Cajun Cobb Salad

I won't kid you, this Cajun Cobb salad has a lot of ingredients that require individual prep, but it is SO worth the effort! A Cobb salad is wonderful in its own right, but when you add layers of flavor with Cajun blackened shrimp, caramelized vegetables with Herbes de Provence and a generous splash of peach-infused white balsamic vinegar it becomes something spectacular.

Ingredients

2 hearts of romaine lettuce, washed and coarsely chopped
1 cup dark leafy greens like kale or collards (optional)
1/4 cup peach white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon Pacific Flake Sea Salt
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1/4 cup thin sliced purple onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or bacon fat
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
1 tablespoon Cajun Black, ground
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved
8 slices of crispy cooked bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
Kosher Salt and ground Black Tellicherry Peppercorn, or Voodoo

Directions

In a large shallow salad bowl, combine the Romaine and leafy greens with the peach white balsamic vinegar. Toss to combine and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, put the butter in a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet and place it in the oven. This allows the butter to melt, and the skillet to preheat in the oven while it is coming to temperature.

In a medium bowl, combine the corn, purple onion, red bell pepper and Pacific flake salt. Stir to combine.

When the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the oven and pour the melted butter over the vegetables. Stir to coat the vegetables with butter and transfer them to the hot skillet. Cook for 15 minutes, until the corn kernels are golden and popping and the vegetables are tender. Set aside to cool.

Heat up a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add the vegetable oil or bacon fat. While the skillet is heating up, spread out the Cajun Black on a small plate. Coat the shrimp with spice on both sides. When the skillet is hot, add the shrimp and cook 3 minutes per side. Try not to move the shrimp around while they are cooking, this will give a good blackened crust to each side. The shrimp are done when they curl up a bit and are firm to the touch. Remove from the pan and get ready to assemble the salad!

Sprinkle the cooked vegetables over the greens, and then add the egg, bacon, blue cheese and pecans. Top with the blackened shrimp.

Tags: Cajun Black Corn Dinner Eggs Herbes de Provence Lunch Onion Pacific Flake Sea Salt Pork Salad Seafood Shrimp Veggies Voodoo