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Mentaiko Spaghetti

Japan · No.22 / 103

Mentaiko Spaghetti

Mentaiko Spaghetti, 4 ways

A wafu pasta in which flaked spicy mentaiko (marinated pollock roe) is tossed with the pasta using butter, mayonnaise, egg yolk or similar. The key divides are whether the mentaiko is cooked or simply mixed in raw, and whether the emulsion is built with egg, cream, milk, or none of these.

Ryuji Tomomi Ogura Dareuma Koh Kentetsu
18 min · Difficulty ●●○○○ · 4videos

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RyujiRecipe developer Source verified

No egg, no cheese, no cream — butter and kombu tea build the creaminess

  • Uses no egg, cheese, or cream at all — butter, mentaiko, and kombu tea alone build the creamy texture, a home-cook-optimized approach
  • Builds the aromatic base from strained garlic oil, then uses the browned garlic itself separately as a chip topping — a two-part structure
  • Presented as the culmination of 20 years of refining a mentaiko pasta he'd been making since his teens — "the ultimate mentaiko pasta"
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In the chef’s words
  • A mentaiko pasta I've loved and made since my teens — after 20 years, it's reached the realm of the ultimate, so I'm finally ready to share it: 'the ultimate mentaiko pasta.' source

References: [1] [2]

Tomomi OguraOwner-chef of Regalo in Sangubashi Partly unverified

Built on a tomato sauce base — the mentaiko goes on raw, after plating

  • A mentaiko pasta built on a tomato sauce base, where the mentaiko is treated as a single topping added at the very end
  • Unlike the other three chefs, who mix the mentaiko into the sauce, this is the only style that keeps it out of the sauce entirely and places it raw on top after plating
  • The specificity of a professional training course: 1.5% salt concentration for the pasta water, a 24cm aluminum pan
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References: [1]

DareumaRecipe developer Partly unverified

Boiled entirely in the microwave, no pot, no stove — the sauce is never heated either

  • A time-saving design that skips both pot and pan entirely, boiling and finishing the dish using only a heatproof container and a microwave
  • Builds the sauce entirely from pantry seasonings — mayonnaise, mentsuyu, kombu tea, and sugar
  • Replaces the pasta water with kombu-tea-infused water, seasoning the cooking liquid itself from the start
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In the chef’s words
  • Rich as carbonara, impossibly silky! How to make the 'ultimate mentaiko pasta' that surpasses every mentaiko pasta before it source

References: [1]

Koh KentetsuRecipe developer Partly unverified

Milk, egg yolk, olive oil, and mayonnaise emulsified together — the sauce is never heated in the pan

  • A "just mix it" design: the sauce is never heated in the pan at all, mixed together entirely in a bowl
  • Emulsifies with four elements — egg yolk, milk, mayonnaise, and olive oil — achieving smoothness without ever using cream
  • Even shows what to do with the leftover egg white, poaching it in the pasta water for 2 minutes to make a plain poached-egg-white side, a full use-it-all approach spelled out in the original
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In the chef’s words
  • Just mix it! A smooth, rich sauce that's absolutely delicious — how to make mentaiko pasta source

References: [1]

