Mentaiko Spaghetti

Instructions

1. Boil the spaghetti in salted water, draining it 2 minutes before the time on the package. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil in a bowl.
2. Wash the scallion, pat it dry, and finely chop it. Mince the garlic or slice it into thin pieces.
3. Hold the mentaiko in your palm and cut it in half with scissors, then lay it open on a cutting board. Scrape out the roe with a spoon, separating it from the membrane. Set 1 tbsp of the roe aside in a bowl, and save the rest for garnish.
4. To the bowl with the mentaiko, add the egg yolk, 1 tbsp of the chopped scallion, mayonnaise, 1 tbsp olive oil, and pepper, then mix well to make the mentaiko sauce.
5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and cook the garlic until golden.
6. Add the pasta water and spaghetti, tossing well as the liquid reduces so the garlic-infused oil coats the noodles.
7. While the pasta is still moist, turn off the heat and transfer it to the bowl with the mentaiko sauce.
8. Use pasta tongs to toss the noodles evenly with the mentaiko sauce, then transfer to a plate.
9. Top with the reserved mentaiko, scallion, and gamtae, and finish with a drizzle of 1 tbsp olive oil.

Tips

• This recipe comes from a lasting memory of ordering mentaiko pasta at a restaurant I stumbled into on a trip to Tokyo years ago — I made this trying to recapture that flavor.
• The egg yolk coats the noodles and keeps them moist, while the mayonnaise acts as a lubricant that helps the sauce come together smoothly. Chopped scallion helps tame mentaiko’s distinct fishy edge.
• Gamtae is the finishing touch that ties all these flavors together.
• The key is leaving the mentaiko uncooked — the roe saved for garnish at the end isn’t just for plating, it’s also meant to be picked at as a snack alongside a beer.
• This mentaiko pasta is best enjoyed with a beer, without exception.

Mentaiko Spaghetti
Equipment: pot, frying pan, knife, cutting board, mixing bowl
Ingredients (1 serving)

- spaghetti 100g
- salted pollock roe (mentaiko) 3 (low-sodium white mentaiko)
- garlic 2 cloves
- egg 1 (yolk only)
- scallion 2 stalks
- gamtae (Korean green laver) 1 sheet (roasted seaweed works too)
- olive oil 5 tbsp
- mayonnaise ½ tbsp
- pasta water 1 ladle (55ml)
- salt 1 tbsp (for pasta water)
- black pepper a pinch

Instructions
1. Boil the spaghetti in salted water, draining it 2 minutes before the time on the package. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil in a bowl.
2. Wash the scallion, pat it dry, and finely chop it. Mince the garlic or slice it into thin pieces.
3. Hold the mentaiko in your palm and cut it in half with scissors, then lay it open on a cutting board. Scrape out the roe with a spoon, separating it from the membrane. Set 1 tbsp of the roe aside in a bowl, and save the rest for garnish.
4. To the bowl with the mentaiko, add the egg yolk, 1 tbsp of the chopped scallion, mayonnaise, 1 tbsp olive oil, and pepper, then mix well to make the mentaiko sauce.
5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and cook the garlic until golden.
6. Add the pasta water and spaghetti, tossing well as the liquid reduces so the garlic-infused oil coats the noodles.
7. While the pasta is still moist, turn off the heat and transfer it to the bowl with the mentaiko sauce.
8. Use pasta tongs to toss the noodles evenly with the mentaiko sauce, then transfer to a plate.
9. Top with the reserved mentaiko, scallion, and gamtae, and finish with a drizzle of 1 tbsp olive oil.

https://hong-recipe.pages.dev/en/recipes/mentaiko-spaghetti/