This Cajun Cobb Salad combines delicious flavors of Cajun cooking in a fantastic Cobb Salad. You will love this delicious and flavorful recipe.
This Cajun Cobb Salad is a delicious spin on the classic Cobb Salad. Made with blackened shrimp, a fantastic spin Cajun spin on Ranch dressing, and all of the traditional Cobb Salad ingredients, you will fall in love with this delicious recipe.
This is a great recipe to make for the family for dinner because it is so hearty and filling. It is a delicious summertime recipe when you don’t want something too warm, but it is amazing all year long.
Homemade Cajun Seasoning
This flavorful spice blend is a little spicy, a little smokey, and delicious in many recipes. It comes together with simple spices including paprika, thyme, garlic powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Making your own spice blends at home is so easy and a great way to adjust the flavor to be exactly what you want, without any extra additives or preservatives that can be found in store-bought blends.
Click on the link in the box below to read more about adjusting the spiciness of Cajun seasoning to fit your preference.
Cajun Seasoning Recipe
How to Make a Cajun Cobb Salad
Here is a brief overview of how this Cajun Shrimp Cobb Salad recipe comes together. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe, including all ingredients and measurements.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the milk and lemon juice and let it sit for five minutes to make a buttermilk substitute. Then combine the milk mixture with the sour cream, mayonnaise, Cajun seasoning, dried dill, salt, and pepper.
- Prepare the shrimp. Combine the spices for the shrimp. Then stir together the shrimp, melted butter, and spice mixture.
- Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp to a hot skillet in a single layer. Cook for two to three minutes on each side until the shrimp is blackened.
- Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon pieces until they are just beginning to brown, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Put the salad together. In rows on top of the chopped romaine lettuce, add the tomato, avocado, cooked shrimp, eggs, red peppers, crispy bacon, and red onion (like the photo below). Serve with the prepared Cajun Ranch Dressing.
Frozen Shrimp For Salad
If you don’t live near fresh water, buying and cooking with frozen shrimp may be your best option. This is what I often opt for because the shrimp is frozen at its freshest point and easy to keep on hand in my freezer. Be sure to follow the directions on the package for thawing, and that your shrimp is fully thawed before making this recipe.
Blackened Shrimp
Blackened is a cooking technique that involves covering a raw protein (like chicken or shrimp) with a spice blend and cooking it at high heat. This causes the outer seasonings to have a dark brown or black appearance, and results in a super flavorful dish. We do this for the shrimp in this Cajun Cobb salad. This salad recipe would also be delicious with Blackened Chicken or Blackened Salmon.
Cutting Romaine
Romaine lettuce is perfect in this salad because of the refreshing crunch it adds. Chopping it into bite-sized pieces makes it is the perfect bed for the other flavorful ingredients!
- Trim the ends of the romaine heart. Then slice it down the middle lengthwise, then rotate the head and make another cut down the middle lengthwise (see the photo below).
- Wash the leaves thoroughly and pat them dry.
- Cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces, starting at the top and working toward the stem.
Cajun Ranch Dressing
This delicious salad is tied together with a Cajun Ranch dressing. It has such great flavor and comes together in a snap. I love making my own salad dressings. Not only can you customize the flavor to be exactly how you like it, but you skip the extra preservatives and additives in store-bought bottles. Making them from scratch is very simple, will give you a better tasting dressing, and you’ll know exactly what is in it!
This dressing will last up to one week in the fridge, so it can be made ahead of time to save time when making your Cobb salad.
Cajun Ranch Dressing
Hard Boiled Eggs
While they can also be made on the stovetop, I love to make hard boiled eggs in the instant pot. It is so easy and they peel perfectly every time. They can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week if they still have their shells.
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Cooking Bacon
Cooking bacon in the air fryer or oven is a great way to avoid the grease splatter and have room for cooking your shrimp. Cook it in strips then dice it up once it’s done, or cut it into small pieces using kitchen shears before cooking it on the stovetop.
Be sure to remove the bacon pieces from the pan just as they start to crisp. They will continue to cook after you take them out of the pan, and if you wait too long they will be burnt.
Air Fryer Bacon
A Note on the Red Pepper
I like sauteing the red bell pepper in a small amount of oil for five to seven minutes. Then I let it cool before adding it to the salad. However, the red bell pepper can be added raw and will be delicious!
Other Great Salad Recipes
If you make this Cajun Cobb Salad or any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment letting me know how you enjoyed it.
Cajun Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Cajun Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup milk (118.3 ml)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sour cream (113.5 grams)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (57.5 grams)
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/8 teaspoon table salt)
- dash black pepper
Blackened Shrimp
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- dash cayenne pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 pound shrimp raw, deveined, tails removed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cobb Salad
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon diced (226.79)
- 2 romaine lettuce heads chopped (see photos in the post for how to easily chop Romaine heads)
- 3 Roma tomatoes quartered and then cut in half
- 2 hard boiled eggs (read how to make hard boiled eggs here or how to make them in the Instant Pot here)
- 1 red bell pepper (see note)
- 1 avocado diced
- 1/2 small red onion sliced thin
Instructions
Cajun Ranch Dressing
- Whisk together the milk and lemon juice and let stand for 5 minutes.1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- In a bowl, whisk together the milk mixture with the sour cream, mayonnaise, Cajun seasoning, dried dill, salt, and pepper.1/2 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, dash black pepper
Blackened Shrimp
- Whisk together the spices.1 tablespoon paprika, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, dash cayenne pepper, pinch red pepper flakes
- In a bowl, stir together the shrimp, melted butter, and spice mixture. Please note that if you are using frozen shrimp, you will want to make sure they are thoroughly thawed. If they remain frozen at all, they will cool the butter too much when it is mixed together.1 pound shrimp, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until the shrimp is blackened.
Cobb Salad
- Place a cast iron skillet (or other heavy-bottomed skillet) over medium heat. Cook the bacon pieces until they are just beginning to brown (they will continue to cook as you remove them from the pan, and you want to be careful not to wait too long that they overcook). Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan and place them on a paper towel-lined plate.1/2 pound thick cut bacon
- Add the chopped romaine to a large serving dish. In rows (see the photos), add the tomato, avocado, prepared shrimp, eggs, red peppers, cooked bacon, and red onion. Serve with the prepared Cajun Ranch Dressing.2 romaine lettuce heads, 3 Roma tomatoes, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 avocado, 1/2 small red onion, 1 red bell pepper
Notes
averie @ averie cooks says
Gorgeous salad and I want that dressing! I think I could eat that with just about anything!
Glad you had a wonderful time at the show!
Thank you Averie!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
What a great salad – I’m loving that cajun turkey and that dressing!
They both make it so good!
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
LOVE this cajun twist!
Thanks Jennifer! I think it’s my favorite part of the whole thing.
Aggie says
Cobb salads are my favorite!! Love your version!
Thanks Aggie!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
This salad is PERFECTION! Love it!
Thank you friend!
Lisa P says
This looks great! I was searching for a Cajun salad dressing and found this! I think I’m going to add some Cajun pecans to mine!
I hope you enjoy it!
Suzanne says
Can buttermilk be used in place of milk and lemon juice in the dressing? Can’t wait to make this tomorrow! Looks delicious! Perfect for lunch or dinner with Italian garlic bread. Thanks!
For sure! I hope you love it!