in the kitchen · recipes

Asian Shrimp Noodle Salad

Sara {Go Gingham}

Go Gingham Asian shrimp noodle salad

I like the food I cook and eat to have lots of color, lots of health, and lots of taste. Whenever we have a meal that consists of brown rice, roasted cauliflower, and oven roasted whole chicken, it all tastes great and is healthy but it all sort of melds together in a shade of beige. When I look down at my plate, I want to see some color. This salad is my kind of real food – tasty, fresh, healthy, and lots of color.

Chopped peanuts are a tasty addition in this salad, too. Serve on the side if allergies are an issue.

Asian shrimp noodle salad vegetables

Asian Shrimp Noodle Salad
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Asian
Author: Sara Tetreault
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Fresh vegetables add lots of color to this pasta salad. Enjoy it for dinner and then pack it for lunch or have a picnic the next day. Easy to substitute vegetables for what you have on hand or in the garden.
Ingredients
  • Salad
  • 1 pound whole wheat pasta (linguine or other long type)
  • 2 pounds shrimp, frozen (salad type, fully cooked wild and sustainably harvested)
  • 2 red peppers, seeds removed and chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions,chopped (use both green and white parts)
  • 3 large carrots, shredded (about 3 to 4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
  • Dressing
  • 1 small knob of ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 lime, zest and juice (zest first and then juice)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup cilantro, loosely packed
  • 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoon rooster sauce (chili garlic sauce by Huy Fong Foods)
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce, low sodium
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta in a large pot and drain it. Return it to large pot.
  2. Add frozen shrimp to drained pasta (this is cooling the pasta and thawing the shrimp).
  3. Stir pasta and shrimp mixture occasionally to break up shrimp.
  4. Remove tops and insides from red peppers.
  5. Prepare vegetables and add to pasta and shrimp.
  6. Toss salad and prepare dressing (this can be done in a food processor or blender).
  7. Add dressing to salad and toss.
  8. Adjust seasoning and enjoy.
Notes
Want to make it gluten free? Substitute the whole wheat pasta with rice pasta or rice sticks. Go easy on the stirring the rice sticks because they can break down.[br]Toast the sesame seeds in a large skillet on medium and stir them while they brown. Don’t ignore them and let them burn. Yes, I speak from experience.

Even more notes for this recipe:

  • I use my food processor to shred the carrots and after adding them to the pasta, I make the dressing in the bowl and pulse it until smooth. Don’t clean out the carrot remnants before making the dressing.
  • If you don’t want the sugar, substitute honey or mirin, which is a sweet rice wine. Adjust quantity to taste.
  • Enjoy this with chop sticks but feel free to grab a spoon, too!

What’s your favorite pasta salad to make? Have you ever burned sesame seeds?

Published by Sara {Go Gingham}

Sara, creator of Go Gingham, writes about real food, green living, and a healthy lifestyle - on fewer resources - {Stylishly Frugal Living}. She loves gingham - but tries to keep that in check.

15 thoughts on “Asian Shrimp Noodle Salad”

  1. Yum! I have made a similar salad, but want to try this one! I use my microwave to toast nuts and seeds – and you can burn them there, too! For added peanut flavor, you can put a little peanut butter in the dressing if you don’t have peanuts. What is Rooster Sauce?

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    1. Hi Michelle! Yes, I like the added peanut flavoring in the dressing. Good call.
      Rooster sauce is here: http://www.huyfong.com/frames/index.htm
      and I added the link to the recipe above so thank you. You’ll love it! Look in the aisle with soy sauce – rooster on container and green lid.
      ALSO, try their sriracha sauce. It’s great with mayo or sour cream. It’s got a kick so go slow and add more.
      Can’t wait to hear what you think! Thanks, Michelle.

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    1. Yes, EFB, soba noodles would be excellent in this recipe, too. I like the whole wheat mostly because I buy only one type of long pasta and use it with everything. This helps me keep it simple in my small kitchen!
      Let me know how it turns out ~ Thanks, Erin!

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  3. How do leftovers hold up? This looks incredible, and I’d love to make it ahead for a few weekday lunches. Thanks!

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    1. Kimberly,
      A girl after my own heart! Making it ahead to serve for lunches 🙂
      Leftovers are excellent. You may have to add a little more soy sauce to it – the noodles soak up the dressing but it actually tastes better the next day.
      I’m going to do a follow up post to how we eat it for leftovers but I’ll tell you –
      The second night, we use rice papers and put the salad in the moistened paper and add sliced avocados. YUM! is all I can say.
      Try it….enjoy! Rooster sauce link is here:
      http://www.huyfong.com/frames/index.htm
      I added it to the post above.

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  4. Isn’t that weird my first thought was “oh wheat pasta no rice noodles” seems being Aussie makes me more Asian focused, or maybe I’m wearing gluten free glasses! Like someone else asked (you can just answer them), what is rooster sauce?

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    1. Well, Sarah, part of it is with the whole wheat pasta is me. I’m too efficient to buy different types of noodles. Sometimes I do but you can make this with any noodle and it will be tasty!
      Here’s the link to the rooster sauce:
      http://www.huyfong.com/frames/index.htm
      It’s chili garlic sauce and they make another sauce I love, too, called sriracha. Look for it on the aisle with soy sauce.
      Enjoy, Sarah! Thanks for asking about the rooster sauce. 🙂

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  5. This looks like something my family would love. I have been feeling like we were in a bit of a menu rut. I’m making my menu for the next two weeks tonight and grocery shopping tomorrow so we will be trying it soon.

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    1. Hi Kristen,
      I know what you mean about the menu rut. I sometimes just ask, “What are you tired of making?” or “What are you tired of eating?” when I make the meal plan. Do you usually meal plan for 2 weeks at a time?
      Thanks, Kristen! Can’t wait to hear how it turned out. 🙂

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      1. Hi Sara,

        I made the salad a couple of nights ago. It was very tasty. Thanks for the recipe. I do plan my meals 2 weeks at a time and then I do one huge grocery trip. It works out pretty well for us. I usually will have to pick up some milk and sometimes some fresh produce. We keep a large garden so I freeze, can and dry lots in the summer and that helps keep me from running to the store.

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  6. I gave this recipe to my husband last night to cook. He loves to cook so he was excited to make it. He omitted the cilantro because it doesn’t agree with me. We did use the whole wheat pasta which I loved. All in all, we enjoyed this dish a lot. I thought the ingredients were really nicely proportioned – just the right balance of flavors. Sometimes I found Asian noodle recipes to have too strong of a sauce (like too much sesame oil). This was perfect!

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    1. Julie! (Clapping my hands – YAY!) so glad you enjoyed it! And, glad to know it was so good without the cilantro. I agree with you that some recipes can have too much sauce or flavorings. Those complaints run rampant at our house so I try to temper it.
      Thanks for letting me know and tell your husband thank you. 🙂

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