Norecipes - Elevating Everyday Meals

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • About
×
Home ► Recipes ► Pasta

Japanese Shrimp Pasta

Updated: 03.17.25 | Marc Matsumoto | 5 Comments

4.78 from 9 votes
In just 15 minutes, you can whip up this heavenly Japanese shrimp pasta which merges plump garlicky shrimp with a velvety nori cream sauce and a surprising wasabi-like kick from peppery watercress. The combination strikes the perfect balance between decadence and freshness, and it's easy enough to prepare for a weeknight meal.
Recipe Video
Easy Japanese-style shrimp pasta with a briny nori cream sauce.

This delightful Japanese shrimp pasta recipe seamlessly combines plump garlicky shrimp with a velvety nori cream sauce accented with peppery watercress that tastes a bit like wasabi. The combination might be surprising, but a whole sub-genre of Japanese cuisine is dedicated to Japanese-style pasta (a.k.a. wafu pasta), mashing up Japanese ingredients with techniques from Italian cuisine. 

In just fifteen minutes, you can create this heavenly weeknight meal that delights the senses while satisfying the soul. The luxurious nori cream sauce is tossed with perfectly cooked strands of spaghetti, making a vibrant and umami-rich dish that's like a kiss from a clean ocean breeze while the pop of freshness from the watercress keeps the richness in check.

Jump to:
  • Why This Recipe Works?
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Japanese Shrimp Pasta
  • Serve it With
  • Other Japanese Pasta Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Comments

Why This Recipe Works?

  • Marinating the shrimp with garlic and soy sauce before pan-frying them ensures they become a well-seasoned contrast to the creamy pasta. 
  • Using the pasta liquid to dissolve the nori adds starch and salt to the sauce, which helps thicken and season it. 
  • Parboiling the spaghetti and finishing it off in the nori cream sauce marries the sauce with the pasta while imparting additional starch from the noodles into the sauce, thickening it up. 

Ingredients

  • Pasta - Spaghetti comes in varying thicknesses, so the thicker the noodles, the longer they take to boil. I enjoy the texture of thicker spaghetti, so I used one with a suggested cooking time of 11 minutes, but thinner spaghetti will work too. Just be sure to set the timer for 2 minutes less than the package instructions as you will finish cooking the shrimp pasta in the cream sauce. 
  • Pasta water - As the spaghetti boils, it releases starch into the water. This is a valuable tool when making any pasta dish to keep it in emulsion while adjusting its viscosity. The salt in the pasta water also seasons the sauce for this dish, so it is very important to follow a precise ratio of salt to the water. I use 6 US cups of water per tablespoon of table salt. 
  • Shrimp - Since you want the shrimp to mix into the pasta, this is one recipe where you can get away with using cheaper, smaller shrimp. I used 26/30-count shrimp, but 31/40, or even 41/50-sized shrimp, would still work. I remove the tails and brine the shrimp, and you can follow my How to Clean Shrimp tutorial for the details on that. Alternatively you could also make this pasta with another shellfish like scallops.
  • Shrimp Marinade - I like to marinate the shrimp with garlic and soy sauce which gives the pasta a burst of flavor when you pop one in your mouth. Some of the soy sauce and garlic caramelize on the pan when you fry them, infusing the sauce with loads of flavor. 
  • Nori - Nori is a type of seaweed made by drying a specific species of algae into thin sheets. Good nori should be almost black with a slightly green hue. It should also smell like a clean ocean breeze. Since we're dissolving the sheets of nori, it doesn't matter if it's gone stale and is no longer crisp, but if it smells fishy or has turned reddish or brown, it means the nori is old or improperly stored, so it should be tossed. 
  • Cream - The bulk of the sauce's flavor comes from the nori, but the cream is the medium that drapes the briny flavor onto each strand of pasta. I used a high butterfat heavy cream (45%), but if you want a lighter pasta, you can use one with less fat. 
  • Watercress - Watercress is an aquatic plant that's in the cabbage family. It has a fresh peppery flavor with hints of wasabi, and it goes great with seafood. I used the tips of the stems as a garnish for this shrimp pasta, but the stems and leaves are also chopped up and used as an herb. If you can't find it, mustard greens would be the closest in terms of flavor, but you could also use other herbs like fresh parsley, shiso, or basil. 
This easy Japanese-style pasta with shrimp and a nori cream comes together in in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta.

