Mentaiko Pasta (明太子パスタ, spicy cod-roe pasta)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large pot
• •Large heatproof mixing bowl
• •Small knife or kitchen scissors for opening the mentaiko sacs
• •Tongs or long cooking chopsticks

Instructions

1. 1

   Open the roe

   Keep the mentaiko cold until you need it. Slit each sac lengthwise with a small knife or kitchen scissors, then scrape the tiny eggs from the membrane with the back of the knife. The membrane is edible, but it clings in strings and won't coat the noodles smoothly, so take the minute to remove it. Set aside a teaspoon of roe for the top if you like the look of those orange beads.

   Use mentaiko sold for eating as is, and keep it refrigerated until the water is nearly boiling. Sourcing first, always.
2. 2

   Mix the sauce

   In a large heatproof bowl, mash the scraped mentaiko with the softened butter, cream, and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce. Use a bowl, not the hot pan. Soft butter melts from the pasta's heat, and the bowl keeps the roe from cooking before it has a chance to coat the spaghetti. Taste the paste. It should be salty and sharp because the noodles will tame it.

3. 3

   Boil the spaghetti

   Bring 2 liters water to a lively boil and salt it lightly, about 2 teaspoons. This is less salt than you might use for plain pasta because mentaiko carries its own. Boil the spaghetti until just firm at the center, usually one minute less than the package timing. Scoop out 1/4 cup cooking water before draining. The starch in that water is what turns the roe and butter into a sauce instead of a paste.

4. 4

   Toss off heat

   Add the drained spaghetti directly to the mentaiko bowl while the noodles are still hot. Toss quickly with tongs or long chopsticks, adding hot pasta water a tablespoon at a time until every strand is glossy and speckled pink-orange. Keep it off the heat. Direct flame tightens the roe into something grainy, while residual heat melts the butter, loosens the cream, and leaves the eggs tender.

   This is the detail that decides the dish. The sauce warms from the pasta, not from the stove.
5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Taste one strand. If it needs depth, add the remaining soy sauce a few drops at a time; if it needs looseness, add another spoonful of pasta water. Twirl into two restrained mounds on warm plates, leaving a wide bare rim. Scatter shiso first, then nori, and serve at once. The nori wilts and the shiso fades if they wait, and this dish is at its best while the gloss still catches the light.

Chef Tips

• •Buy karashi mentaiko from a Japanese market or a fish counter you trust. The sacs should look taut and glistening, not dull, leaking, or sour-smelling. If the roe smells tired, don't hide it under butter. Change dinner.
• •Karashi mentaiko is the chili-seasoned roe. Tarako is the plain salted cousin. The same method works beautifully, but then you're making tarako pasta, and we should call things by their names.
• •A little cream is a loosener, not a heavy sauce. Start with two tablespoons, then use pasta water for the rest. The roe should lead.
• •Don't return the tossed pasta to a hot skillet. A pan remembers the flame, and that stored heat can cook the eggs before you notice.
• •Cheese and garlic are loud guests here. They are not wicked, but this dish is built so the mentaiko speaks first.

Advance Preparation

• •Frozen mentaiko should thaw overnight in the refrigerator, never in warm water. Keep it cold and use it within a day of thawing.
• •You can scrape the roe up to 4 hours ahead. Cover it directly and refrigerate it, then mix the sauce while the spaghetti water heats.
• •Slice the shiso and cut the nori just before serving. Their aroma is short-lived, and the dish is better when they arrive fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)