Compared on 9 axes

Figures are transcribed as written in each video or recipe page

AXIS Ryuji Tomomi Ogura Dareuma Koh Kentetsu
Noodles, quantity, cooking method 1.4mm, 100g1.5mm, 70g100g, thickness not specified, microwaved at 600W for package time + 3 minutes1.6mm spaghettini, 160g / 2 servings, boiled for the package time
Salt in the pasta water 0.7% of the boiling water1.5% of the waterNo salt used; kombu tea provides the seasoning instead1 tbsp salt in 1.5L water
Preparing and portioning the mentaiko 30g mentaiko, roe removed from its membrane (the skin isn't used)About one lobe of mentaiko plus a little extra, mashed skin-on, placed on top after plating (uncooked)1 lobe of mentaiko, roe scraped out from its skin60g spicy mentaiko, broken apart
Fat (butter, olive oil, mayonnaise) 20g butter + 2 tsp garlic oil (garlic browned and strained)Olive oil + chili oil (aroma drawn out with garlic over low heat)10g salted butter + 1 tbsp mayonnaise1 tbsp olive oil + 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise + 10-20g butter
Heating method (direct heat, microwave, no heat) The bowl is worked over a water bath, never over direct heatTomato sauce reduced over direct heat; the mentaiko itself is never cookedNo pot or pan; boiled in the microwave, sauce tossed together using the pasta's residual heatThe sauce is never heated; it's tossed together using the residual heat of the freshly boiled pasta
Dairy and egg, present or not None (no egg, cream, or cheese)NoneNone (no egg or cream, only mayonnaise)2 tbsp milk + 1 egg yolk (no cream used)
Acidity (lemon, etc.) 1/2 tsp lemon juice, plus a lemon wedge on the sideNo lemon or other acid used (only 45cc tomato sauce and chili oil)A squeeze of 1/8 lemon at the endNot specified
Finish Shredded nori, shiso, lemonMashed mentaiko placed on top (Italian parsley folded into the sauce)Lemon only; no nori or shisoShiso and shredded nori
Time required 20 minutes15 minutes20 minutes15 minutes
Source check Source verifiedPartly unverifiedPartly unverifiedPartly unverified
Ryuji No egg, no cheese, no cream — butter and kombu tea build the creaminess
Noodles, quantity, cooking method
1.4mm, 100g
Salt in the pasta water
0.7% of the boiling water
Preparing and portioning the mentaiko
30g mentaiko, roe removed from its membrane (the skin isn't used)
Fat (butter, olive oil, mayonnaise)
20g butter + 2 tsp garlic oil (garlic browned and strained)
Heating method (direct heat, microwave, no heat)
The bowl is worked over a water bath, never over direct heat
Dairy and egg, present or not
None (no egg, cream, or cheese)
Acidity (lemon, etc.)
1/2 tsp lemon juice, plus a lemon wedge on the side
Finish
Shredded nori, shiso, lemon
Time required
20 minutes
Source
Source verified
Tomomi Ogura Built on a tomato sauce base — the mentaiko goes on raw, after plating
Noodles, quantity, cooking method
1.5mm, 70g
Salt in the pasta water
1.5% of the water
Preparing and portioning the mentaiko
About one lobe of mentaiko plus a little extra, mashed skin-on, placed on top after plating (uncooked)
Fat (butter, olive oil, mayonnaise)
Olive oil + chili oil (aroma drawn out with garlic over low heat)
Heating method (direct heat, microwave, no heat)
Tomato sauce reduced over direct heat; the mentaiko itself is never cooked
Dairy and egg, present or not
None
Acidity (lemon, etc.)
No lemon or other acid used (only 45cc tomato sauce and chili oil)
Finish
Mashed mentaiko placed on top (Italian parsley folded into the sauce)
Time required
15 minutes
Source
Partly unverified
Dareuma Boiled entirely in the microwave, no pot, no stove — the sauce is never heated either
Noodles, quantity, cooking method
100g, thickness not specified, microwaved at 600W for package time + 3 minutes
Salt in the pasta water
No salt used; kombu tea provides the seasoning instead
Preparing and portioning the mentaiko
1 lobe of mentaiko, roe scraped out from its skin
Fat (butter, olive oil, mayonnaise)
10g salted butter + 1 tbsp mayonnaise
Heating method (direct heat, microwave, no heat)
No pot or pan; boiled in the microwave, sauce tossed together using the pasta's residual heat
Dairy and egg, present or not
None (no egg or cream, only mayonnaise)
Acidity (lemon, etc.)
A squeeze of 1/8 lemon at the end
Finish
Lemon only; no nori or shiso
Time required
20 minutes
Source
Partly unverified
Koh Kentetsu Milk, egg yolk, olive oil, and mayonnaise emulsified together — the sauce is never heated in the pan
Noodles, quantity, cooking method
1.6mm spaghettini, 160g / 2 servings, boiled for the package time
Salt in the pasta water
1 tbsp salt in 1.5L water
Preparing and portioning the mentaiko
60g spicy mentaiko, broken apart
Fat (butter, olive oil, mayonnaise)
1 tbsp olive oil + 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise + 10-20g butter
Heating method (direct heat, microwave, no heat)
The sauce is never heated; it's tossed together using the residual heat of the freshly boiled pasta
Dairy and egg, present or not
2 tbsp milk + 1 egg yolk (no cream used)
Acidity (lemon, etc.)
Not specified
Finish
Shiso and shredded nori
Time required
15 minutes
Source
Partly unverified

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1 Pasta & boiling Brand, thickness, salt, water volume, cooking time
2 Base Fat and the main ingredient: rendering, infusing
3 Sauce & emulsion Where you toss, heat level, how much pasta water
4 Finish Cheese, pepper, finishing oil, plating

The map of schools: where the heat is managed

For Mentaiko Spaghetti, the fork in the road is how you emulsify and heat

Toss over direct heat

The pan stays on the flame and your hands manage the temperature. Fast, but it takes feel.

Indirect heat

Bain-marie, steam, double boiler or a hand blender. Repeatable, at the cost of one extra step.

Off the heat

Emulsify after killing the flame, or in a bowl with only the pasta’s residual heat. Hard to get wrong.

Salt in the pasta waterActual values from 2 styles. Equal values stack vertically
0.6%0.9%1.1%1.3%1.6%Ryuji: 0.7% of the boiling waterRTomomi Ogura: 1.5% of the waterTO
Total timeActual values from 4 styles. Equal values stack vertically
14.4 min16.0 min17.5 min19.1 min20.6 minTomomi Ogura: 15 minutesTOKoh Kentetsu: 15 minutesKKRyuji: 20 minutesRDareuma: 20 minutesD
Pasta thicknessActual values from 3 styles. Equal values stack vertically
1.4mm1.4mm1.5mm1.6mm1.6mmRyuji: 1.4mm, 100gRTomomi Ogura: 1.5mm, 70gTOKoh Kentetsu: 1.6mm spaghettini, 160g / 2 servings, boiled for the package timeKK

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