Name: Brown Butter Shrimp Cold Noodles
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 lb Jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on; Salt and black pepper; 1 tbsp Neutral oil; 3 tbsp Unsalted butter; 2 tbsp Soy sauce; 1 tbsp Sesame oil; 1 tbsp Rice vinegar; 1 tbsp Chili crisp; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 clove Garlic, finely grated; 8 oz Ramen or thin wheat noodles; 2 cups Chicken stock; Scallions, thinly sliced; Ice; Toasted sesame seeds; Chili oil; Fresh red chili, thinly sliced; Lime wedge

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Brown Butter Shrimp Cold Noodles | Chef Fatty

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Cook: 20 minTotal: 20 min

The story

This is the summer dinner I make on repeat. Cold noodles take the edge off the heat, hot brown butter shrimp keeps every bite interesting, and the whole thing comes together in ten minutes of real cooking with one pan and zero giant pots of boiling pasta water steaming up the kitchen.

The trick is the order. Sear the shrimp first in oil, pull them out, then drop the butter into the same hot skillet so it browns inside the leftover shrimp fond. Build the sauce right there, cook the noodles in it with chicken stock until the liquid disappears into the strands. Toss scallions in, shock the whole thing with ice in a separate bowl, plate cold, crown with the hot shrimp. Cold sauced noodles, hot caramelized shrimp, every bite doing both at once.

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Method

Sear the Shrimp

01
Pat the shrimp completely dry. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the shrimp in a single layer, do not crowd the pan. Sear 60 seconds without touching until deep pink and caramelized. Flip and cook 30 more seconds, then transfer the shrimp to a plate. Leave all the fond and oil in the pan.

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Build the Sauce in the Butter

02
Drop the butter into the hot pan. Let it foam, then keep cooking until it turns amber and smells nutty, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili crisp, sugar, and grated garlic. Stir until everything bubbles together into a glossy sauce.

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Cook the Noodles in the Sauce

03
Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the noodles straight to the pan and cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are tender and the sauce has reduced into the strands, 3 to 5 minutes depending on your noodles.

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Toss with Scallions, Cool with Ice

04
Off the heat, toss the scallions through the noodles. Fill a large mixing bowl with a couple big handfuls of ice and transfer the noodles straight into it (the pan is too hot to add ice directly). Toss continuously as the ice melts. The melted water carries off the residual heat and loosens the sauce so the noodles stay fully coated and go cold and glossy.

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Plate and Finish

05
Mound the cold noodles in a wide bowl. Arrange the shrimp on top, tails pointing up. Finish with sesame seeds, a heavy chili oil drizzle, red chili slices, and a lime wedge on the side.

Chef's note

Pat the shrimp completely dry. Moisture is the enemy of caramelization.
Temperature contrast is the whole concept. Cold glossy noodles, hot brown butter shrimp. Serve immediately.
Every drop of brown butter goes over the dish. It is the sauce. Don't leave any in the pan.
The lime is not optional. It cuts through the brown butter richness and brightens the whole bowl.