For this speedy one pot dinner, salmon and soba noodles get cooked together and then tossed in a creamy sesame dressing and topped with crunchy veggies and lots of herbs. The noodles are delicious warm, but I also love them as a cold noodle salad the next day (see leftovers section). Plus, the recipe is super adaptable – you can use any noodle, protein, and veggie you want (see substitutions section for more details)!
Ingredient highlight
Soba noodles! are a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour (often mixed with wheat flour). Buckwheat flour is naturally gluten-free, nutty in flavor, and dark in color. Soba noodles are a great source of protein, packing in about 8g in just 2 ounces. They’re also a good source of in iron, calcium, potassium, and zinc.
If you have access to an Asian or Japanese grocery store, that is the best place to find authentic soba noodles. Otherwise, they can be found in most grocery stores in the “ethnic” food aisle. The ingredient list should just read: “wheat flour, buckwheat flour, water, salt”.
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 5 minutes Ingredients
- 8-10 oz soba noodles
- 10-12 oz salmon, cut into 2-4 fillets
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cups thinly sliced raw veg (cabbage, carrot, radish, fennel, snap peas, etc…)
- Chopped cilantro or scallions, for topping
- Sesame seeds, for topping
- Lemon wedges, for topping
- Chili oil, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and salmon and boil for 2-5 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through (depends on thickness). Transfer the salmon to a cutting board and continue to cook the noodles until they are done.
- Reserve about 1 cup of the noodle water, then drain and rinse with cold water to cool them down until they are just warm.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, maple or honey, sesame oil and salt until smooth.
- Add the noodles to the large bowl and toss to coat in the sauce. If the sauce seems too thick/pasty, add in a splash of the noodle water and toss again.
- Peel off the skin from the salmon and flake it into chunks. Season with a sprinkle (about 1/4 teaspoon) of salt.
- Serve the noodles topped with salmon, thinly sliced veggies, herbs, and sesame seeds. Squeeze lemon generously all over. Top with chili oil, if using.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Whisk together the sauce
- Thinly slice 3 cups raw veg
- Chop cilantro or scallions
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, bake cubed tofu in the oven (or cook it however you want) in place of salmon. Or skip the salmon and top with any protein (eggs, edamame, etc…).
- Use all tahini to make it nut-free or use all peanut butter for a more peanut forward version.
- You can use any raw crunchy veggie. Or add in some broccolini or broccoli to the boiling water at the end, just don’t overcook it – you want some crunch.
- Use any noodle – whole wheat or regular spaghetti or udon noodles.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Add water to loosen up the sauce! You can eat these cold or warm them up until just warm. Add water and toss the noodles until they loosen up. Top with warmed up salmon and all the other toppings.
- Put any protein, veggies, and toppings on the noodles.
- Top with a fried egg and chili oil.
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