Soba Noodles with Scallops and Vegetables

Slurp. Crunch. Chew. Pow. Zing. Faint. Repeat.

That’s pretty much what we’re dealing with here, folks. A quadrafecta of bite by bite mouthal blowout.

I discovered soba noodles a lawng time ago, in an old Domino magazine. Which BY THE WAY, am I crazy or did I hear it’s coming back? Like, only online? Or just a special issue and that’s it? Or in the hopeful corner of my imagination where things occur like Ryan Gosling and Phillip Phillips cleaning my kitchen with no shirts on, or Wilson Phillips inviting me to be a guest host on their NEW SHOW and I get to wear a wig?

 

Soba noodles. Right.

I remember reading the word soba for the first time and mistaking it as soap noodles. Like, WHO EATS SOAP NOODLES. I MOST CERTAINLY AM NOT EATING SOA- oh, soba. Well, what in the name of bull honky tonkeraroo is soba?

Let me tell you.

 

Soba noodles are thin Japanese noodles made out of buckwheat flour. And they’re deliciously nutty and wonderfully toothy and I’m going to make a wig out of them for my debut on the Wilson Phillips show. YOU WATCH ME.

Soba noodles are also rad because you can eat them hot, warm, room temp, or cold. Or on your head.

 

I’d eat soba noodles straight from a dirty pig trough, but one of my favorite ways to slurp them into my life is this supah simp to the pimp toss with barely sauteed asparagus and snow peas, a quick dressing of soy, spicy sambal oelek and lime juice, and topped with seared scallops and scallions. And of course more lime juice.

Oh, and while I’m thinking about those little scallops: you know the frozen bags at the store of the little scallops and you’re like, “ewwww.” Well, I tried them! And they’re great! Huge diver scallops will forever rule of course, but when you’re in a pinch and don’t want to sell a kidney in order to purchase the good stuff, try these. I dug ’em.

 

I’m telling you, this meal is SO fresh and takes NO time at all and there is SO much going on in the ways of flavor and texture and this sentence needs an exclamation point, dag nabbit!

 

Slurp. Crunch. Chew. Pow. Zing. Faint. Repeat.

My wig is coming together pretty nicely, you guys.

Soba Noodles with Scallops and Vegetables:

What it took for 2:

* 2 bundles soba noodles
* 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 10 asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
* 1 cup snow peas, sliced on the diagonal
* 1 Tbs. sambal oelek
* 2 Tbs. soy sauce
* 1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
* 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
* 1/2 tsp brown sugar
* 1 cup frozen baby scallops, thawed
* 2 Tbs. sliced scallions, for garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sambal oelek, sesame oil, lime juice and brown sugar.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under warm water. Dump noodles into the bowl with the spicy dressing.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the asparagus and snow peas and saute until crisp tender, 4 minutes. Remove from heat and toss into the bowl with the soba noodles.

Back in the skillet, add the scallops. Sear on one side for about 2 minutes. They’ll shrink up pretty fast, so instead of flipping them one by one, just toss the pan around for another minute until they’re browned all over. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Serve soba noodles topped with scallops and scallions. Give the whole darn thing another good squeeze of lime juice. Eat it!

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27 Responses to Soba Noodles with Scallops and Vegetables

