Cobb Salad with Smoked Salmon

This modern spin on the classic Cobb replaces chicken with smoked salmon, a nice match to crisp bacon and creamy buttermilk dressing.

¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup shallots, minced (~ 2 shallots)
3 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ tsp. coarse sea salt
black pepper, freshly cracked
8 oz bacon (~ 10 strips)
1 head Boston or bibb lettuce, leaves torn into 3” pieces
3 large eggs, hard-cooked, quartered lengthwise and halved crosswise
3 oz smoked salmon, flaked with a fork into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into ½” dice

Whisk buttermilk, mayonnaise, shallots, dill, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl until well combined. Season with pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.

Arrange bacon in a single layer in a large sauté pan, and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8-10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. When cool, crumble bacon into bite-size pieces.

Arrange lettuce on a platter. Top with bacon, eggs, salmon, and avocado. Drizzle with ½ of the dressing. Season with pepper, and serve with remaining dressing on the side.

Makes 8 servings.