Mentaiko Cream Pasta
Quick answer
- Total time
- 25 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Mentaiko cream pasta is a Japanese-style cream pasta in which salted pollock roe is stirred into a warm butter, heavy cream, and milk base until the sauce turns silky and coats the spaghetti in a fine layer studded with tiny bursts of roe.
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Minced garlic is sauteed gently in butter over low heat until just fragrant and sweet, then the cream and milk are poured in and brought only to the point before a full boil, as a rolling boil causes the sauce to break and separate. Once the temperature is controlled, two-thirds of the roe goes into the sauce along with the drained spaghetti, everything tossed quickly so the roe cooks only through the residual heat of the pasta and sauce rather than direct flame, which would make it taste fishy. Reserved pasta water, added a spoonful at a time, adjusts the consistency without diluting the richness. Finely grated Parmesan adds another tier of umami and salt, while a few drops of fresh lemon juice cut through the cream and leave a clean, bright finish that keeps the dish from feeling too heavy. The remaining raw roe and crumbled roasted seaweed are arranged on top before serving, creating a contrast of red and black that signals the flavors inside, and folding them in at the table releases a fresh, briny aroma.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Split the 80 g mentaiko sacs and scrape out only the roe.
Set aside one-third for topping, keep the rest for the sauce, finely mince the garlic, and have the Parmesan ready to add later.
- 2Finish
Cook 180 g spaghetti in boiling salted water until 1 minute short of the package time.
Reserve 120 ml of starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta without rinsing so the sauce clings well.
- 3Control
Melt 15 g butter in a pan over low heat, then cook the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes until sweet and fragrant.
Keep it pale rather than browned, since dark garlic can make the cream taste bitter.
- 4Control
Pour in 160 ml heavy cream and 60 ml milk, then warm over medium-low heat only until steam rises.
When small bubbles appear around the edge, lower the heat immediately to prevent the dairy from separating.
- 5Season
Add the spaghetti, then turn the heat very low or briefly off.
Add two-thirds of the roe and toss quickly for 1 minute, adding pasta water one spoonful at a time until the sauce looks glossy.
- 6Finish
Turn off the heat and stir in 20 g Parmesan and 1 tsp lemon juice, then check the thickness and saltiness.
Plate the pasta, top with the remaining roe and roasted seaweed flakes, and mix lightly before eating.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Salted pollock roe stirs into a warm heavy cream base for this Japanese-style cream pasta.
- Finish cue
- Add two-thirds of the roe and toss quickly for 1 minute, adding pasta water one spoonful at a time until the sauce looks glossy.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
25min, 9 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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