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    Home » Recipes » Noodles

    Japanese Mentaiko Pasta (Cod Roe Spaghetti)

    Published: Jul 28, 2021 · Modified: Sep 9, 2021 by Yuto Omura

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    Mentaiko Pasta is a classic Japanese style spaghetti dish made with spicy cod roe sauce and topped with fragrant shiso leaves. The best part about this dish is how quick it is to make, you can make it in 15 minutes or less! Not to mention it's delicious, it's a household favourite!

    collage of 3 pictures of Japanese mentaiko pasta

    Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Sudachi Recipes earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See disclaimer for more info.

    Wafu Pasta

    Wafu Pasta (和風パスタ) is a delicious fusion of Italian spaghetti, flavoured with Japanese ingredients and seasonings. Spaghetti was introduced to Japan in the 1800's but it's popularity boomed after the war and wafu pasta became a popular type of dish to enjoy at restaurants and at home.

    Japanese style pasta dishes often include ingredients that would normally be enjoyed with rice. Some of these ingredients include things like Japanese mushrooms, popular Japanese seafood like uni (sea urchin) or cod roe, nori, shiso leaves, soy sauce, dashi and bonito flakes.

    mentaiko pasta served in a black pasta dish top down

    Popular Pasta Dishes in Japan

    A survey conducted by a Japanese site called "Nifty" shows that the top 5 pasta dishes in Japan are:

    1. Spaghetti Meat Sauce (スパゲッティミートソース)
    2. Spaghetti Napolitan (ナポリタン)
    3. Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce (トマトソース)
    4. Tarako / Mentaiko Pasta (たらこ・明太子)
    5. Spaghetti Carbonara (カルボナーラ)

    Survey by Nifty News (2016)

    Japanese people love Italian food and also love changing recipes to suit Japanese tastes. Mentaiko pasta was one of my favourite dishes growing up!

    mentaiko pasta topped with chopped shiso leaves close up

    Tarako and Mentaiko

    Tarako (たらこ) and Mentaiko (明太子) are made from the roe (eggs) of a type of cod called Alaskan pollock. The eggs are held together in a thin edible membrane, a bit like a sausage skin. Tarako and mentaiko do not taste overly fishy and they can be eaten cooked or raw.

    Tarako is simply seasoned with salt or brine. It can vary in colour from pale pink to red, usually achieved by food colouring.

    Mentaiko, on the other hand, is seasoned with chilis and spices. It's often deep red in colour and packed with umami! It can also be called "Karashi Mentaiko" (辛子明太子), karashii being the word for "spicy" in Japanese.

    Mentaiko was first created in the Korean peninsula and was brought over to Japan after the war. They called it "myeongtae", which is where the word "mentai" comes from.

    The Japanese word "mentaiko" means "mentai's child" and actually, "Ko" (子) often refers to the egg in recipes. For example, "Oyakodon" (親子丼) is chicken and egg rice bowl.

    Mentaiko in Japan was developed further to suit Japanese tastes by making it less spicy and pickling it, and the mentaiko as we know it today was born!

    mentaiko pasta served in a black pasta dish with fork

    Mentaiko Dishes

    Mentaiko is most commonly eaten as a side dish with rice or used as a flavouring for all kinds of different dishes. Here are a few popular ones!

    • Mentaiko Onigiri Rice Ball
    • Mentaiko Furansu (Small baguette with mentaiko inside)
    • Mentaiko gratin
    • Mentaiko pasta

    Tarako / Mentaiko Pasta

    Mentaiko pasta is a simple dish of spaghetti coated in a delicious sauce made with mentaiko.

    The origin of mentaiko pasta takes place in a pasta specialty restaurant in Tokyo called "Kabe no Ana" (壁の穴), which means "Hole in the Wall". One day, a customer asked for caviar pasta, however because caviar is an expensive luxury item, the chef used Japanese "tarako" instead.

    mentaiko and tarako supermarket pasta sauce
    Mentaiko (left) and Tarako (right) prepackaged pasta sauce. You can purchase on Amazon here.

    Tarako spaghetti grew in popularity and some people would replace the tarako with mentaiko, giving their pasta a spicy, umami kick! Food companies joined the hype by selling easy premade sauces in packets at supermarkets. (You can buy S&B mentaiko pasta sauce as pictured above on Amazon.)

