Sesame Salmon Noodle Bowls With Ponzu

By Ali Slagle

Updated October 27, 2025

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready In
30 min
Rating
5(311)
Comments
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Silky salmon, chewy noodles, crisp vegetables: These cold noodle bowls are refreshing and satisfying, and don’t require much effort. Inspired by zaru soba and udon — cold noodles served with dipping sauce — this recipe uses supermarket stars to deliver flavor fast. Coating the salmon with toasted sesame oil and seeds accentuates the fish’s richness, while ponzu, a sauce of citrus juices, soy sauce and dashi, brightens straight from the bottle. If you like, add a kick with wasabi, grated ginger, shichimi togarashi, yuzu kosho or thinly sliced serrano pepper.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Salt

  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless or skin-on salmon fillets 

  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (any color)

  • 10 to 12 ounces dried udon or soba

  • Any combination of salad greens and sliced cucumbers, radishes, snap peas, and scallions, for serving

  • ½ cup ponzu

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

61 grams carbs; 109 milligrams cholesterol; 766 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 32 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1270 milligrams sodium; 54 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a parchment-lined sheet pan, rub the salmon all over with salt and sesame oil. Arrange skin side down, if there is skin, then press sesame seeds into the top and sides of the fish. Bake until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily, 14 to 17 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water until cool to the touch, then shake dry. 

  3. Step 3

    Divide the noodles, vegetables and salmon among 4 bowls. Drizzle with the ponzu.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
311 user ratings
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Comments

Erin M.

This was so yummy! I did lettuce, sugar snap peas and radishes as the veggie base. Udon noddles and salmon with sesame oil and everything bagel seasoning. Who knew you could buy ponzu sauce at the store. What a delight.

DG

My husband made this dish, it was fantastic. It took just 30 minutes which totally impressed him

kitty

Quick ponzu is easy to make from equal parts soy sauce and citrus plus a bit of mirin.

RunBakeEat

Found the salmon and noodle salad a little bland. Punched up the flavor with a splash of soy sauce, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes.

ERH

Quick, easy, delicious. For veggies I used radishes, cucumbers, shredded cabbage and cilantro, along with some shelled edamame beans I cooked with the noodles. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of ponzu per portion but this would have been too salty for us; I’d suggest starting with 1 tbsp per portion and letting people add more to taste. The adults also added some chili crisp to their bowls!

Pamela

I used extra firm tofu for the salmon and cooked it in the air fryer. I think salmon would be great too, but the tofu was fantastic. I used an avocado, carrots, and yellow bell pepper.

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