20-Minute Scallion Oil Noodles

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Recipe Video

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The Best Thing You Can Do With a Bunch of Scallions

There is always a bunch of scallions in my fridge. Sometimes two. They come in larger quantities than any single recipe calls for, they go limp faster than you expect, and most people use them as a garnish and forget about the rest.

This recipe fixes that.

Scallion oil is one of those foundational preparations that once you make it, you start putting it on everything. Scallions, ginger, and garlic cooked low and slow in neutral oil until every bit of their fragrance has been transferred into the fat. The solids wilt and soften. The oil turns fragrant and deeply savory. The result is something that makes whatever it touches taste significantly better than it has any right to.

Here it becomes the sauce, the cooking fat, and the poaching liquid for the shrimp all at once. Tossed with thick, chewy udon and finished with a spoonful of tobiko for bursts of briny sweetness, the whole bowl comes together in about 20 minutes from a single pot of oil that doubles as everything.

And you will have leftover scallion oil. A lot of it. Keep it in the fridge and use it on rice, noodles, scrambled eggs, grilled fish, or literally anything else that needs a hit of fragrant, savory fat. It lasts for weeks and makes every meal better.

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Why This Works

The genius of scallion oil noodles is in the efficiency of the technique. You make one thing and it does multiple jobs simultaneously:

• The scallion oil is the aromatic base, the sauce fat, and the poaching liquid for the shrimp
• The sauce is built by blooming the scallion oil with oyster sauce, soy, and mirin directly in the pan before the noodles go in
• The shrimp poach gently in the oil itself, picking up all of that fragrance while they cook

Three components. One pot of oil. Twenty minutes. The tobiko folded in at the very end adds a pop of texture and brininess that ties the whole bowl together without requiring any additional cooking.

This is also one of the most customizable noodle recipes you can make. The scallion oil sauce is the constant. Everything else is a variable. Swap the udon for soba, ramen noodles, or glass noodles. Replace the shrimp with chicken, scallops, tofu, or skip the protein entirely. Add whatever vegetables are in the fridge. The sauce makes it work regardless.

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Scallion Oil Udon Recipe

Ingredients

Scallion Oil

• 10-15 stalks scallions, finely chopped
• Small knob ginger, smashed
• 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed
• ½ tsp mushroom powder or other umami seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup neutral oil

Sauce

• 2-3 tbsp scallion oil
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin

Other (You can customize this)

• 5 large shrimp (16/20 size)
• Udon, 1 serving
• 2 tbsp tobiko

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Instructions

Make the Scallion Oil

1. In a small pot, combine the scallions, ginger, garlic, mushroom powder, salt, sugar, and neutral oil.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes until the scallions are fully wilted, fragrant, and the oil has taken on a deep green color. The oil should be gently bubbling throughout, not aggressively frying.

The goal is a slow, gentle infusion rather than a fry. If the scallions are browning aggressively, turn the heat down. You want them soft and fragrant, not crispy.

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Poach the Shrimp

1. With the scallion oil still warm over low heat, add the shrimp directly to the pot.
2. Poach for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through and pink. Remove and set aside.

Poaching the shrimp in the scallion oil rather than a separate pan means they pick up all of that fragrance as they cook. Don’t overcook them. They continue to carry residual heat after they come out of the oil.

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Cook the Noodles

1. Cook the udon according to package instructions. Drain well.

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Build the Sauce and Finish

1. In a pan over medium heat, add 2-3 tbsp of the scallion oil, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and mirin. Stir to combine and let the sauce bubble for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the cooked udon and toss to coat every strand evenly in the sauce.
3. Turn off the heat and fold in the tobiko. Toss once more.
4. Plate the noodles, arrange the poached shrimp on top, and spoon over any extra sauce from the pan.

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Tips

• Cook the scallion oil low and slow. The difference between fragrant, wilted scallions and burnt, bitter ones is about 30 seconds at too-high heat. Keep it at a gentle simmer and resist the urge to rush it.
• Make more oil than you need. This recipe uses 2-3 tbsp of the finished oil. The rest keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks and makes everything it touches taste better. Drizzle it over rice, congee, steamed fish, roasted vegetables, or fried eggs. It is one of the most versatile condiments you can keep on hand.
• Use thick udon. Fresh or frozen udon works better here than dried. The thick, chewy texture holds up to the sauce and gives the bowl the substance it needs. If you can find frozen Sanuki udon, that is the one to use.
• Fold the tobiko in off the heat. Adding tobiko to a hot pan pops the eggs and destroys the texture. Turn off the heat, add the tobiko, and toss quickly. The residual heat of the noodles is enough to warm them without cooking them through.
• Season the oil properly. The salt, sugar, and mushroom powder in the scallion oil are what make it a sauce rather than just flavored fat. Taste the oil before you use it and adjust if necessary.

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Leftover Scallion Oil

This recipe produces significantly more scallion oil than a single bowl of noodles requires. Store the remainder in a clean jar in the fridge and use it throughout the week on:

• Steamed rice or congee
• Fried or scrambled eggs
• Grilled or steamed fish
• Cold tofu with a drizzle on top
• Any noodle dish that needs a flavor boost
• Roasted vegetables straight out of the oven

The oil keeps for up to two weeks refrigerated. The flavor deepens slightly over time as the aromatics continue to infuse.

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Serving Suggestions

Scallion oil udon is a complete meal in a single bowl. If you want to extend it into a larger spread, a simple cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil alongside cuts through the richness of the sauce. A soft-boiled marinated egg on top adds another layer of protein and richness that works beautifully with the tobiko and shrimp.