    Mentaiko sauce is commonly made with soy sauce, black pepper, olive oil, and milk. It's super easy to make and doesn't need to be cooked, the hot pasta warms it through!

    This dish can be topped with nori or shiso/ooba (perilla) leaves, but I love shiso the most because it adds a more refreshing flavour with the mentaiko sauce.

    I hope you enjoy this classic Wafu Pasta dish!

    Watch How to Make Mentaiko Pasta Video

    FAQ

    What is mentaiko?

    It's spicy cod roe from Alaskan pollock.

    How are tarako and mentaiko different?

    Tarako is cod roe seasoned with salt or brine, mentaiko has extra spices and often seasoned with chili to make it a bit spicy.

    What does tarako taste like?

    It's a bit salty and not too fishy, it's well loved by kids and adults alike.

    What does mentaiko taste like?

    It's the spicy version of tarako, so it's spicy, salty and packed with umami. They vary across Japan and can be seasoned with different things.

    Where can I buy tarako or mentaiko?

    Unfortunately they can be quite hard to find outside of Japan. Your best bet is to find a Japanese supermarket or Asian supermarket. You could also try looking online.

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    mentaiko pasta topped with chopped shiso leaves close up

    Japanese Mentaiko Pasta (Cod Roe Spaghetti)


    • Author: Yuto Omura
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 2 portions 1x
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    Description

    How to make delicious Japanese style Tarako / Mentaiko Pasta (たらこ・明太子パスタ) with spaghetti, homemade cod roe sauce and fragrant shiso leaves.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 200g Spaghetti (1.7-1.8ml)
    • 3 litres Water
    • 1 tbsp Salt
    • 80g Mentaiko or Tarako
    • 20g Unsalted butter
    • 1 tbsp Olive oil
    • 1 tsp Tsuyu sauce or soy sauce
    • 1 pinch Black pepper
    • 1 tbsp Milk
    • 3 Ooba leaves or 2 tbsp cut nori
    • 1 slice Lemon (optional, see note) 

    Instructions

    1. First, take a large pot and bring 3 litres of water to a boil.
      Heating 3 litres of water in a large pot
    2. While you're waiting for your water to boil, soften the butter and take the skin off of the mentaiko by cutting it open and scraping the contents out with a spoon. (Don't throw away the skin, it's edible so you can eat it with rice or put it in onigiri rice balls.)
      Scraping the eggs out of the mentaiko
    3. Cut the ooba leaves into 3mm wide strips.
      Cutting the shiso leaf into 3mm slices
    4. Once the water is boiling, add 1 tbsp of salt and 200g spaghetti. Cook until "el dente" (firm to the bite).
      Boiling spaghetti in a pan
    5. While you wait for the spaghetti to cook, take a large bowl and add the butter, mentaiko, olive oil, tsuyu sauce, black pepper and milk. Mix until well incorporated.
      Mixing up the mentaiko sauce
    6. Once the spaghetti is cooked, take 1 tbsp of the pasta water and add it to the bowl of mentaiko sauce.
      Adding water from the pasta to the sauce
    7. Drain the rest of the water and add the cooked spaghetti to the bowl.
      Adding the spaghetti to the bowl
    8. Mix until the pasta is well covered.
      Mixing mentaiko pasta sauce and spaghetti together in a bowl
    9. Transfer the pasta to serving dishes and top with the cut ooba leaves (or nori).
      Topping the mentaiko pasta with shiso leaves
    10. Enjoy!
      mentaiko pasta on a fork

    Notes

    If you're using nori, about ¼ a sheet of sushi nori will be enough to garnish two portions.

    You can add a squeeze of lemon over the pasta at the end.

    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Category: Fusion
    • Method: Boiling
    • Cuisine: Japanese / Italian

    Keywords: mentaiko pasta, mentaiko spaghetti, how to make mentaiko pasta, mentaiko pasta recipe, mentaiko spaghetti recipe, spicy cod roe, spicy cod roe pasta, Japanese mentaiko spaghetti, Japanese mentaiko pasta, pollock roe,mentaiko pasta sauce,what is mentaiko pasta, tarako spaghetti, mentaiko, tarako, tarako pasta, cod roe pasta, pollock roe pasta

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    Thanks for visiting Sudachi Recipes. My name is Yuto and I'm a Japanese guy with a passion for food. Here I share tasty and accessible recipes so that you can bring a taste of Japan to your own kitchen.

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