Japanese spaghetti coated in a creamy sauce of mentaiko, butter, and soy sauce, served with nori and shiso. A simple, briny, and lightly spicy yoshoku classic.
Ingredients
- 440 g spaghetti
- 200 g mentaiko
- 80 g unsalted butter
- 160 ml heavy cream
- 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce
- 2 tsp Japanese cooking sake
- 8 leaves green shiso leaves
- 2 sheets toasted nori
- 12 g fine salt
Method
- Take the butter out in advance so that it softens. Gently separate the mentaiko roe from its membrane: slit each sac lengthwise, then scrape the inside with the back of a knife. Reserve a small portion of the roe for the garnish.
- Place the remaining mentaiko in a large heatproof bowl. Add the butter, cream, soy sauce, and sake. Mash and mix until you have a smooth mixture. Do not heat this sauce directly: too high a temperature would harden the roe.
- Roll the shiso leaves together, then slice them very thinly. Cut the nori into short strips with clean, dry scissors. Set aside separately.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the salt, then cook the spaghetti until al dente, following the time indicated on the package.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve a small ladle of starchy pasta water. Drain the spaghetti thoroughly without rinsing it.
- Immediately transfer the piping hot pasta to the bowl with the sauce. Toss vigorously with tongs so the heat of the pasta melts the butter and forms a glossy emulsion.
- Gradually add a little pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. It should coat every strand of spaghetti without pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Taste before adjusting the seasoning, as the mentaiko and soy sauce are already salty.
- Immediately divide the pasta among warm plates, forming nests. Top with the reserved mentaiko, then finish with the shiso and nori strips. Serve right away.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 728.5 kcal
- Protein
- 23.65 g
- Carbohydrate
- 85.59 g
- Fat
- 34.3 g
- Fibre
- 4.47 g
- Calcium
- 9.01 mg
- Iron
- 0.61 mg
- Magnesium
- 9.79 mg
