Cold Sesame Shrimp Noodle Toss
Noodles, shredded cabbage, and shrimp in a ginger-teriyaki dressing. Built the night before, tossed at the picnic table.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 47
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 5, scales
- prep
- 25 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- No cook
- Cooler only
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Udon, yakisoba, or thin spaghetti | 8 oz | cooked at home, rinsed cold, tossed with a little oil |
|---|---|---|
| Shredded coleslaw mix | 12 oz | |
| Scallions | 2 | sliced thin |
| Cilantro leaves | 1 cup | |
| Cooked shrimp | 1 bag | peeled, tail-off, kept cold |
| Teriyaki sauce | 1/4 cup | |
| Fresh grated ginger | 2 tbsp | |
| Chili garlic sauce | 1 tsp | more if you want it hot |
| Vegetable oil | 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp | |
| Salt | to taste | |
| Lime wedges | 1 lime, cut in wedges |
Method
- At home: cook the noodles, drain, rinse under cold water until they stop steaming, and toss with a spoonful of oil so they do not weld together. Chill.
- At home: blend the teriyaki, chili garlic sauce, oil, ginger, and salt until smooth. Pour into a leakproof bottle.
- At home: pack the coleslaw mix, cilantro, and scallions together in one large zip bag. Noodles in a second bag. Shrimp in a third, on ice.
- At camp: dump the noodles and the vegetable bag into the largest bag or bowl you have. Add the shrimp.
- Pour over the dressing, seal, and turn the bag over until everything is coated.
- Serve with lime wedges. Squeezing one over the top cuts the oil.
This is a cooler meal, not a stove meal. Everything that needs cooking happens in your kitchen, so at the site you are pouring three bags into one and shaking. That is the whole appeal after a long paddle or a late arrival at the campground.
The dressing is mostly oil by volume, and it should be. Oil coats the cabbage so it stays crisp for hours instead of weeping into a puddle, and it carries the ginger heat across the noodles. Rinsing the noodles cold at home matters too: warm noodles keep absorbing dressing until the salad goes dry.
Packing
Everything rides in the cooler. Keep the shrimp bag directly on ice and separate from the vegetables until you toss. The dressing goes in a screw-top bottle, not a bag, because oil finds every seam.
Variations
- Swap the shrimp for a pouch of cooked chicken if the cooler space is tight.
- Powdered ginger, 2 tsp, replaces the fresh root if you are packing days out.
- Rice noodles instead of wheat make it gluten-free, provided the teriyaki is too.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/shrimp-noodles