Shio lemon yakisoba is a fresh and zingy variation of classic Japanese yakisoba made with fresh shrimp, crunchy asparagus and noodles stir-fried in a salt and lemon sauce. This dish is quick and easy to make and a refreshing dish to enjoy in summer!
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What is Shio Lemon Yakisoba?
Yakisoba is a popular Japanese stir-fry dish made with ramen-style noodles, meat and vegetables. It's a versatile dish with endless possibilities when it comes to customization, but the two most common types are "Sauce Yakisoba" and "Shio Yakisoba". The standard "sauce" version is made with pork and cooked in a savory and tangy yakisoba sauce flavored with a range of condiments including Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and oyster sauce. On the other hand, "shio-yakisoba" is simply seasoned with salt and pepper, allowing you to customize with additional flavors. The ingredients and seasonings used vary depending on the family, shop and region.
As some of you may know, Yakisoba is a classic Japanese street food and because it's a quick and easy dish to prepare outside, you can often find yakisoba food stands at outdoor occasions such as festivals, sports day, fireworks festivals and cherry blossom festivals. It is also a must-have dish at teppanyaki restaurants, where it can be cooked on an iron griddle alongside okonomiyaki and other teppan dishes.
This Shio Lemon Yakisoba is a zesty and refreshing take on shio-yakisoba, using the bright flavors of lemon to compliment the fresh shrimp and crunchy vegetables. It's quick to make, full of flavor and I especially enjoy this dish in the summer!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this Shio Lemon Seafood Yakisoba, you will need the following simple ingredients:
- Shrimp - small to medium sized white or pink shrimp work best. Feel free to use frozen shrimp, but make sure it's properly thawed before cooking. This dish also works great with mixed seafood or chicken if you prefer!
- Beansprouts - Add crunch to the dish and the mild flavor allows the lemon to shine.
- Asparagus - Another crunchy vegetable with a perfectly balanced bitter, sweet and earthy flavor.
- Green cabbage - Yakisoba doesn't have any rules when it comes to ingredients, but I don't think any yakisoba dish would be complete without cabbage! Green or pointed cabbage are most suitable.
- Chinese-style noodles - Known in Japanese as "chukamen", are versatile wheat noodles that can be used in all kinds of dishes. I recommend pre-boiled (chilled) noodles if possible. If you have to use dry noodles, boil them for a few minutes less than the time stated and drain thoroughly before frying to prevent them from steaming and becoming overcooked and soggy.
- Salt and pepper - I use regular sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sesame oil - Adds subtle nuttiness to the dish, I recommend Kadoya's sesame oil. If you prefer, you can use neutral-flavored cooking oil instead.
For this dish, I make a zesty lemon sauce and add it right at the end for maximum flavor! For the sauce, you will need:
- Lemon - Fresh lemon is preferred since both the juice and zest are used in the sauce.
- Salt and Pepper - To season the sauce separately.
- Sugar - A little sweetness adds balance to the sauce. I recommend white sugar (caster or granulated) for this.
- Soy sauce - a dash of dark soy sauce adds a hint of umami. I recommend using Japanese soy sauce such as Kikkoman soy sauce, but since it is a small amount, any soy sauce will work.
- Sake - adds umami and a hint of bitterness to help balance the flavor. Dry sherry or white wine work as substitutes, but if you don't want to use alcohol in your cooking, it's okay to add water instead to keep the consistency the same.
- Grated garlic - a small amount adds depth to the sauce, be careful not to overdo it though! And if you don't have fresh garlic to hand, use S&B's garlic paste for a convenient alternative.
- Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder - adds extra umami to the sauce. I recommend Youki's chicken bouillon powder. Avoid chicken stock powders with added herbs and spices, since they will alter the flavor of the dish.
- Sesame oil - adds a nutty flavor and helps the sauce stick better to the noodles and ingredients.
- White sesame seeds - for a touch of nutty flavor.
- Finely chopped green onion - an extra refreshing addition to the sauce, which can also be used as a garnish at the end!
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Step-by-Step Process
Here are my step by step instructions for how to make zesty and refreshing Shio Lemon Yakisoba in 20 minutes or less! For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the printable recipe card.
Take a small bowl and add lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, sake, grated garlic, sesame oil, Chinese chicken bouillon powder, sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Mix thoroughly and set aside for later.
Fill a bowl with cold water and add the beansprouts with a couple of pinches of salt. This step not only cleans the beansprouts but improves the texture.
Deshell and devein the shrimp, then place them in a bowl and rub the surface with cornstarch and salt. Once fully covered, rinse thoroughly with cold water and pat them dry.
