Japanese-style Mentaiko Pasta is one of the most popular wafu fusion dishes in Japan. In this quick and easy recipe, we toss hot spaghetti in a buttery cream sauce mixed with spicy salted cod or pollock roe. It‘s a heavenly, delicious combination! Ready in just 20 minutes.
One of the unique fusion (Japanese mix with Western) food that I love is Wafu Pasta (和風パスタ) – Japanese style pasta. Today I will share with you a very popular and easy Wafu Pasta recipe, Mentaiko Pasta (明太子パスタ).
Table of Contents
What is Mentaiko?
Mentaiko (明太子) or Karashi Mentaiko (辛子明太子) is spicy pollock/cod roe, which originates from Korea (Korean version is myeongnan-jeot). Toshio Kawahara, who was born in Busan, Korea during the Japanese occupation, founded the oldest mentaiko company in Japan called “Aji no Mentaiko Fukuya” after World War II. He made slight modifications to myeongnan-jeot to adapt to Japanese tastes and introduced it to Japan as Karashi mentaiko.
Mentaiko is often enjoyed as a side dish to accompany steamed rice (just like pickled vegetables), as a topping for Ochazuke and ramen, or used as a filling inside of Onigiri (rice balls). It has a distinct salty taste and texture which adds a lot of flavor to plain food. During my recent visit to Japan, I had mentaiko with kombu from Hirosho (博多明太子ひろしょう) and it was delicious with rice.
There are many different variations of flavors and colors for mentaiko. They range from just plain salted to yuzu, kombu, and spicy chili flavors. Mentaiko is a specialty that originated from Hakata (ward of Fukuoka City) and it is very popular throughout Japan.
Where to Buy Mentaiko
You can find mentaiko in either the refrigerated or frozen section of Japanese or Korean supermarkets.
I also found this online seafood shop that offers mentaiko imported from Japan. The Japanese food company S&B carries an instant mentaiko spaghetti sauce which is available on Amazon. You can use the instant sauce but it will not be the same.
Quick & Easy Mentaiko Pasta
It might seem like an odd pairing, but the salty and spicy mentaiko goes really well in a buttery creamy sauce. The roe of pollock/cod is much smaller, refined, and softer than tobiko (flying fish roe), which is often used for sushi. If you close your eyes while eating, you probably won’t notice you’re eating tiny pollock/cod roe from the texture. However, its flavor definitely packs a punch.
The reason why this recipe is quick and easy to prepare is that you don’t need to cook mentaiko and cream sauce. Simply prepare the cream sauce while boiling pasta, and toss and coat the mentaiko mixture with cooked pasta and you’re done! The hot cooked pasta will heat up the mentaiko cream sauce.
This sauce is not very “saucy”, but if you prefer you can double the amount of the sauce and pollock/cod roe. Don’t increase just creamy sauce (milk + heavy cream) because the balance between spicy/salty roe and the creamy sauce will be off.
Top the pasta with strips of nori seaweed and julienned shiso leaves (perilla) to give it a nice distinct aroma and flavor, just like how julienned basil provides the final touch for some Italian pasta dishes.
How to Make Mentaiko Pasta
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Spicy salted pollock roe or cod roe (karashi mentaiko) – the mentaiko I use has no food coloring, so my finished dish looks less pink/orange than other versions. I use about one mentaiko sac (1 oz, 30 g) per serving.
- Whole milk
- Heavy (whipping) cream
- Unsalted butter
- Soy sauce
- Spaghetti
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Toppings: shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori) and shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)
The Cooking Steps
- Boil the spaghetti according to the cooking instructions.
- Make the mentaiko sauce by combining the ingredients.
- Mix the spaghetti and sauce together. Serve the spaghetti with nori and shiso leaves on top.
Ingredients Substitution
Mentaiko: I know mentaiko is not easy to find unless your nearest Japanese grocery stores carry it. Unfortunately, the only substitute that would work is tarako (たらこ), the cod/pollock roe that’s not prepared with chili (so your children can enjoy it too). Try the online source I recommended above if you wish to make it at home. It will be a special treat.
Milk & Heavy Whipping Cream: You can use “Half and Half” instead of mixing milk and heavy whipping cream. If you want to keep the pasta lighter, skip heavy cream and use whole milk (or reduced-fat milk) only. You can use heavy cream only for a creamier consistency. The result of “creaminess” will vary depending on the ratio of milk and cream.
