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Fish, East Asian

Cold soba noodles with smoked salmon

Cold soba noodles with smoked salmon is a quick Japanese style dish for 4 people, ready in 20 minutes, very easy to make, for a cost of €4.60 per person. The key to success is rinsing the soba under cold water until firm, and serving a well chilled tsuyu sauce on the side for dipping.

Ice cold soba, smoked salmon, crunchy cucumber, and a cool dipping sauce, the dinner for hot nights, ready in twenty minutes.

Cold soba noodles with smoked salmon
Total time
20 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€4.60
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Spring, Summer

This dish plays on contrast, firm cold soba noodles, smoked salmon that melts gently on the tongue, crunchy cucumber underneath it all. The tsuyu sauce, both slightly sweet and salty, wakes up every bite without ever weighing it down. Nothing is cooked for long, nothing is complicated, yet the result looks like something from a Japanese restaurant.

It's the perfect dinner for nights too hot to turn on the oven or stand over a pot. You can make the sauce and chop the vegetables ahead of time, then just cook the soba at the last minute. Mon Chou suggests it for a dinner that's light on prep, perfect for friends on a terrace or a quiet weeknight meal.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Soba noodles 300 g
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 5 tbsp
  • Mirin or honeyoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Instant dashi stockoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Nori sheet 1
  • Sesame seedsoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Wasabi 1 tsp

Fish counter

  • Smoked salmon 200 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Cucumber 1
  • Scallions 3

Allergens Gluten, Fish, Soy, Sesame

The step by step recipe

  1. Make the tsuyu sauce by mixing 150 ml of hot water with the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, then let it cool in the fridge.

    Make it ahead of time, it'll be nice and cold by the time you eat.

  2. Cut the cucumber into julienne strips and slice the scallions thinly.

    Remove the cucumber seeds, the salad will be less watery.

  3. Cook the soba in boiling water, then rinse them under cold water. 5 min

    Don't overcook them, they should stay a bit firm.

  4. Drain them well and divide them among shallow bowls.

    Draining well keeps the sauce from getting watered down.

  5. Arrange the smoked salmon, cucumber, and scallions on top.

    Roll the salmon slices into little rosettes, it looks nice.

  6. Sprinkle with nori and sesame seeds and serve with the sauce and wasabi.

    Dip a few noodles at a time into the sauce, the way they do in Japan.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick smoked salmon that isn't too salty, since the soy sauce already brings plenty of salt to the dish.
  • Serve the noodles right after draining and chilling them, they lose their firmness if they sit too long on the plate.
  • Make the tsuyu sauce the day before if you can, the dashi and mirin flavors blend better with time.

The variations

  • Swap the smoked salmon for cooked peeled shrimp for a milder version.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the salmon with firm tofu marinated for a few minutes in a bit of soy sauce.
  • For kids, serve the noodles slightly warm instead of cold and leave the wasabi off to the side.

What to serve it with

  • Warm salted edamame
  • Iced green tea
  • Crunchy cabbage salad

Storage

The soba and salmon keep for 1 day in the fridge in a sealed container, but the dish loses freshness and texture. The tsuyu sauce keeps separately for 2 to 3 days. This dish doesn't freeze well and is best eaten the same day.

Questions about this dish

Can you use a different type of noodle instead of soba?

You can use udon noodles or rice vermicelli, but the texture will be different. Soba, made from buckwheat, brings a slightly earthy flavor that's part of this dish's character.

Do you really need instant dashi for the sauce?

Dashi gives the tsuyu sauce its signature umami flavor, which is hard to truly replace. In a pinch, a well reduced vegetable broth can work, but the result will taste less authentic.

Can you prep this dish ahead for a dinner with friends?

Make the sauce and chop the vegetables up to a day ahead, keeping them chilled separately. Cook the soba just before serving, since they're best freshly rinsed and cold.

Is wasabi a must in this recipe?

No, it's served on the side exactly so everyone can add as much as they like. You can easily skip it if you're cooking for anyone sensitive to spice.

How long does it take to make cold soba noodles with smoked salmon?

Count 20 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in cold soba noodles with smoked salmon?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does cold soba noodles with smoked salmon cost?

About €4.60 per serving, or €18.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, fish, soy, sesame. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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