Scallion Shrimp & Somen Salad
This scallion shrimp & somen salad tastes light & refreshing. It is fast to make, thanks to my stash of cooked frozen shrimps that I got from Don Don Donki. I simply just thaw the shrimps to put in the salad! Such a time saver is very welcomed in my kitchen!
Since I made scallion oil from my small harvest of home-grown spring onions earlier in the day, I coated the shrimps and somen noodles in the aromatic oil. I really missed eating poke salads and I plan to make poke recipes in future. So I took this chance to test out poke-toppings such as pineapple, avocado and edamame in my salad.
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SCALLION SHRIMP & SOMEN NOODLES
I made some scallion oil, and coated cooked shrimps & somen noodles in them. You can check out the step-by-step recipe for the scallion oil & scallion noodles here.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD!
The next part is really fast and fun. Prepare a big plate of chopped salad greens (I used different types of lettuce), then top the salad with the scallion shrimp & somen, followed by the rest of the salad toppings. For the salad dressing, anything goes since it’s only for one pax (me!) – I simply used instant soba dipping sauce. I also placed the scallion noodles that don’t fit in my main bowl on a side bowl to eat separately. Yum :)
Scallion Shrimp & Somen Salad Recipe
As a big short-cut, I used cooked frozen shrimps (prawns) purchased from Don Don Donki. Apart from Donki, shops specializing in frozen seafood usually sell such frozen cooked shrimps. They are a huge time-saver: just thaw and they are ready to be put in salads and dishes! Read the cooking note #1 if you prefer to cook the shrimps from scratch.
Ingredients:
- 50g dried somen noodles (or any favourite noodles)
- 1 serving (about 100g) salad greens
- 10 cooked shrimps see cooking note below
Scallion Oil
- 3 tbsp peanut oil (or olive oil)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil plus more to toss the noodles, as needed
- 20 grams grated ginger
- 50 grams finely chopped spring onions/scallions (green portion) see cooking note below
- 1/8 tsp chicken seasoning powder (preferably MSG-free) to taste
- 1/8 tsp sea salt to taste
(A) Salad Toppings
I’m using an ice cream scoop as a measurement; about half to 1 scoop as you like:
- 1 scoop shelled & cooked edamame
- 1 scoop cubed pineapple flesh
- 1 scoop cubed cucumber
- half avocado see cooking note
- handful shredded carrot
- 1 Thai lime wedge
- chopped spring onions to garnish
- roasted sesame seeds to sprinkle on the shrimps
Directions:
- Make scallion oil. Heat peanut oil & sesame oil in a saucepan on low heat, then add grated ginger and let it sizzle for about 30 seconds without burning. Add chopped spring onions/scallions to stir it into the heat. Turn off the stove. Season to taste with chicken seasoning powder and salt.
- Cook somen noodles in a pot of boiling water according to package instructions. Drain noodles in a colander and cool down under running tap water. Reserve some of the somen cooking water.
- Make scallion shrimps and somen. In a small bowl, coat shrimps with 1 tbsp scallion oil and mix well. In a larger bowl, toss somen with the remaining scallion oil, adding somen cooking water & more sesame oil to bind the noodles together as needed. Season to taste.
- Make the salad. Line the base of a large salad plate with the salad leaves. Arrange the scallion shrimps, somen noodles and the salad toppings over the salad. Serve with desired dressing at the side.
Cooking Note(s):
- You can view the detailed step-by-step recipe for making the scallion oil noodles here.
- To cook the shrimps from scratch, bring a pot of water to boil. Add prawns and boil until they are just cooked (less than 3 minutes). Peel and devein the prawns. This will add about 10-15 mins to this recipe.
- As my avocado was frozen, they became soft when I thaw them so I made mashed avocado with them instead.
- You can use any favourite dressing for this salad (about 10-15ml). I’m using instant soba dipping sauce which was in my fridge.