How to Make Japanese Shrimp Pasta

Begin by adding water and salt to a large pot and bringing it to a full boil. Once boiling, submerge the spaghetti in the salted water, setting a timer for two minutes less than the package directions say. In the meantime, prepare the shrimp by combining it with garlic and soy sauce in a bowl, stirring to coat evenly.

Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat when the pasta is about five minutes from being done. Add olive oil and the shrimp, arranging them into a single layer. Fry until they start to turn orange around the edges. This should take about half a minute. Flip them over and continue frying for another thirty seconds until they are no longer gray. Transfer them to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the nori to the pan and measure half a cup of water from the pasta. Stir the mixture together until the nori dissolves. If there's over a minute left on the pasta timer, turn off the heat and wait. Otherwise, pour the cream into the nori mixture and raise the heat to boil the sauce.

When the spaghetti is ready, transfer the cooked pasta directly into the nori cream sauce using tongs, and reserve the remaining water. Simmer the spaghetti in the cream sauce over high heat to finish cooking it while stirring it regularly. If it starts getting too dry and sticking together, add more pasta liquid to ensure they stay loose and slippery. 

Add the shrimp back into the pan along with chopped watercress, and toss to combine. Plate the pasta immediately and garnish with watercress tips. 

Serve it With

This Japanese pasta can be served as a main course for two, but in Japan, we often eat meals family style, in which case this should be enough to feed more than two people (depending on how many other dishes you make). If you're serving this as an entre, I'd recommend a green salad with my creamy sesame dressing or my smashed cucumber salad. If you want some other side dishes to serve this family style, my Shio Karaage, Kinpira Gobo, and Blistered Shishito Peppers would all make delightful additions to the table.

Other Japanese Pasta Recipes

While this nori pasta is a personal favorite, it's just one of many Japanese-style pasta dishes. If you're into seafood, there's Mentaiko Pasta, where spicy cod roe olive oil and butter get tossed with hot spaghetti, or decadent Uni Pasta, which turns sea urchin into a velvety sauce that's straight from the sea. Classics like Spaghetti Napolitan, with its sweet tomato sauce, harken back to post-war Japan and remain comfort food staples. For the epitome of simplicity, try Butter Shoyu Pasta, where three ingredients create an umami-packed meal in minutes. Finally, some dishes merge pasta with Japanese noodle culture, like Ramen Carbonara, a quick creamy hack to make an easy lunch from a packet of instant ramen noodles and a handful of pantry staples.

📖 Recipe

This easy Japanese-style pasta with shrimp and a nori cream comes together in in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta.

Japanese Shrimp Pasta with Nori Cream Sauce

By: Marc Matsumoto
4.78 from 9 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 4 minutes mins
Cook Time 11 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Yield 2 servings
YouTube video

Units

Ingredients 

  • 6 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 200 grams spaghetti
  • 200 grams shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 7 grams garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 grams nori (2 full sheets)
  • ¾ cup cream
  • 25 grams watercress (chopped, with tips reserved)

Instructions

  • Add the 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a pot and bring it to a full boil. Next, add the 200 grams spaghetti and submerge it into the boiling water. Set the timer for 2 minutes less than what the package directions say.
    Salting boiling water for pasta.
  • While you wait for the water to boil, add the 200 grams shrimp, 7 grams garlic, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce to a bowl, and stir them together to coat the shrimp evenly.
    Marinating shrimp with garlic and soy sauce.
  • When the pasta has about 5 minutes left on the timer, heat a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and shrimp, and spread them out in a single layer.
    Pan-frying shrimp.
  • Fry the shrimp until they turn orange around the edges (about 30 seconds), then flip them over.
    Flipping shrimp over in a frying pan.
  • When no gray is left on the shrimp, transfer them to a clean bowl, and set them aside.
  • Add the 8 grams nori and ½ cup of boiling liquid from the pasta and stir until the nori has dissolved.
    Mixing nori sauce for for Japanese shrimp pasta.
  • If the pasta has over 1 minute left on the timer, turn off the heat and wait. Otherwise, add the ¾ cup cream and turn up the heat to bring it to a boil.
    Stirring cream into nori for Japanese pasta.
  • Transfer the spaghetti straight into the nori cream sauce with tongs when it is done. Toss the pasta in the sauce and let it finish cooking. Add more pasta liquid to keep it loose and slippery if it starts sticking together.
    Tossing spaghetti with Japanese nori cream sauce.
  • Return the shrimp to the pan along with the chopped 25 grams watercress and toss to combine.
    Adding shrimp and watercress to nori cream pasta.
  • Plate the shrimp pasta by twirling it onto two plates and then garnish it with the watercress tips.
    Garnishing a plate of Japanese shrimp pasta with watercress.
Recipes in your inboxDon't miss out SIGN UP!

