Spicy Basil Shrimp Noodle Salad

    Shrimp, basil, and lots of lime and chili oil make this a refreshing noodle salad for any backyard BBQ or picnic.

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces mung bean wide vermicelli (or your favorite noodle!)
    • 2 tablespoons crunchy chili paste
    • 3 Limes (juice)
    • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Honey
    • 1 pound cooked shrimp
    • 1/2 English Cucumber sliced into half circles
    • 20 Basil Leaves torn

    Instructions

    1. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Strain and rinse well.
    2. Stir the chili paste, lime juice, soy sauce, and honey together in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the noodles in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
    3. Add in the cucumbers, basil, and shrimp. Stir well.
    4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve

    Notes

    Pasta salad is one of my all time favorite things to eat in the summer! I like the traditional version even though it is not considered cool anymore by most people, but I really love twisting it up. It’s one of the easiest things to experiment with and there are so many types of noodles that you can really have fun with it. For this version I went to the Asian market and just wandered the noodle aisle until I found one that fit what I wanted. It’s a thick mung bean based noodle that was very chewy and resembled thick fettuccine. I tossed it with chili paste, lime juice, shrimp, and basil for a great summer side dish.


    The Asian market haul, the bean noodles and crunchy chili paste.

    Lots of cucumber, basil, and lime.

    Add the chili paste to the lime juice and mix in a little soy sauce and honey.

    Cook the noodles, rinse them, and strain well.

    Then toss in the sauce and add the cuke, basil, and shrimp.

    This salad was awesome, the crunchy chili paste was so flavorful and had the type of heat that doesn’t really hit until your 4th or 5th bite and by then you are sweating and your mouth is on fire. The lime and cucumber was nice and cooling and helped calm down the heat.

    This would be a big hit at any summer get together!