These soba noodles with shrimp and snap peas are the perfect dish to bring to a picnic, barbecue or beach party! Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature.
Quick and easy springtime meal that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes! Count me in.
What are soba noodles?
There are various types of dried soba noodles available. True authentic Japanese soba noodles are made from 100% buckwheat flour.
Buckwheat gives soba noodles a distinct nutty flavor and chewy texture.
These days, most of the soba noodles you’ll find at supermarkets are a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flours.
For this recipe, I used green tea soba noodles (cha soba). This variety is made from a combination of wheat flour, green tea powder, and buckwheat flour.
Quick Soba Noodle Meal
Some dishes are best served hot, fresh from the stove. This isn’t one of those dishes.
This quick soba noodle dish can be served warm, chilled, or at room temperature.
Thus, making this perfect for all sorts of events and occasions. Easily pack this soba noodle with shrimp for a picnic, potluck, or a boxed lunch.
How to cook dried soba noodles
If you can boil water, you can cook soba! It’s similar to cooking pasta like spaghetti and angel hair.
One difference to note: DO NOT SALT the boiling water! Use a kitchen timer and heat noodles according to package directions.
And another very important part: RINSE NOODLES IN COLD WATER. Wash the cooked soba noodles to remove excess starch and also stop the soba from cooking further.
Drain and it’s ready to use!
Choice of Protein and Vegetables
This recipe uses shrimp. Shrimp is a fast cooking protein that makes this such a quick and easy meal to make!
Use any protein of your choice. Tofu is a great vegetarian option. Use cubed tofu, pan fried tofu, braised tofu, or baked tofu.
Chicken, beef, and pork are also delicious options.
It’s best to choose in season vegetables to get the freshest quality.
Spring Vegetables
During the height of spring, I like to use snap peas and carrots. Asparagus, avocado, and fava beans are wonderful options.
Summer Produce
These are popular summer vegetables to use: sweet corn, tomato, eggplant, and zucchini.
Autumn Harvest
Roasted autumn vegetables like brussels sprouts, butternut squash, sweet potato, and kale turn this into a hearty dish!
Simple Soba Dressing
Toss the cooked soba noodles in a simple dressing.
Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey (or other sweetener), sesame oil, and black pepper. It’s a versatile sauce that works for a variety of dishes!
Ways to customize sauce:
- Add shichimi togarish or crushed red pepper flakes for heat and spice
- Mix in grated ginger for zing
- Roasted minced garlic adds much flavor and umami
- Use of white pepper instead of black pepper gives the sauce a fruity note
Soba Noodles with Shrimp and Snap Peas
Ingredients
- 6 oz dried soba noodles
- 8 oz medium shrimp shelled and deveined
- kosher salt and black pepper to season
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cup snap peas whole or sliced
- 1 small carrot julienned
- 1 green onion sliced
- toasted white sesame seeds as needed
Sauce:
- 3 Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey, or agave syrup
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add soba noodles, stir often, and cook according to package instructions until tender. Drain noodles and rinse under cold running water. Drain and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season shrimp generously with salt and black pepper. Once skillet is hot, add shrimp. Turn shrimp over just once, cooking until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine soba noodles, snap peas, carrots, and green onions. Add sauce as much or little sauce as desired. Before serving, add cooked shrimp and toasted white sesame seeds. Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature.
- To make sauce: whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and sesame oil. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Notes
- Any protein (tofu, chicken, beef, pork) can be used in place of shrimp. Also, feel free to add more vegetables.
Oh what a scary story! Yikes. Glad you are ok. Bummer about the shellfish allergy. Hopefully you’ll outgrow it. These noodles looks perfectly slurp-able!
Thanks Liz! I’ve meet quite a number of people that had the allergy in their 20s and outgrew them by their 40s. Something to look forward to! :)
Oh my goodness, that’s awful, Maryanne! And also pretty scary. Don’t worry- I will eat all of this for you to keep you safe.
Super scary. Never ever in a million years thought I’d be in ambulance. Eeeek. Yay, I’ll be sure to save all the shrimp for you ;)
Oh my, that is so crazy! Good that you found out what the cause is and you are all good now. Hopefully, your shellfish allergy will be over in the near future. My sister gets hives when she eats the shrimps in the US. She has no problem eating the shrimps back in HK. How weird…. Interesting how our bodies work. Don’t be sad. The Earl Grey cheesecake will always be waiting for you. ;)
By the way, the peas are gorgeously cute! I will try this soba soon! Pinning!
Crazy, right?! I’ve read that sometimes people are allergic to the salt water that they hold in the shrimp in after catching in them ocean. Perhaps that’s the case with your sister. For a while I though, maybe it was just the expensive fresh shellfish that was super potent that affected me, so I tried the cheaper frozen alternative. But nope. It affected me all the same :( YESSSS, I can’t wait to eat that cheesecake!!!
A shellfish allergy sounds like the saddest fate ever:( Also – yes, you should return and take me with you please! I’ll eat all the shrimp for you! #takeonefortheteam.