Mentaiko Spaghetti

Name: Mentaiko Spaghetti
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3–4 servings
Ingredients: 14 oz. (400 g) spaghetti; 1 large garlic clove, halved; 3½ oz. (100 g) mentaiko (cured Alaskan pollack; about 4 pieces); 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened; 1 tsp. soy sauce; 1 tsp. lemon juice; 1 tsp. lemon zest; 8 fresh shiso leaves, thinly sliced, for garnish; ½ sheet dried nori seaweed, cut into thin strips, for garnish (keep in a resealable plastic bag until ready to use); Lemon wedges, to serve

By Sonoko Sakai

December 3, 2024

Mentaiko spaghetti in a bowl with chopsticks

Photo by Rick Poon

Mentaiko pasta was invented by the chef of Kabe-no-Ana (Hole in the Wall), a restaurant in my old neighborhood of Shibuya in Tokyo that has been in existence since the 1950s. I used to hang out there with my girlfriends. It’s an affordable, unpretentious place that serves an amazing array of wafu pastas. I like mentaiko spaghetti because the only cooking you do is the pasta. You just toss the hot pasta in the bowl of roe, butter, and olive oil, and that’s it.

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