This summer style shrimp salad is perfect when the warmer weather hits. You could even barbecue the shrimp to avoid turning on your stove if you'd like. Plus this cold noodle salad with spicy peanut sauce and shrimp is great for taking with you to a picnic, or anywhere else on-the-go! The creamy and spicy peanut sauce with red curry will fire up your tastebuds. Feel free to use whatever protein you like.

Ingredients

Although it may look like a lot of ingredients, most of them you probably have in your pantry already.

• coconut milk: from the can, either full fat or light will work.
• peanut butter: I use all natural smooth peanut butter
• light tamari or use soy sauce: use tamari for gluten-free
• red curry paste
• lime juice
• honey
• shrimp
• gochugaru (Korean chili flakes): see substitutions for other options
• garlic powder
• ginger powder
• buckwheat soba noodles: use 100% buckwheat for gluten-free, like these ones.
• Napa cabbage
• carrots (shredded)
• green onions, sliced
• roasted peanuts

Why You'll Love this Cold Noodle Salad

• Easy to make and prep ahead of time making it perfect for meal prepping as well.
• The flavourful and spicy sauce.
• Tons of ways to customize this to make it your own.
• Lots of texture and crunch (which is a great thing when it comes to salads).

How to Make This Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Making this shrimp noodle salad with spicy peanut sauce is SO easy. All you need is about 30 minutes total!

Start by making the spicy peanut sauce.

In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Add more water as needed to thin and remove from the heat and set aside in a jar or bowl.

Next, it's time to make the shrimp. The great thing about making these shrimp is that you only need to toss them in some spices before cooking. And cooking only takes about 5 minutes!

Season the shrimp with the gochugaru, garlic, ginger and salt.

Then, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a splash of avocado oil and toss in the shrimp. Cook for two to three minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Now it's time to cook the noodles. Be sure to cook them according to your package directions and rinse them with cold water. Add them to a large bowl.

Add the cabbage and carrot to the noodles and pour in about half of the dressing. Toss to combine.

Next, add in the shrimp and green onions and toss again, adding more sauce. Garnish with peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges.

Before serving, add more sauce as needed as the noodles will soak it up. Enjoy!

Tips for Making the Best Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

• Prep ahead of time: if you want to save time, you can make the shrimp and the peanut sauce ahead of time.
• Don't add all the sauce at once: this recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, so don't use it all at once, otherwise the noodles will drown in it. I recommend making extra so you can add more as needed (the noodles will soak it up over time).
• Keep refrigerated: keep these cold noodles cold because that tastes best. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge.
• Stir the noodles while cooking: if using buckwheat soba noodles, they have a tendency to stick together. While they're cooking, keep stirring to avoid this.

Substitutions

• gluten-free: be sure to use gluten-free soba noodles that are made with either 100% Buckwheat or use another type of noodle that is gluten-free. I prefer soba noodles over rice noodles (but anything will work here).
• more or less spice: add more or less Thai red curry paste to the peanut sauce depending on your taste. You can also add sriracha to the sauce for more heat if you prefer.
• gochugaru: if you don't have, you can substitute with red chili flakes (it won't be the exact same, but it'll work).
• coconut milk: I prefer full fat (and that is typically what I have on hand), but either full fat or light canned coconut milk will work.
• no shrimp: use another protein source like crispy tofu cubes (see how to make crispy tofu here!), shredded chicken, salmon or just add more veggies.

What are Soba Noodles?

Soba noodles are a thin Japanese noodle made of buckwheat, which is a naturally gluten-free pseudo grain. However, many soba noodles are mixed with wheat flour to keep it from falling apart. You can read more about buckwheat here on Bon Appétit.

Soba noodles are also higher in protein and fibre than other noodles which is another reason I love using them.

This is the brand of soba noodles I use.

More noodle recipes to try:

I really really love noodles, especially soba noodles, so be sure to check out these other fun recipes!

• Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Crunchy Celery
• Soba Noodle Salad with Orange Ginger Miso Sauce
• Sweet Potato Noodles with Cashew Cream Sauce and Bacon
• Healthy Pad Thai
• Chicken Noodle Salad with Thai Bang-Bang Sauce
• Instant Pot Ramen with Crispy Pork

Are you ready to make this cold noodle salad with spicy peanut sauce? Let's get to it!

As always, if you make this cold noodle salad with peanut sauce please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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