Dinner doesn’t get any easier than this shrimp & sesame noodles dish. Tasty noodles topped with slightly-spicy shrimp in less than half an hour? Yes, please! Just season the shrimp, cook the pasta, add the sauce; then quickly sauté the shrimp. That’s it, serve and eat. This meal is perfect for hectic weeknights and lazy weekends. Still craving Asian food? Try this easy shrimp lo mein or this ham fried rice recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients for the shrimp
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined (use medium to large shrimp)
2 tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 large Garlic Cloves, grated or minced
½ tsp. Sesame Oil
½ tsp. Ginger Powder (or grated fresh ginger if you have it on hand)
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper, or to taste
1 tbsp. Canola Oil or your cooking oil of choice
Ingredients for the sesame noodles
¼ cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsp. Canola Oil
2 tbsp. Green Onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish, if desired
3 Garlic Cloves, grated or minced
1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Chili Oil
½ tsp. Ginger Powder
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper, optional
16 oz. Noodles (we used linguine in this dish)
Salt for the Pasta Water
Sesame Seeds for garnish, optional
Marinate the shrimp
Add the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger powder, and crushed red pepper, if using, to a large bowl. Stir the sauce with a fork to combine well, add the shrimp to the bowl and toss well. Set aside until ready to use; refrigerate the shrimp if not using immediately.
Make the sesame noodles
To a medium bowl, add the soy sauce, canola oil, green onions, garlic, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, ginger powder and crushed red pepper, if using. Stir well to combine.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the noodles and cook, according to package directions for al dente. Remember to salt the water. Drain the noodles and immediately return them to the pot. Take the pot off the heat. While the noodles are still steaming hot, add the sesame oil mixture. Toss to combine the ingredients well. Cover the pot to keep warm while you make the shrimp.
Cook the shrimp
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet and raise the heat. When the shrimp starts sizzling, lower the heat to medium to medium-high. Cook the shrimp, stirring and turning them frequently for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve the sesame noodles in a deep bowl, top with a generous serving of shrimp and garnish with extra green onions and sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately.
Cook’s Notes:
The cooking time will vary some depending on the size of the shrimp. When cooked through, the shrimp will no longer be translucent, will curl and will turn a nice, pink color. Look for these signs, as they will be a more accurate indication that the shrimp are done than the cooking time.
I make Asian food regularly, so I have the ingredients for this recipe on hand. But, if you were to buy all the components needed for this recipe at once, it could be a pricey endeavor. Think of it as an investment though. These items will last you a long time, and a little goes a long way. Once opened, keep the sesame oil, chili oil and sesame seeds in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life. Once you put together a decent pantry of Asian ingredients you can whip up a delicious, affordable meal anytime.
Serves 4-6
Shrimp & Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
Ingredients for the shrimp
- 1 lb. Shrimp peeled and deveined (use medium to large shrimp)
- 2 tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 large Garlic Cloves grated or minced
- ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
- ½ tsp. Ginger Powder or grated fresh ginger if you have it on hand
- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp. Canola Oil or your cooking oil of choice
Ingredients for the sesame noodles
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp. Canola Oil
- 2 tbsp. Green Onions thinly sliced, plus more for garnish, if desired
- 3 Garlic Cloves grated or minced
- 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp. Chili Oil
- ½ tsp. Ginger Powder
- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper optional
- 16 oz. Noodles we used linguine in this dish
- Salt for the Pasta Water
- Sesame Seeds for garnish optional
Instructions
Marinate the shrimp
- Add the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger powder, and crushed red pepper, if using, to a large bowl. Stir the sauce with a fork to combine well, add the shrimp to the bowl and toss well. Refrigerate the shrimp if not using immediately.
Make the sesame noodles
- To a medium bowl, add the soy sauce, canola oil, green onions, garlic, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, ginger powder and crushed red pepper, if using. Stir well to combine.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the noodles and cook, according to package directions for al dente. Remember to salt the water. Drain the noodles and immediately return them to the pot. Take the pot off the heat. While the noodles are still steaming hot, add the sesame oil mixture. Toss to combine the ingredients well. Cover the pot to keep warm while you make the shrimp.
Cook the shrimp
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet and raise the heat. When the shrimp starts sizzling, lower the heat to medium to medium-high. Cook the shrimp, stirring and turning them frequently for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve the sesame noodles and top with a generous serving of shrimp. Garnish with extra green onions and sesame seeds if desired.