This Asian noodle salad is made with cold soba noodles and grilled shrimp. The dressing is full of fresh flavors from ginger, lime zest, cilantro, sesame, mint leaves and chili pepper. It’s a sweet, sour, salty and spicy appetizer!
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Recipe highlights:
- This salad is full of fresh and intensely flavorful ingredients and refined sugar-free.
- Even though there are a lot of ingredients involved here, this salad is very easy to make.
- The same ingredients that go into the marinade also go into the dressing, which means you only have to mix one batch and then simply divide it.
How to make the salad:
Prepare the dressing/marinade:
Step 1. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 minced or pressed garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ fresh chili pepper, finely chopped (ribs and seeds removed)
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon sesame seeds
Step 2. Pour half of the mix into a bowl, add 10 medium-sized raw shrimp to it, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cover the other half of the mix as well and transfer to the fridge (this will be the dressing for the salad).
Make the salad:
Step 3. Cook 4 ounces soba noodles according to package instructions, rinse well under cold water and set aside.
Step 4. Grill the shrimp, then mix with the noodles and the dressing and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves.
RECIPE NOTE: You can grill the shrimp on a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop or on an actual grill (skewer them if you use the grill so nothing gets lost).
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. You can make all three components ahead (the grilled shrimp, the dressing and the noodles) and store each of them in a separate container in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve the salad, toss everything together and add the chopped mint leaves.
More Asian-inspired recipes:
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Recipe Card
Asian Noodle Salad
Ingredients:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ small chili pepper, finely chopped (remove all ribs and seeds unless you want the dish very spicy)
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon sesame seeds
- 10 medium-sized raw shrimp
- 4 ounces soba noodles, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves
Instructions:
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, cilantro, lime zest, garlic, honey, chili pepper, sesame oil and sesame seeds together until well combined.
- Pour half of the mix into a small bowl, add the shrimp to it, cover and marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge. Cover the liquid measuring cup with the remaining half and keep in the fridge as the salad dressing.
- Cook the soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain the noodles, rinse them thoroughly under cold water, then set them aside.
- Take the shrimp out of their marinade and grill.*
- Mix the grilled shrimp into the soba noodles, drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the fresh mint leaves.
Kristy
Tried this tonight and loved it! I’m a big fan of both soba and shrimp so this was a perfect combination. Thanks for sharing!
Nicole B.
It’s GREAT to hear that – thank you, Kristy! :)
Shalini H.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. Tried it out today. LOVED IT!
Nicole B.
That is so wonderful to hear, Shalini! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave feedback, you made my day! :)
CatViccer
Made this tonight. Cooked it in the marinade and added a little spinach. Served got. Delicious!!
Nicole B.
So great to hear feedback – thank you! Glad you liked the recipe. :)
bev
This was so yummy! Thank you we will cook & enjoy this recipe again:)
Nicole B.
That is wonderful to hear, Bev! Thank you so much for taking the time to give me feedback, I really appreciate that! :)