Chef notes
Want to whip up quick, refreshing meals during the hottest weeks of summer—without turning on the stove? Here's a tip: Stock up on frozen precooked shrimp. An incredibly versatile ingredient, shrimp adds flavor and protein to everything from salads to sandwiches to hors d'oeuvres—and you can use it to make this vibrant "noodle" dish. Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste turns cucumbers into crunchy noodles and tosses them with shrimp and a sweet-and-sour dressing for a dish that tastes like summer—but you'll crave it all year long. To stock up on ingredients for all of our No-Cook Week recipes, check out our complete shopping list.
Ingredients
- 2 medium medium cucumbers
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
Preparation
Equipment: A mandoline (with julienne blade) or a spiralizer
Attach the julienne blade to the mandoline, and adjust it to the 1/8-inch-thick setting. Applying medium pressure, carefully run one of the cucumbers down the blade to form noodles, slicing until you reach the core. Rotate the cucumber a quarter turn and continue slicing and rotating until you've cut the entire cucumber. Repeat the slicing process with the second cucumber then transfer the cucumber noodles to a medium bowl.
Add the red onion, shrimp, rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup water, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes (optional) to the bowl, tossing to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cucumber noodles for a minimum of 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until chilled.
When ready to serve, use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the noodles and shrimp to serving plates and top with the sesame seeds.