Heat a large pan or wok on medium-high and add a drizzle of sesame oil. Add your noodles and fry until lightly crispy on both sides.
If you're using dry ramen noodles, boil them for a few minutes less than the time stated on the packaging and drain thoroughly before frying. You might want to let them air dry for a few minutes before adding them to the pan to prevent the moisture from creating steam that will make the noodles soggy.
Once lightly crispy, remove them from the pan and set aside for later.
In the same pan, pour a little extra sesame oil and then add the shrimp and asparagus. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir-fry until cooked through.
Return the noodles to the pan and mix thoroughly to break them apart.
Push the noodles, shrimp and asparagus to one side to make space in the pan. Drain the beansprouts and place them in the empty space.
Place the cabbage on top of the beansprouts, then move the noodles on top of the cabbage. These layers will allow the beansprouts to steam at the bottom and cook the cabbage in the middle without overcooking the noodles.
Move the shrimp and asparagus to the top to prevent burning, and cook until the beansprouts and cabbage are slightly softened.
Pour the lemon sauce around the pan and turn up the heat to high. Stir fry for about 1 minute (to burn off the alcohol in the sake) and mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Transfer to serving plates and sprinkle with chopped green onion (optional).
Enjoy!
Storing and Reheating
Yakisoba can be both refrigerated or frozen. To store, it is ideal to wrap it or place it in an airtight container to prevent the noodles from drying out. Since yakisoba contains many ingredients, it is not recommended to keep it for more than 2 days in the fridge. If you don't plan to eat it by the next day, freezing is preferred and can be kept for up to 2 months. Divide into individual portions for convenience.
To reheat, simply microwave until piping hot. You can also defrost in the microwave.
Storage summary
Room temperature - Not recommended. For bento, use an icepack and insulated lunch bag and consume within 2 hours in summer or 4 hours in winter.
Refrigerated - Up to 2 days.
Frozen - Up to 2 months.
I hope you enjoy this refreshing shio lemon yakisoba recipe! If you try it out, I'd really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It's also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
Shio Lemon Seafood Yakisoba
Ingredients
Shio Yakisoba Sauce
- ½ lemon(s) - zest and juice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 dash soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sake
- ½ tsp grated garlic - or garlic paste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp finely chopped green onion(s)
Shrimp
- 200 g shrimp(s) - deshelled and deviened
- 1 tsp cornstarch - for cleaning
- 2 pinches salt - for cleaning
Beansprouts
- 100 g beansprouts
- 1 bowl of cold water
- 2 pinches salt
Shio Lemon Yakisoba
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 200 g pre-boiled Chinese-style noodles - chukamen, yakisoba noodles
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 2 stalks asparagus - cut into bitezie pieces
- 50 g green cabbage - (green or pointed) cut into bitesize pieces
- finely chopped green onion(s) - to garnish
Instructions
- First, take a small bowl and add all of the sauce ingredients (½ tsp salt, 1 pinch black pepper, ¼ tsp sugar, 1 dash soy sauce, 1 tbsp sake, ½ tsp grated garlic, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, 1 tsp white sesame seeds, 1 tbsp finely chopped green onion(s), and the zest and juice of ½ lemon(s)). Mix thoroughly and set aside for later.
- Next, place 100 g beansprouts into a 1 bowl of cold water and 2 pinches salt. Soak until it's time to cook.
- Place 200 g shrimp(s) in a bowl and rub 1 tsp cornstarch and 2 pinches salt over the surface. Rinse them with cold water and dry them with kitchen paper, then set aside for later.
- Heat a large pan or wok on medium-high and add 1 tsp of sesame oil. Once hot, add 200 g pre-boiled Chinese-style noodles to the pan and fry until lightly crispy on both sides.
- Transfer the noodles to a plate and set aside for later.
- Using the same pan, add another teaspoon of sesame oil and add the shrimp and 2 stalks asparagus. Sprinkle them with 1 pinch salt and pepper and fry until the shrimps are cooked through.
- Add the noodles back to the pan and mix them a little to help break them apart if they became stuck together.
- Push the noodles to one side to make space in the pan.
- Add the beansprouts to the empty space and lay 50 g green cabbage on top.
- Place the noodles on the top of the cabbage. The beansprouts will cook at the bottom of the pan while the cabbage steams in the middle.
- As it cooks, move the shrimp and asparagus to the top of the noodles to stop them from burning.
- When the beansprouts and cabbage are slightly softened (about 2 minutes later) turn up the heat to high and drizzle the lemon salt sauce around the pan. Mix until well incorporated.
- Serve up and garnish with finely chopped green onion(s)!
- Enjoy!
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