I’ve wanted to do a series on Dragon Noodle variations for a while. The wildly popular original Dragon Noodle recipe is so simple that it’s the perfect jumping off point for several interpretations. You’ve all chimed in with your own favorite ways to personalize the recipe, so I thought I’d bring some of those ideas to life and give direction to those who are not ready to experiment on their own. First up, Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles! 👏👏👏 (that’s the crowd applauding, btw)
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This version is a great demonstration of three ways to customize the original recipe: switch out the protein, use a different type of noodle, and add to the sauce. So, I used shrimp for protein instead of egg this time around. While shrimp are just as easy to cook as eggs, they can be a little more expensive, so I also switched out my favorite wide lo mein noodles for a less expensive ramen (because once they get drenched in that spicy sweet sauce, who cares what kind of noodle it is, gnome sayin’??). Finally, I added some fresh lime juice to the sauce (and served it with wedges for squeezing over the noodles) to add freshness and help highlight the seafood flavor.
Can I Use a Different Type of Noodle?
Yep! I’ve made variations of my Dragon Noodles many types of noodles. My favorite are the wide lo mein noodles, but these inexpensive ramen noodles also work well. If you’re in a pinch you can even use regular pasta, although lighter egg noodles will probably be a better fit (and are also inexpensive).
Do I Have to Use Shrimp?
Nope. The original Dragon Noodle recipe uses scrambled eggs and I think that would work just as well here, and cut the cost even further.
How Spicy Are Dragon Noodles?
Dragon Noodles are VERY SPICY. They’re for spicy food lovers. If you want to lighten up the heat just a bit you can opt for half the amount of sriracha. If you want to make something like this with absolutely no heat, I suggest trying my Garlic Noodles recipe instead.
Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles
Servings 2 to 4 servingsIngredients
- 1/2 lb frozen peeled & deveined shrimp (51/70 size) ($3.00)
- 2 packs (3 oz. each) ramen noodles ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha ( $0.18)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 lime ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.18)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 green onions ($0.17)
- Handful fresh cilantro ($0.10)
Instructions
- Place the shrimp in a colander and rinse with cool water until thawed. Let the shrimp drain until ready to use.
- In a small bowl stir together the sriracha, soy sauce, brown sugar, and about 1 Tbsp juice from the lime. Set the sauce aside.
- Fill a medium sauce pot with water, place a lid on top, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the ramen noodles (without the flavoring packet) and continue to boil until the noodles are tender. Drain the noodles in a colander (if using the same colander for the shrimp, make sure to wash it with soap and water first).
- While waiting for the water to boil, mince two cloves of garlic. Add the butter and garlic to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until the garlic is soft (about one minute). Add the shrimp and continue to sauté until the shrimp turn pink and opaque (about 3-5 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Once the noodles have drained, add them to the skillet with the shrimp, then pour the prepared sauce over top. Toss the noodles in the sauce until everything is coated in sauce. Top the dragon noodles with sliced green onion, fresh cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of lime.
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How to Make Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles – Step by Step Photos
Defrost 1/2 lb. of frozen peeled and deveined shrimp. They defrost quickly if you place them in a colander and run cool water over them. Let them drain until you’re ready to use them. I used 51/70 size, which I found to be just right for the noodles. “51/70” means there are on average between 51 and 70 shrimp per pound.
Next, prepare the Dragon Noodle dressing so it will be ready to go when you need it. In a small bowl stir together 2 Tbsp sriracha, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and about 1 Tbsp of lime juice. Save the rest of the lime to serve as wedges with the meal.
Bring a medium sauce pot full of water to a boil, then add two packages of ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet). Boil the noodles until tender, then drain in a colander. If you use the same colander to drain the noodles as you used to rinse the shrimp, make sure to wash it out with soap and hot water first.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil, you can continue preparing the shrimp. Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to a large skillet along with 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium heat for about a minute, or just until it softens a bit and gets really fragrant, but doesn’t brown.
Then add the thawed and drained shrimp and continue to sauté until they turn pink and opaque. Shrimp cook really quickly, so this should only take a few minutes. If you continue to cook them, they will shrink and become very tough, so remove the skillet from the heat at this point.
Finally, add the cooked and drained noodles to the skillet and pour the sauce over top. Toss the noodles in the sauce until everything is coated.
Slice up a couple of green onions and pull a handful of cilantro leaves from the stems.
Sprinkle the green onions and cilantro over the noodles. Cut the remaining lime into wedges to serve with the noodles.
#dragonnoodlelove
This was so delicious. I didnt have lime, and used lemon instead but it still was DELICIOUS. You deserve the nobel cooking peace prize.
Ha thanks Amanda!
Made this tonight & it was delicious! A couple of adaptations, I chopped up broccoli to tiny pieces and added it to my boiling noodles and I didn’t have ramen noodles so used angel hair instead. Would make again!
Oh that sounds good! Great work Kassie!
This is a spicier (heat-wise) version than the Indian recipe I tried before. Definitely fulfills a craving for “heat” – my eyeballs weren’t sweating, but tongue and lips were tingling by the end :) You’d probably want to pair it with a sweetened drink or something else cooling. Once again, for kids or elderly parents I would use a little less sriracha. I think the addition of snowpeas would be a great way to up the veg content (if not the cost savings) but it tastes great as is with green onion, lime and (I skipped the soapy cilantro, lol!)
I love adding snowpeas!
I think this is a great base, but the recipe could be improved with the addition of some veggies. Next time, I will skip the extra step of cooking the shrimp in all that butter, and just stir fry it in sesame oil with the garlic and add the noodles and sauce straight into the wok. You can buy ramen noodles without the flavor packet at any Asian grocery store. I loved the spiciness of the dish!
Very delicious and easy to make! The only thing is I would double up on the sauce.
Doubled the sauce, added extra cilantro,:sesame seeds. & extra noodles (I used Lo Mein) phenomenal!, even have enough for lunch tomorrow!! So easy!!
This is like magic. Just a few ingredients and so little effort to put together, and quite tasty. I use gluten free pad thai rice noodles instead of ramen.
This recipe is so delicious. I made it a month ago and the kids love it. I’ve been asked to make this at least 3 other times! I might try it with eggs this next time around but the shrimp was very good with it! I even passed this recipe along to a coworker. I have most of these items in my home weekly so it was a good choice!
deliciousness
Delicious! I subbed garlic chili sauce for the Schiracha. (less than the schiracha as we don’t love super spicy), and subbed a skinny soba type noodle for the ramen. Otherwise, I followed the recipe and we have no left overs! Win Win!
Always delicious recipe,s. This one is a keeper! Thanks Beth!
Excited to try this one! Any suggestions on adding veggies? I’m thinking spinach and maybe broccolini, but would love to hear your suggestions!
Yep, both of those would be awesome, as would something like snow peas. Basically anything that usually goes into a stir fry would work well here. :)
Made this last night and my husband absolutely devoured it. I didn’t happen to have ramen noodles so I tried it with what I had in the pantry, which was linguine, and it still worked. I made double the sauce because it’s just that ridiculously delicious 😋 I love your recipes, Beth—I’m not a good cook and I’m not confident in the kitchen by any stretch, but your directions and step-by-step photos are so easy to follow and I’m usually very successful when I follow your recipes!
I made this tonight and while it had really good flavors, I think it could be better with udon noodles or at least something better than Top Ramen. Will definitely made again, though.
Thanks for posting, this is great! I added onion and celery and topped with peanuts! Loved it!