Butter: You can replace the butter with extra virgin olive oil for a lighter/healthier pasta.
Shiso Leaves (perilla leaves): This Japanese herb goes really well with this pasta. I highly recommend to include if you can find it, but it’s fine to skip it if you can’t find it locally. Don’t use basil or other types of herbs as they don’t give the same effect.
Instant Mentaiko Pasta Sauce
In your Japanese grocery stores, you might find this popular Mentaiko Pasta “instant” spaghetti sauce. I was addicted to this when I was in college as all you need was to boil pasta and mix it with the sauce.
However, I have to tell you it’s so easy to make homemade mentaiko pasta if you can get mentaiko. So look for mentaiko or spicy cod/pollock roe in the nearest Japanese supermarket and try this recipe!
If you like udon noodles, try this Mentaiko Udon!
Variation to Classic Mentaiko Pasta
If you want a more creamy and savory version, try my Mentaiko Udon!
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Classic Mentaiko Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for boiling the pasta)
- 8 oz spaghetti (4 oz, 113 g per serving)
- 2 sacs spicy salted pollock roe or cod roe (karashi mentaiko) (about 1 sac (1 oz, 30 g) per serving; I use the kind without food coloring, so my dish does not look as pink/orange as other versions)
- 2 Tbsp whole milk
- 2 Tbsp heavy (whipping) cream
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Toppings
- shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori) (or cut a nori sheet into thin strips 2 inches (5 cm) long)
- shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the boiling water and cook 8 oz spaghetti until al dente, about 10 minutes (or according to the package instructions).
- In a large bowl, combine 2 Tbsp whole milk, 2 Tbsp heavy (whipping) cream, 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Don‘t worry if the butter solidifies. The hot spaghetti will melt the butter later.
- Add freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine.
- Make a lengthwise slit in the membranes of 2 sacs spicy salted pollock roe or cod roe (karashi mentaiko) to open. Squeeze out the roe from the sacs with your hands or a knife. Discard the membrane.
- Add the roe to the bowl with the sauce ingredients and stir well.
- When the spaghetti is done cooking, drain and transfer the pasta to the large bowl with the sauce.
- Toss to combine until the butter is melted and the sauce evenly coats the pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning with black pepper and kosher salt.
To Serve
- Serve onto individual plates. Roll up a stack of shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and cut them into thin strips. Garnish the Mentaiko Pasta with the julienned shiso and shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori). Enjoy!
To Store
- Unfortunately, this dish doesn‘t reheat well from leftovers. If you reheat mentaiko, the fish eggs will overcook.
Hi Nami, I am planning to use this recipe as a base to make uni pasta(subbing out mentaiko). is there anything you would change that would better fit the flavor profile of uni?
Hi Nami. I bought something labelled mantaiko at the Japanese market but it seems to be just the roe, flat in a plastic package (frozen) – is this the right thing? For the recipe, is it 60 grams total for two portions, or 60 grams per person? I’m not certain as the pasta weight is given as total and per person amounts. Thank you if you can help. I love your recipes!
Hi Ann, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! The Mentai usually comes frozen from Japan, and it should be the right product. However, we can not see your product, Please check this link to see if it’s a similar look. https://www.justonecookbook.com/mentaiko/
As for the amount of the ingredient, Servings is 2, and you need 60 g of Mentaiko and 226 g of spaghetti for 2 servings.
We hope this helps and you enjoy this Japanese Pasta soon!
So glad I found your recipe. I bought a box of fish roe from a Korean supermarket but don’t know what to do with it. I like fish roe sushi, was going to make some. Then I found it was too salty to eat. Your recipe is so simple to make. And I can see this will work. I tried the instant mentaiko pasta sauce before and liked it a lot. So I will definitely make this. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Lydia, We hope you got the spicy salted pollack roe or cod roe (Karashi Mentaiko) for this recipe. Let us know how it goes!
Can you use ikura as a substitute?
Hi Valerie,
The Ikura has a distinct texture, and it doesn’t have the flavor that we need for this recipe. We usually suggest a substitute, but this is the main flavor and ingredients, and it’s hard to recommend something else.😔
Can I substitute masago with mentaiko? Thanks
Hi Samantha! Sorry we don’t really use masago to make this kind of pasta. 🙁
Hi Nami! I live in Europe and it’s difficult to find tarako or mentaiko, even if I do, the prices are normally quite high so I often just use the Swedish Kalles caviar cream that you can get in ikea. It’s surprisingly good and the closest european substitute that I’ve tried. It’s a bit sweeter but that doesn’t bother me at all.
