Mentaiko Pasta
Thank you, Calphalon, for sponsoring this post!
Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderful and restful time with copious amounts of food and an endless supply of stretchy pants! I cooked a Thanksgiving feast for 4 (that could have fed 10) and then managed to not cook anything else for about 60 hours, which is a recent record for me. Now that all the leftover mac and cheese and scalloped potatoes are gone, I’m taking advantage of the awkward in-between weeks before the holidays to enjoy some of my favorite wintery cozy meals. Soon my life will be filled with cookies and a lot of whipped cream and cream cheese. I guess that doesn’t sound too different from my normal work week…
Anyways! We all still have to eat before diving into the thick of holiday baking, so I present to you my favorite pasta dish of all time! Mentaiko Pasta! This is a Japanese style pasta that I can’t resist ordering if I see it on a menu. Thankfully I can now make it at home and I’m delighted that it is so easy to make!
What is Mentaiko?
Mentaiko is seasoned and cured pollock roe. The hardest part of this recipe is actually locating pollock roe. I’m fortunate enough to live close to a few Japanese markets that stock it. It is typically kept in the freezer section for freshness. If you don’t have a Japanese market near you, then I think you could kindly call up your favorite sushi or Japanese restaurant to see if they have any you can buy!
Mentaiko typically comes in the sack (I know it sounds strange), but all you have to do is take a small paring knife, cut a slit to open the sack and carefully scrape out the roe. The roe is what gives the pasta sauce all that briny seafood flavor! If you’re a fan of uni then you’re going to love this!
Mentaiko Pasta in Minutes!
Once you’ve located some mentaiko, this pasta dish comes together in the blink of an eye! I love using my Calphalon Premier™ Stainless Steel 10-Inch Fry Pan to make pasta. There’s something about the elegant stainless steel finish that makes me feel like a professional chef in a fancy kitchen. I also just love how durable and versatile the stainless steel pan is. It’s can go from the stovetop to the oven if needed, or just stay on the stovetop to gently cook your creamy mentaiko pasta sauce.
The sauce starts by melting butter. Then add the mentaiko, cream, and a splash of soy sauce. The mentaiko has a lot of natural salinity so you don’t really need to add any extra seasoning, but give it a taste and adjust if needed. I pour in a little bit of pasta water to give the sauce some body. Once the sauce is looking creamy, add your pasta (spaghetti is traditional but I’m a fan of rigatoni here) and toss to evenly coat. Garnish with some strips of toasted nori to play off those oceanic flavors!
Mentaiko Pasta
Serves 2 (easily scalable)
8oz rigatoni (or spaghetti)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz mentaiko, roe removed from the sacks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup starchy pasta water
1 sheet of toasted nori, cut into small strips
Boil pasta in heavily salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water for the sauce. Drain pasta and set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add mentaiko, cream, and soy sauce. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Add pasta water, stir and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken. Add pasta and toss to coat. Garnish with nori and serve immediately.