  1. marla April 9, 2012 at 1:09 pm #
    I love soba noodles too ~ especially with all these goodies tucked inside. Or as you say "the quadrafecta" * kisses *
  2. Lori @ RecipeGirl April 9, 2012 at 1:21 pm #
    I'm digging this idea for dinner. Totes.
  3. Lisa [With Style and Grace] April 9, 2012 at 1:23 pm #
    I love soba noodles, especially since they're gluten-free. Also, great to know about the frozen little scallops, I always wondered about them - going to give them a try now!
  4. Maria April 9, 2012 at 1:26 pm #
    Soba noodles are my favorite! Can't get enough!
  5. Denise@BeBetsy April 9, 2012 at 2:10 pm #
    Have not tried these noodles but def will do now! Presentation - sweet! So enjoy your blog. Have a great week!
  6. Lauren April 9, 2012 at 2:28 pm #
    Those little baby scallops are so cute!!
  7. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen April 9, 2012 at 2:32 pm #
    Soba noodles are awesome b/c they totally satisfy the pasta craving AND they have a decent dose of protein. Only downfall is their price tag. $4-5 for less than a pound of pasta is just totally unnecessary!
    • Bev Weidner April 9, 2012 at 3:12 pm #
      Oh geez! That's pricey. I just checked my bag and at my local Asian market they're $5.50 for a 3 pound bag. I hope you can find something more like that!
  8. Cassie April 9, 2012 at 3:10 pm #
    Love soba noodles. And the scallops are the perfect color contrast for them!
  9. Sommer@ASpicyPerspective April 9, 2012 at 3:27 pm #
    Oh momma! This is divine--love those cute baby scallops!
  10. Natalie @ Cooking for My Kids April 9, 2012 at 3:47 pm #
    Oh my yumminess. You amaze me more with every single post. :)
  11. Nicole {Sweet Peony} April 9, 2012 at 4:04 pm #
    Fudge yes. I don't know what the heck sambal oelek is, but I'm eating this! Even if it's from off your head! And I just love those cute little baby scallops :)
  12. Heather April 9, 2012 at 4:11 pm #
    i need to jump in and try soba noodles...why oh why haven't i had them before?!
  13. Deanna B. April 9, 2012 at 5:35 pm #
    Anything with Sambal oelek and I'll eat it and I love cold soba noodles more than words can say.
  14. Katie (Epicurean Mom Blog) April 9, 2012 at 8:00 pm #
    I love love love soba noodles!!!
  15. Katie April 9, 2012 at 8:08 pm #
    I'm so darn intimidated by scallops. Please come over and make this for me. (OHHH, I and I just remembered that I had a crazy dream about you last night. You and your husband came to live with us while your kitchen was being remodeled and you sang songs while you cooked in my kitchen. I'm not even kidding. I dreamed that.)
    • Bev Weidner April 9, 2012 at 8:30 pm #
      That's crazy because we're like, an hour outside of Denver. SEE YOU SOON. ;)
  16. Deliciously Organic April 9, 2012 at 9:35 pm #
    This dish has so many of my favorite flavors!
  17. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts April 10, 2012 at 1:03 am #
    I have never actually tried Soba noodles. Definitely going to have to change that soon! Love the baby scallops, they are so cute!
  18. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious April 10, 2012 at 5:18 am #
    Loving this! It looks so light and healthy. I'll have to make this sometime next week :)
  19. Shirataki Noodles April 11, 2012 at 8:17 am #
    I wanna try this recipe with shirataki noodles, rest things are same, Thanks for share !!
  20. Christina June 15, 2012 at 3:00 pm #
    I made this last night. Then I had leftovers of it for lunch, and I am seriously condsidering having it again for dinner. You. Are. A. Goddess.
  21. Vita @ Juicer Depot June 28, 2012 at 8:29 am #
    First time trying soba noodles. One store had it but it was expensive so I shopped around and found it at another store for half the price. I absolutely loved it. I found a grocery store that sold sambal oelek which gave this recipe a little kick which wasn't over powering. The spicy dressing smelled soooo good when I was making it. I knew then it was going to be an excellent dish.
  22. Kristin September 25, 2012 at 9:54 am #
    I love Bay scallops! Here in the big bend area of Florida, we can get our own fresh in the summer. I think up north you can get them more often. But frozen will do just fine. This looks delicious!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Somen Noodles with Scallops and Vegetables | Bev Cooks - July 31, 2012 [...] one dusty corner of your cerebrum. And you have! I kindasortamaybe made this back in April with soba noodles. But! I swapped out the veggies and fine-tuned her a smidge. Plus, some of you may be new to my site [...]
  2. Grilled Asian Steak Salad | Bev Cooks - August 6, 2012 [...] dressing lately. I’m sure it’s not at all obvious as I’ve shoved it in your face here, here and here. And there’s a tiny chance I’m making it again tomorrow. I think [...]
  3. Recipes | Pearltrees - March 5, 2017 […] I used regular capers since that's what we had (Trader Joe's brand in a vinegar brine). Soba Noodles with Scallops and Vegetables. Slurp. Crunch. […]

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