If you’ve exhausted all your Italian recipe books and are bored of your usual spaghetti recipes, then why not try your hand with Japanese pasta known as Wafu pasta.
Wafu pasta is the Western/Japanese fusion of ingredients combining the classic spaghetti of Italy with traditional Japanese seasonings or toppings to create a mind-blowing experience in your mouth.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy new recipe to try for yourself and even to impress your friends or family then why not take a read of our mentaiko pasta recipe and find out for yourself how good it is.
What is Mentaiko?
Mentaiko or sometimes known as karashi-mentaiko is a traditional seafood ingredient in Japan and other Asian countries.
Mentaiko translates from Japanese as the child of mentai and the word ‘menta’ comes from the Korean word ‘myeongtae’ which translates as the Korean name for Alaska pollock.
However, despite being called pollock or roe pollock, this seafood despite its name is actually a species of cod and not pollock.
When the pollock roe is being prepared it’s mixed with brine and then seasoned with powdered chilis to give it some spice.
Different regions of Japan will offer different spice levels of this pollock roe but the easiest way to tell is by how light or dark the red color is on the fish – lighter is milder and darker has more heat.
What ingredients do you need to make mentaiko pasta?
Spaghetti
I love to use spaghetti for this recipe and it’s the most common pasta that I found is used with mentaiko dishes, although I’m not sure as to why as I feel other pasta shapes would be better suited to the sauce.
Use whatever you have in your kitchen cupboard, I’ve tried using fettuccine and even pappardelle in the past and they all seem to work just as well, after all, it’s the other ingredients that are giving it the flavoring.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is a classic in any pasta dish regardless of what continent of the world it comes from. The olive oil keeps the spaghetti noodles or whatever choice of pasta you’re using in this recipe from sticking together whilst you cook the other components.
If you don’t have olive oil then you can use butter instead, however, you’ll only need 1-2 tbsp of either.
Nori Sheets
To garnish your mentaiko pasta dish, you’ll want to use a small amount of slice nori sheets arranged on top of your pasta or you can choose to mix it in with the rest of the ingredients if you wish. The nori brings out the briny flavor of the cod and brings the whole dish together.
Shiso Leaves
If you want to add some herbs to your recipe, then don’t reach for your usual oregano or basil from your spice rack. Make the effort and go to the Japanese store to buy some Shiso leaves, they have a distinct flavor that has hints of mint, cinnamon, and cloves all in one.
Traditional Italian herbs like basil won’t work this recipe and will change the dynamic.
Parmigiano Reggiano
This is not a traditional ingredient in this recipe, but it’s one you’ll want to include if you want to take the flavor up a notch and make this dish something of your own.
You’ll only need a small amount of grated Parmigiano Reggiano so don’t go crazy, otherwise, it’ll overwhelm the flavor and make it taste too Italian – which is not what we want here.
Whole Milk & Heavy Whipping Cream
Now to create the sauce that will help the mentaiko evenly coat the spaghetti noodles you’ll need to use milk or heavy whipping cream with the ratios at your discretion.
I choose to use heavy whipping cream on its own to make the sauce as creamy and rich as possible, but you can choose half milk and half whipping cream to make it slightly healthier.
Some people also just use the salty pasta water with a dash of milk to make the sauce although I think the recipe deserves all the best ingredients so try to go all out.
Mentaiko
Now obviously this mentaiko pasta recipe wouldn’t be what it is without mentaiko. You’ll need to pay a visit to your local Japanese grocery store as you’ll struggle to find it anywhere else.
If you can’t find it then you could also use tarako instead, however, it’s not usually seasoned with chili powder so you will need to do it yourself at home.
Salt & Ground Black Pepper
Use salt sparingly to cook your spaghetti but be generous with your ground black pepper when stirring your ingredients together and garnishing when plating up.
Ingredients measurements:
- 8oz spaghetti
- 2 sacks of pollock roe
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 3 thinly sliced shiso leaves
- ¼ thinly sliced nori sheet
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 10 grams of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 tbsp of milk
- 2 tbsp of heavy whipping cream
How to make mentaiko pasta
Your first step will be to boil your pasta in salted water according to the cooking instructions on the packaging. Cooking for 10 minutes will get it al dente.
Then you’ll want to cut each of your pollock roe sacks in half and then squeeze out the roe from inside the sacks with a knife or with your hands.
Then in a large bowl combine your dairy ingredients (milk and/or whipping cream), olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, and a pinch of salt and some ground pepper and whisk together.
Add your pollock roe to the sauce mixture making sure to discard the membrane. Then drain your pasta and then add it to the bowl with the sauce and the roe.
Toss the spaghetti into the mixture using tongs until the roe and the sauce are evenly distributed throughout.
Then on a chopping board dice your nori sheets and shisho into thin pieces and garnish your pasta and serve immediately.
