this rule of thumb:
- Super Colossal: less than 8
- Colossal: less than 15
- Extra Jumbo: 16-20
- Jumbo: 21-25
- Extra Large: 26-30
- Large: 31-35
Lobster Niçoise Salad
Lobster Nicoise Salad with Oil on Stripes Vertical
Photo by Karen Hermann
Serves 4
Salad
1 large head butter/bibb lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
8 ounces baby red potatoes, boiled and halved
½ pound green beans, trimmed and steamed
½ to 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
½ cup niçoise or Kalamata olives, pitted
2 large hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1–2 lobster tails (depending on size), cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces
Vinaigrette
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ tablespoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
½ cup garlic-infused olive oil (or oil and 1 large garlic clove, minced)
Instructions
On a large platter or in a large serving bowl, add lettuce, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, and olives. Arrange eggs and lobster on top.
In a small measuring cup, add salt, pepper, mustard, anchovy paste, zest, lemon juice, and chives. Whisk until combined. Slowly whisk in oil until completely emulsified. Drizzle over salad and serve.