Japan · No.23 / 103
Tarako Spaghetti
Tarako Spaghetti
A classic Japanese-style pasta in which mild salted tarako is loosened with butter, soy sauce and olive oil, then tossed with hot spaghetti and lifted with shiso.
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Cook this pasta on video
Watch the creators’ original videos for the method and finish.
FabioA chef’s approach to tarako pastaWatch on YouTube ↗
Keita YugeAn award-winning tarako pasta variationWatch on YouTube ↗
Meet the dish
Japanese home cooking
Keep the grains and gentle salinity of tarako at the center, using soy sauce and shiso to sharpen the richness of butter.
Pasta shapes to use
- Spaghetti
Key ingredients
- Tarako
- Butter
- Soy sauce
- Olive oil
- Shiso
Follow the cooking scenes
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Step 1: Remove the roe
Slit the membrane and scrape out the roe. Keep the grains intact while mixing evenly with butter, soy sauce and olive oil in a bowl.
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Step 2: Slice the shiso
Stack the leaves and cut them into fine ribbons. Avoid soaking them so their aroma remains vivid at serving.
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Step 3: Toss with hot pasta
Drain the spaghetti and move it straight into the bowl. Toss quickly so residual heat melts the butter without overcooking the roe.
What to watch for
- Use non-spicy tarako rather than treating it as interchangeable with mentaiko. Taste the roe first and use soy sauce only as an aromatic accent.
- Keep the sauce off direct heat and melt the butter only with freshly drained pasta so the roe retains its grains and aroma.
What sets it apart
It places the mellow salinity of tarako firmly at the center rather than the chilli heat of mentaiko pasta.