Classic Mentaiko Pasta

An easy and delicious wafu pasta (Japanese fusion), Mentaiko pasta is made with preserved spicy cod/ pollock roe, milk, cream, and spaghetti noodles.

Classic Mentaiko Pasta

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp kosher or sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt) (for boiling pasta)
• ▢8 oz spaghetti (4 oz or 113 g per person)
• ▢2 sacks spicy salted pollack roe or cod roe (karashi mentaiko) (2 oz, 60g)
• ▢2 Tbsp whole milk
• ▢2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
• ▢2 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
• ▢1 Tbsp soy sauce
• ▢freshly ground black pepper

Toppings

• ▢shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori) (you can cut sheet of nori into thin 2" (5 cm) strips)
• ▢shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Gather all the ingredients.
  
• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add 2 Tbsp kosher salt and cook the spaghetti until al dente, about 10 minutes (check the package instructions as well).
• In a large bowl, combine 2 Tbsp milk, 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Don't worry if the butter becomes solidify. Hot spaghetti will melt the butter again.
• Add freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine.
• Cut each roe sac in half and squeeze out the roe from the sac with hands or knife.
• Add the roe to the bowl and mix well. Discard the membrane.
• When the spaghetti is done, drain and transfer to the large bowl with the sauce.
• Toss to combine until the butter is melted and the sauce is evenly distributed. Taste and adjust with black pepper and kosher salt.
• Serve immediately, garnished with shredded nori. If you can find shiso leaves in a Japanese grocery store, roll them up and cut it into thin strips and garnish. Shiso is a wonderful addition to this dish.

To Store

• Unfortunately, you can't keep the leftovers. If you reheat mentaiko, the fish eggs will be cooked/overcooked.

NUTRITION

Calories: 664 kcal · Carbohydrates: 88 g · Protein: 23 g · Fat: 24 g · Saturated Fat: 12 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 219 mg · Sodium: 925 mg · Potassium: 338 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 850 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 131 mg · Iron: 5 mg

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