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Mentaiko Pasta
First posted in 2011, updated in Mar 2015.
Mentaiko is marinated pollock roe and a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Using it to make mentaiko pasta (明太子パスタ) is my favourite way to enjoy this ingredient. This Italian-Japanese pasta is usually quite expensive on the menu, but easily less than half the price and more than double the roe, to make at home.
See Also:
- Ingredient Spotlight: Mentaiko
- Hotate Mentaiyaki (Baked Scallops with Mentaiko) Recipe
- Japanese Recipes
As gourmet as this pasta may sound and look, it is actual the simplest pasta recipe out there! The sauce does not require stove-top cooking and took me 5 minutes. The only real cooking I did was to cook the pasta (spaghetti).
To make the 5-minute sauce, I basically melted butter in the microwave, then whisked in the other ingredients in a small bowl.
There are two main types of spicy ‘karashi’ mentaiko (辛子明太子) you can find at the local Japanese supermarkets. The colourless type will result in a colourless pasta with visible bits of roe in it. On the other hand, the coloured type (featured in this recipe; pictured above), will result in a slight salmon pink pasta sauce. Click here to read more information about mentaiko.
Does mentaiko have a fishy taste? Is it already cooked or we eat it raw? Tks.
I will call it umami rather than fishy. On its own, I believe it’s raw and can also be eaten in the raw form.
made this today for dinner, with a few adjustments- it was very delicious! I will probably post it on my blog and link back to this website- hope thats okay! :)
Sure, you can, thank you! You have a really nice blog :)
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Never tried mentaiko before so everything is new and interesting to me :)
I think you will like it, since we have very similar taste buds :)
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Hi its delicious! Great recipe. May I know if the sauce can be place in the fridge for next day? or how long can it be preserve?
I don’t think it will spoil the next day in fridge. But personally, since mentaiko is seafood, and this sauce is so easy to make, I prefer to make it on the day for freshness :)
Hi would like to ask where to get this and how much it cost?
1
Hi, check out this post https://noobcook.com/mentaiko/ to read where to get. For the one from Isetan (first pic), I think I paid 10+ (can’t remember exact amount).
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Hi,
Can I replace the mentaiko with tobiko?
TIA
yes, you can.
I have another question
I have another question, i hope you don’t mind… How do I remove the umami taste? Because my kids didn’t like it because of the “fishy” taste (or smell?)
Thanks again
I personally do not find mentaiko “fishy”. Maybe your kids just don’t like fish roe. Cook something else for them ;)
May i know what are ingredients you used to make mentai sauce?
Check out the printable recipe (measurements etc) on page 2: https://noobcook.com/mentaiko-pasta/2/