Spicy Basil Shrimp Noodle Salad

The flavor combo of chili and basil is the key to this refreshingly spicy shrimp noodle salad! I love making a big bowl of this and having it around for a backyard party, or just to snack on throughout the week. The cool noodles and cucumbers balance out the heat from the chili crisp and when you get a perfect bite with all the ingredients it comes together like magic on a fork.

The inspiration for this recipe

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 grocery store 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.

Gather the ingredients for spicy basil shrimp noodles

This one might require a trip to an Asian grocery store to make it taste the same as mine did. When I first made this, chili crisp was hard to find, but now it is widely available at most stores. These specific noodles though will be much harder to find!

You could use any wide rice noodles for a similar flavor, but the specific chew of these noodles is so good! You could also buy them online.

Prepare the ingredients

Lots of cucumber, basil, and lime.

Make the sauce for the spicy basil shrimp noodles

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

Cook the noodles

Cook the noodles, rinse them, and strain well. If you do not rinse them, they will be starchy. You want to cook these until they feel a bit overcooked or they will end up being too chewy.

Combine everything for the spicy basil shrimp noodles

Toss the sauce with the cooked noodles and add the cuke, basil, and shrimp. Toss it all together!

Serving the spicy basil shrimp noodles

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!

The perfect bite on a fork!

Twists on this recipe

You could do this vegetarian and keep the shrimp out. You could also add some beef if you would rather! I think a nice marinated skirt steak cooked medium rare would be awesome.

For more great summery noodle dishes, check out my bbq chicken drunken noodles, grilled pork noodle bowls with watermelon salsa, or this pepperoni kimchi pasta salad!