The first time I had mentaiko spaghetti was at a Japanese-French fusion restaurant called Bon, Nene in San Francisco. I had never been a fan of fish roe, and in general, I find cooked fish too fishy (story for another day). But the mentaiko sauce at Bon, Nene surprised me: creamy but not greasy, rich but somehow still refreshing, with a texture that hold on to every strand of spaghetti tightly.ย That dish hooked me on mentaiko ever since, including the mentaiko udon at Udon Mugizo.
I went back to Bon, Nene after eight years, and this time I noticed they also topped the pasta with shiso and seaweed. The herby freshness of shiso and the umami from seaweed must be the two key elements that help bring out the diverse flavors of the mentaiko sauce.
For some reason, though, the Bon, Nene in my memory was always better. So instead of continuing to chase that memory, I decided to figure out how to recreate it at home.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti, enough for 2
- 2โ3 tbsp mentaiko
- ยฝ cup heavy cream, as a starting point; add more as needed
- 10g softened butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp soy sauce (sushi soy sauce may work better)
- 1 tsp lemon juice, for a refreshing brightness
- 1 tsp paprika powder, for extra kick of spice
- 2 tsp ketchup, optional if you like a slightly sweet and sour flavor
- 1 tsp Kewpie mayonnaise (don’t add too much as the flavor is quite dominant)
- 1 tsp minced garlic, optional; I haven’t tried it myself yet, but some recipes call for it
- Shiso leaves
- Seaweed
Instructions
- Step 1: Thinly slice the shiso leaves and seaweed and set aside for topping.
- Step 2: In a bowl, mix the softened butter with the mentaiko. Add the heavy cream, soy sauce, lemon juice, paprika powder, ketchup, Kewpie mayonnaise, and minced garlic. Mix until well combined.
- Step 3: Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and briefly rinse under cold water to stop the remaining heat from further cooking the spaghetti.
- Step 4: Add the spaghetti to the mentaiko sauce and toss thoroughly until every strand is evenly coated.
- Step 5: Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the sauced spaghetti and gently toss for a minute or two, allowing butter and mentaiko to emulsify and some of the excess liquid to cook off so the sauce will cling more closely to the pasta. Be careful not to overcook it or let the sauce dry out.
- Step 6: Transfer to a plate and generously sprinkle with sliced shiso and seaweed.
Enjoy this creamy, savory, umami-packed mentaiko spaghetti, a mouthful of taste of ocean!
