Cold soba salad with shrimp

I came across this recipe [adapted from Aida Mollenkamp] on Twitter of all places. And I say that with a dash of surprise because of the limited amount of time I spend there these days. It was good fortune to see the link when I did, because it made for a very satisfying meal, and one I look forward to making again. (I also love her trick of poaching the shrimp in the same pot while the noodles are cooking!) A few minor recipe tweaks ensued, mostly due to the fact that I forgot to bring home snow peas and the green onions I thought were fresh were beyond saving by the time I opened the crisper. Luckily, this is a recipe well suited to light adaptations.

Credit: Nicole Gulotta

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 225 g (8 oz) dried soba noodles
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 450 g (1 pound; about 24) shrimp (prawn), shelled and deveined
• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 175 g (6 oz) snow peas, cut on bias into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces
• 2 Persian cucumbers, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or chia seeds

Dressing

• ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2-3 tsp honey
• 5 cm (2 in) piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 tbsp canola oil

Cooling time 20 minutes

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Fill a bowl halfway with ice water and set aside. (It's tempting to skip this step, but it will make a difference and really help the noodles cool down.)

When the water is boiling, add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the salt and shrimp and continue cooking until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 3 minutes more. Put the spinach in the bottom of a colander, then drain the shrimp and noodles over the top. The heat will help wilt the spinach.

Place everything in the ice water and cool completely, at least 20 minutes.

To make the dressing, add everything except the oil in a food processor. Process until smooth, then drizzle in the oil. Drain the noodles, shrimp, and spinach (pick out any remaining ice if you need to), and add the cucumber and chives. Pour on the dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with the sesame or chia seeds and serve.

Recipe from Eat This Poem by Nicole Gulotta, with photographs by Nicole Gulotta.

Read our Fringe Foodies interview with writer, home cook and poetry fiend Nicole Gulotta here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.