Summer Picnics ...Shrimp & Noodle Salad With Ginger Dressing

Summer picnics are here and I'm sure we will have plenty of those at the lake this summer.  Pasta salads of all kinds, particularly those with an Asian flavor, are a delight to bring along with a chilled bottle of white wine and a baguette with cheese and fruit for dessert.  Perhaps, just perhaps cookies might be found at the bottom of the hamper...

In this salad, instead of spending time shredding cabbage and carrots, Grace Parisi of Food & Wine uses prepackaged coleslaw mix. She tosses it with noodles and shrimp, then adds a spicy, gingery dressing prepared with other easy-to-find supermarket ingredients, like bottled teriyaki sauce and chile-garlic sauce.


Ingredients

 7 ounce(s) dried udon noodles or fettuccine, broken in half

12 ounce(s) shredded coleslaw mix

2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

1 cup(s) cilantro leaves

3/4 pound(s) cooked medium shrimp, halved lengthwise

1/4 cup(s) teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoon(s) finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon(s) Chinese chile-garlic sauce

1/4 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt

Lime wedges, for serving


Directions

1.Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry and transfer to a large bowl. Add the coleslaw mix, scallions, cilantro, and shrimp.

2.In a blender, combine the teriyaki sauce with the ginger and chile-garlic sauce and puree until smooth. With the machine on, slowly add the vegetable oil in a thin stream and puree until the dressing is emulsified. Season lightly with salt. Add the dressing to the bowl with the udon noodles and toss well. Serve the noodle salad with lime wedges on the side.
 
Food &Wine