Mentaiko Pasta

Mentaiko Pasta (明太子パスタ) is a modern Japanese pasta dish invented about 60 years ago in Tokyo. Delicious and easy to prepare, it's become one of the most popular pasta dishes in households around Japan. I skip the cream in favor of a briny emulsion of spicy cod roe, olive oil, and butter in my version.

Course Entree

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword easy, pasta, spaghetti

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Pasta

Diet Low Sugar, Pescatarian

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 678kcal

Author Marc Matsumoto

Equipment

Ingredients

100 grams mentaiko
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
200 grams spaghetti
1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
Nori (for garnish)

Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

Bring a pot with about 5 cups of water to a boil.
Cut the roe sacs of 100 grams mentaiko in half, and then use your fingers or chopsticks to squeeze out the roe from the sac into a large bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and whisk the mixture together.
100 grams mentaiko, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Use kitchen shears to cut the Nori into strips.
Nori
Add a ½ teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, and then add the 200 grams spaghetti. Use tongs to submerge the pasta as quickly as possible without breaking it (this will take a little while). Boil the pasta according to the package directions.
200 grams spaghetti
When the pasta is cooked, transfer it directly from the pot into the bowl with the mentai sauce. Add the 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter, and then use tongs to toss the pasta together. Use a ladle to add some of the starchy pasta water to the bowl to create a rich sauce.
1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
Garnish the Mentaiko Pasta with nori and serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition