Thai Style Cobb Salad

Post-Thanksgiving leftover week. Two of the turkeys had finished completely; the third had leftovers I broke down for stock and meals. Three gallons of turkey stock simmered on Saturday. Eight quarts of turkey pho on Sunday. Two large containers of turkey sandwich filling. One small bag of crispy turkey skin (I crisp the leftover skin in the smoker for thirty minutes — the snack of the year). Smokey got a small piece of crisp skin. He approved.

The cookbook proofs arrive February. Vy emailed me the photo Tuesday — the back-cover shot. It is a photograph of Mai and me at her kitchen table, both of us looking at a pot of pho, neither of us looking at the camera, the steam rising between us. Emiko took it on Wednesday during the photo shoot. I do not remember the moment. The moment is in the picture. The photograph is the back cover. Vy said, "Bobby, this is the book." I said, "Yes, Vy. This is the book." It is.

Lily called late Sunday from the restaurant. The Thanksgiving prix fixe service had run two hundred and twenty covers. They turned the tables three times. The fish-sauce turkey had been the headline dish and had sold out by 7 PM. Lily said, "Dad, we're a Houston Thanksgiving institution now." I said, "It took eighteen months." She said, "Yes." That's how long it takes for a restaurant to become an institution. Eighteen months and a Chronicle review and the patience of a brisket cook.

After three gallons of stock, eight quarts of pho, and a bag of crispy skin that disappeared faster than I expected, there was still turkey left — and not every leftover wants to be soup. The same instinct that put fish sauce on a Thanksgiving bird at Lily’s restaurant is the instinct behind this salad: take something familiar, tilt it Southeast Asian, and let the brightness do the work. This Thai Style Cobb was built for that Tuesday or Wednesday when the pho is gone and you need a bowl that feels just as intentional.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cups cooked turkey breast or thigh meat, sliced or shredded
6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or palm sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sambal oelek or fresh red chili, minced
1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as avocado or vegetable)

Instructions

Make the dressing. Whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, sambal oelek, and oil in a small bowl until the sweetener is fully dissolved. Taste and adjust — it should be bright, salty, and just a little hot. Set aside.
Prep the base. Arrange chopped romaine across a wide serving platter or in a large salad bowl. This is your canvas — use something with room to lay the toppings in rows.
Build the rows. In the classic Cobb style, arrange the turkey, red cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and hard-boiled eggs in distinct rows or sections over the lettuce.
Add the aromatics. Scatter cilantro leaves, mint, and green onions evenly across the top. These are not garnish — they are ingredients. Don’t skip them.
Finish with crunch. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the entire salad just before serving so they stay crisp.
Dress and serve. Drizzle the dressing over the salad at the table, or serve it on the side. Toss gently if serving family-style, or leave in rows for plated individual servings.

Nutrition (per serving)

Thai Style Cobb Salad — When the Pho Runs Out, Southeast Asian Flavors Find Another Bowl