Teriyaki Salmon Soba Noodle Bowls

Just when you thought salmon couldn’t get any better, these teriyaki salmon noodles will put all previous dishes you’ve had to shame. With a perfect balance of sweet and savory in the teriyaki glaze and lots of fresh asparagus and avocado, you will never believe you can put together this meal in just over 30 minutes.

This recipe was originally published on October 2, 2014, and was republished in March 2021 to add better quality photos, re-test the recipe, and add more helpful tips.

Since it has been well established elsewhere how much I love salmon, let’s start talking about everything we eat with salmon. Every balanced meal needs plenty of proteins, lots of vitamin-rich vegetables, just a bit of healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. This beautiful salmon dish covers all of that.

Asparagus is a wonderfully fiber rich vegetable. Avocado has lots of vitamins and healthy fats. Salmon is obviously a great source of protein, but it is also one of the few sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids – really important for brain function! But what grain should you serve with all of that?

It’s so easy to fall back on serving marinated salmon or chicken with a simple white rice.  Not that there is anything wrong with that. I would happily eat this spicy Korean salmon with rice at least once a week. But there are so many other interesting options for healthy carbohydrates!

One of my favorites is soba noodles. They have a wonderfully nutty flavor that mixes beautifully with meat and vegetables. And they are simply delicious with this sweet and tangy teriyaki glazed salmon!

What are soba noodles?

Soba noodles are a common Japanese noodle that are often used in both hot and cold dishes. They are made from buckwheat flour rather than standard wheat flour like udon noodles. Because of the buckwheat, they have a darker color and a unique flavor that is totally different than any other noodle.

Because buckwheat is gluten free, soba noodles are traditionally gluten free, but many brands are mixed with part wheat flour. The extra wheat flour makes the noodles easier to work with and have a chewier consistency – more like a standard pasta. But if you want to serve a gluten free meal to your family or guests, just double check the ingredients of your soba.

Overall, buckwheat contains more proteins than either rice or regular red wheat (the grain most wheat flour is made from). It just doesn’t have the gluten proteins. They also contain more fiber and vitamins, especially the B vitamins. All this makes soba noodles a great choice when you are trying to make your meals a little healthier.

If you want to experiment with some other soba recipes, I recommend chicken yakisoba. And if you someone in your household doesn’t like salmon (it’s ok, I think they are missing out too), you can always serve them a chicken teriyaki on soba instead!

How to trim the ends of asparagus

Most people don’t know that asparagus spears we eat are the early sprouts of the asparagus plant which is very fluffy and spindly when it is fully mature. If left too long before harvest, the asparagus spear will start to get woody and tough rather than tender and sweet.

The best way to make sure that none of that woody part cooked is to break it naturally. Since each asparagus matures independently, breaking the ends off individually works best for that perfect, tender eating experience.

This may seem time-consuming rather than cutting all the ends off at once. But it really doesn’t take that much longer. And you don’t even need to look! Just take each spear with one hand on the thick base and the other about half-way along the stem. Then snap down quickly with the hand holding the base.

Where it naturally breaks is where the spear starts being tender!

This meal is so amazingly flavorful, but quick to pull together. It’s perfect for a weeknight, date night, or even serving to dinner guests – they will think you spent so much longer than you did. These teriyaki salmon noodles are packed full of nutrients that will make you feel good about serving this dish to your family anytime.