I have been CRAVING pasta in a big way lately! I don’t know what is is about me, but my internal food brain isn’t syncing with the season. I always tend to crave soup and pasta in the summer and ice cream in the winter.
But the last thing I’ve wanted to do lately is set up shop over a hot stove or put anything in the oven, and these cold sesame noodles with cilantro lime shrimp totally hit my food craving without all the work or mess.
My favorite thing about this meal – the cilantro lime shrimp take about four minutes (yes! you read that right, four minutes!) to make. These would be perfect over any kind of pasta, on top of pizza, or even as tacos (I’m thinking about doing a completely separate post just for them because I fell that much in love with them!).
Another part of this recipe that is just drool-worthy – the sesame-peanut dressing that you toss all over the noodles and veggies. It’s chocked full of tahini, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic and cilantro. It’s so delicious and I could basically eat it with a spoon. I have a real weak spot for any kind of peanut sauce (this one right here is my absolute favorite) but this one comes in a close second.
I made this up for our lunch yesterday and luckily it makes a bunch and I’m taking it for lunch today! I love a good noodle dish and I think they taste even better the next day!
Ingredients
cold sesame noodles
1 pound fresh or frozen Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, divided
3½ tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2½ teaspoons chile garlic paste
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, divided
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1½-inches of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce (add depending on spice preference)
¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 cucumber, seeded and julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
cilantro lime shrimp
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, whole
½ teaspoons crushed red pepper
16-20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lime, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Cook noodles according to package. Drain in colander, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Transfer to a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of Asian sesame oil. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, tahini, peanut butter, sugar, chile garlic paste, lime juice, 1 tablespoons sesame seeds, garlic, scallions, ginger, sriracha, and cilantro. Whisk together and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
Add carrot and cucumber to noodles, and then toss with dressing.
cilantro lime shrimp
In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil, garlic and crushed red pepper. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, add shrimp.
Let shrimp cool about 90 seconds and then flip, add lime juice and cilantro. Cook just until shrimp are cooked throughout, about 90 more seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
Top sesame noodles with cilantro lime shrimp. Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.
