Bobby Flay's Summer Lobster Salad Has An Unexpected Dressing

The onset of summer means the arrival of seasonal foods that we've been looking forward to all year, including juicy slices of watermelon, roasted corn on the cob, and the ultimate summer seafood: lobster. Sweet and light, this tasty crustacean is perfectly suited for the hot summer months. Whether you like it chilled, piping hot, tossed in mayonnaise, or coated in butter, there's probably a lobster dish out there for you (in fact, here are 16 types of lobster and how to cook them).

From fancy lobster risotto to creamy lobster bisque to a good ol' fashioned lobster roll, there are so many ways to enjoy this versatile seafood. But if you are looking for the perfect summer side, then you can't go wrong with a light and refreshing lobster salad. There are so many different spins on this summer staple, like Geoffrey Zakarian's lobster salad and Gordon Ramsay's chilled lobster salad with sweet summer corn and tomatoes. But if you're looking for a less traditional take on this dish, Bobby Flay has his own unique recipe, with an unexpected dressing to boot.

Bobby Flay's lobster Cobb salad was actually inspired by another celebrity chef's recipe. According to his website, the "Beat Bobby Flay" star was served an "incomparable" salad one afternoon at the Barefoot Contessa's Hampton's home. (Here's how to make Ina Garten's Lobster Cobb Salad with a twist.)

When creating his own spin on the recipe, Flay drew from both Ina Garten's creation and a dish from a restaurant in Montauk called Duryea's. Unlike Garten's dressing, which is a simple vinaigrette, Flay's creamy smoked chile dressing is slightly more complex. This rich blend includes ingredients that are similar to Garten's vinaigrette including olive oil, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. But the New York-native also adds in a few additional components such as mayonnaise and chipotle puree for creaminess and smokiness.

Another ingredient that sets Flay's salad apart is his use of feta cheese — Garten uses blue cheese crumbles in her salad, while Duryea's incorporates cheddar cheese in its version of the lobster Cobb. In an Instagram tutorial walking viewers through how to make his recipe, the chef explains the reasoning behind his cheese choice. "A lot of times you'll hear people say... lobster and cheese don't go together, but like in this case it just works," he shares. "That's why I like the feta. Because it's not like a melty cheese, it's more like a dry, crumbly, kind of salty component to it."