Nutrition Facts

Calories • 831kcalCarbohydrates • 79gProtein • 37gFat • 41gSaturated Fat • 22gPolyunsaturated Fat • 3gMonounsaturated Fat • 13gTrans Fat • 0.01gCholesterol • 262mgSodium • 3848mgPotassium • 648mgFiber • 3gSugar • 5gVitamin A • 1919IUVitamin C • 9mgCalcium • 192mgIron • 2mg

Comments

    4.78 from 9 votes (8 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





  1. jeanette says

    May 28, 2023 at 3:14 am

    Is there a substitute for the nori?

    Reply
    • Marc says

      May 28, 2023 at 11:17 pm

      Hi Jeanette, nori is kind of the main component that makes this dish unique so if you were to leave it out it would just be a shrimp and cream pasta. You could substitute other types of nori (such as aonori), but if you can't find regular nori near you it's unlikely you'll be able to find more specialized varieties of nori. Perhaps another Japanese-style pasta like this one will work better for you? https://norecipes.com/butter-soy-sauce-pasta/

      Reply
      • Jeanette K Hauser says

        May 28, 2023 at 11:37 pm

        Thank you! That looks marvelous. 😋

        Reply
  2. Kathy Stroup says

    April 05, 2023 at 10:04 am

    5 stars
    What a clever way to use up leftover nori! I never seem to use up all of mine, even though you taught me to make furikake with it. I might try this sauce with steamed vegetables since I don't eat much pasta. Or I could use shirataki noodles. Since I won't have the starch from the pasta and water I usually add a bit of potato starch to the sauce.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      April 06, 2023 at 9:15 pm

      Thanks Kathy! I think that having leftover nori is a problem that effects anyone who's ever tried making sushi at home, so you're not alone. I think the sauce could be delicious with broccoli, cauliflower, or even spinach (think creamed spinach). I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
Marc Matsumoto

Welcome!

I’m Marc Matsumoto, a former chef raising a family in Tokyo, Japan. I believe anyone can become a great cook with the right ingredients and a few techniques, so I created No Recipes to help you unlock your culinary potential!

Start Here

Check out my member site for access to my secret stash of easy original recipes that I cook for my family!

Take a Peak →

Trending Recipes

  • A plate of homemade Japanese yakisoba (stir-fried ramen noodles) with pork cabbage, onions and benishoga (red pickled ginger).
    Yakisoba

  • Closeup of a plate of homemade California rolls filled with crab, avocado and cucumber wrapped in tangy sushi rice and nori.
    California Roll

  • Rich, creamy, and toasty Basque Burnt Cheesecake.
    Best Burnt Basque Cheesecake

  • This Japanese Curry made from scratch gets its flavor and thickness through the power of fruits and vegetables. It's the perfect hearty winter meal for groups of kids and grownups alike.
    Japanese Chicken Curry

  • Easy onigiri rice ball recipe stuffed with a delicious mix of canned tuna, mayonnaise and soy sauce.
    Tuna Mayo Onigiri

  • Black Pepper Beef is a classic Chinese stir-fry made with beef, onions, and peppers.
    Black Pepper Beef

Trending Categories

  • Easy Japanese Recipes

  • Ramen

  • Spring

  • Japanese (Modern)

  • Japanese (Traditional)

  • Japanese (Chinese)

Footer

About

  • About
  • Help Me
  • Hire Me
  • Photography
  • FAQs

Connect

  • Email Updates
  • Contact

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2024 Marc Matsumoto. All rights reserved

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Reddit
  • Flipboard

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.