Hi Hikaru! Thanks for sharing your version! I’m so glad to hear you found a way to enjoy it. I’m sure your tip is helpful to others. Thank you! xo
Hi, is there anything I can use to substitute the cream and milk?
Hi Jenny! If you want non-cow milk then you can go for plant-based milk? The flavor will be different… but how about oat milk? It won’t be as rich without cream tho, but that’s best one I can think of.
Can I use masago as a mentaiko replacement???
Hi Alice! No, you can’t use it as it’s a different texture (different size eggs) and masago doesn’t provide much taste. I mean, you “can” make pasta with masago if you like masago but it is not a good substitute. 🙂
Was great. Thank you. Substituted Mentaiko with haddock roe from the fishmonger with salt and cayene pepper, worked decently well.
That sounds awesome! Thanks so much for your feedback and I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe. Also, thanks for the tip as I’m sure others will appreciate your substitute info. 🙂
I was wondering what you would suggest pairing this with, as in any side dishes or veggies you might suggest serving along side this dish. Or, is this all you would serve?
Thanks!
Hi Aubree! I always serve with Japanese style salad (more like Japanese dressing). Here are my suggestions:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/wafu-dressing-japanese-salad-dressing/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/seaweed-salad-recipe/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/spiralized-cucumber-salad/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/spring-mix-salad-with-sweet-miso-dressing/
Made it with spaghetti and tiger shrimp， is so good ! Thank you!
Hi Wendy! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
If “Mentaiko” is unavailable in my town could it be substituted with anything else?
Hi Tina! I would usually suggest if something is good sub, but in this recipe, this is THE main flavor and ingredients, so if I change to something else, it actually doesn’t work… We can swap spicy mentaiko and mentaiko (non spicy) but… I know it’s a same thing for you… I’m so sorry you can’t get this ingredient. I hope one day more people will be interested in this ingredient (or any Japanese ingredients) and it’ll be easier to get in local Asian/Japanese supermarket. 🙂 I’ll work hard to promote it! 😉
If there’s a Russian store around you, you may look for the canned spreadable pollock roe that’s called “Ikra Mintaya” or “Mintayevaya Ikra”. It’s milder than mentaiko and especially karashi mentaiko, being very close to tarako in taste, but is already squeezed from its sacks and has some oil added for spreadability, so you can just put it on with a tablespoon, and you can mix it with the chili flakes for spiciness if that’s what you want.
Hi Andrey! Thank you so much for sharing the information!
Hi Nami,
I came across your site after my first (and so far only) trip to Japan recently. I came back with a strong craving for Japanese flavors and I wanted to attempt to cook some dishes myself. I am lucky to live near a Japanese market and have been able to find Mentaiko. I found them in the freezer in Nijiya so I put them in the freezer when I got home. This might be a silly or newbie question but what’s the best way to defrost it to make the pasta? Should I be microwaving it for a few seconds or putting the sac in cold water? Also have you made soufflé Japanese cheesecake in the instant pot? thanks!
Hi Sandy! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed your trip to Japan and decided to make Japanese food at home! As for mentaiko, I usually defrost overnight in the refrigerator. If you’re hurry, you can defrost in water (but make sure mentaiko is not touching the water). No, I haven’t tried making cheesecake in the IP. It uses a lot of eggs, so I’m hesitant to test recipes… (that will go waste…). But I heard that you can make cakes (including cheesecake). I am not sure if “Souffle” cheesecake can be made in the IP.
This recipe is for two servings but I am only eating for one. Can leftovers be stored for this? Do you recommend storing the pasta and sauce together or separately?
Hi Karen! You can save the leftover sauce separately from the pasta and toss with the hot pasta when you’re ready to eat next time (but should be in 2-3 days). 🙂
Thank somebody; but we have a wonderful Asian supermarket within a reasonable distance. Do to your wonderful recipes we end up hunting for specif ingredients. Admittedly it’s fun time.
We will try this with Undon noodles I love them.
Hi Tom! Hope you enjoy the recipe with udon! 🙂