Classic Mentaiko Spaghetti

Classic Mentaiko Spaghetti

Mentaiko spaghetti is a staple of wafu cuisine, or Japanese adaptations of foreign ingredients. At its simplest, mentaiko spaghetti is made with nothing more than mentaiko (the salt-cured roe of Alaskan pollock), cream, butter and some simple umami seasonings like soy sauce or Parmesan. They’re whisked together in a bowl and tossed with hot pasta and a splash of pasta water, as with any sauce that is best served warm but uncooked (like pesto or carbonara). Adding an egg yolk to the base gives the dish a glossier, creamier texture, and using crème fraîche in lieu of regular heavy cream brightens the flavors. So does a bit of lemon zest and juice. The minty flavor of Japanese shiso leaves is a nice finish, but mint, basil, parsley, chives or even torn nori all work. By Kenji Lopez-Alt

Yield: 4 servings

2 whole sacs mentaiko or tarako (about 4 ounces, see Tip)

4 tablespoons crème fraîche, or a mixture of 2 tablespoons each heavy cream and full-fat sour cream

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon yellow or brown miso paste

Zest and juice from ½ lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound spaghetti, bucatini or other long skinny pasta

A small handful of chopped fresh shiso leaves (or another herb, such as mint, parsley, basil or chives)

With the tip of a sharp knife, split open the mentaiko sacs and lay them flat against a cutting board with the membrane on the bottom. Using a spoon or the back of a knife, scrape the eggs from the membrane and discard the membrane.

In a bowl at least large enough to hold 1 pound cooked pasta, create the sauce by whisking together the mentaiko, crème fraîche, olive oil, egg yolk, miso, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Heat a couple inches of lightly salted water in a straight-sided sauté pan or saucepan over high until boiling. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is as done as you like it. (Start tasting about a minute before the package directions suggest.)

Using a ladle, scoop about ½ cup pasta water from the pan. Whisking constantly, add it to the bowl with the sauce. Set aside another ladle of pasta water in a cup or bowl nearby, then drain the pasta and immediately add it to the bowl of sauce. Toss the sauce and pasta thoroughly and constantly until the sauce thickens and coats the spaghetti with a glossy sheen. If it starts to get too thick, thin it out with some of the reserved pasta water.

Stir in the fresh herbs, adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Tips

Mentaiko is a spicy form of tarako. Either will work in this recipe. If you can’t find mentaiko but would like your pasta a little spicy, a pinch of Korean chile flakes or red-pepper flakes, or a dash of your favorite hot sauce whisked into the sauce in Step 1 would all work instead. Mentaiko and tarako are typically sold fresh or frozen in well-stocked Japanese or Korean markets and come in their original membrane sacs, either intact or split in half.

For a carbonara-style recipe, mix together the mentaiko or tarako with 2 whole eggs, 4 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon yellow or brown miso paste and 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste). Proceed with Step 2 and 3, but return the pasta to the now-empty sauté pan. Leave it off heat. Stirring the pasta vigorously with a wooden spoon in one hand, slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, stirring and tossing until the sauce coats the pasta in a velvety sheen. Thin it out with some of the reserved pasta water.) To make it extra rich, give each diner an extra raw egg yolk and extra raw mentaiko to stir into their pasta.