Shrimp

I keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer specifically for ramen nights. Two minutes from frozen to thawed under cold water, three minutes in a pan, and I have protein. If chicken thigh is the easy option for someone new to cooking, shrimp is the easy option for someone in a hurry.

Why Shrimp is Great For Instant Ramen

Shrimp cooks in two minutes flat. That makes it one of the fastest protein toppings on this site, faster than even the leanest chicken breast. The flavor is also mild and slightly sweet, which means it doesn’t compete with whatever broth you drop it into. A spicy bowl, a seafood bowl, a clean Japanese chicken broth. The shrimp picks up the flavor of the bowl and gives you a tender bite back.

The texture matters too. Cooked shrimp is firm and slightly snappy. That contrast against soft instant noodles is the texture upgrade most bowls are missing. The only way to ruin shrimp is to overcook it. Pull it the moment the flesh turns opaque pink. Past that, the shrimp turns rubbery.

Ways to Prepare Shrimp for Ramen

Pan-Seared: This is the quickest way to cook the shrimp besides tossing it in the with the noodles. It only needs a 2-3 minute sear on each side and then you can mix it in your ramen or top it off.

Boiled: I love this method because I just toss it in with my boiling water and seasoning packet. The key to this one is making sure it doesn’t overcook in the water. Usually by the time the noodles are done cooking, the shrimp should be too.

Fried: If you like a crispy texture with your ramen, this is a good method. Just toss the shrimp in some flour and cornstarch and fry it in hot oil. Again, these don’t take long since shrimp are smaller.

Grilled: This is great if you already have the grill running and you want a slightly smoky flavor with your noodles.

Quick-Marinated: If you think ahead a 15-20 minutes you can marinate them in a soy-ginger or garlic-chili sauce to level up the flavor before using any of the above cooking methods.

How to Serve It

Pull the shrimp slightly under and let the broth heat finish them in the bowl. Place six to eight shrimp around the edge of the bowl in a fan pattern so the photo looks intentional. If you’ve pan-seared, drizzle the rendered oil from the pan over the noodles. That oil carries shrimp flavor and you don’t want to leave it behind.

My Instant Ramen Suggestions

Shrimp is a topping that goes well with a lot of different instant ramens since it’s so versatile. Personally, I like it with spicier ones or even seafood flavored ramen to bring out even more of the shrimp flavor. Some of my suggestions:

• DongWon Seafood Kalguksu Noodle Soup
• Mama Tom Yum Shrimp Instant Noodles
• Acecook SiuKay Seafood 7-Level Spicy Noodles
• Acecook Hao Hao Hot Sour Shrimp
• Wai Wai Quick Zabb Tom Yum Shrimp

Let me know your thoughts on shrimp as a ramen topping!