Mentaiko

Mentaiko (Seasoned Pollock Roe)

A classic Fukuoka specialty of salt-cured pollock roe marinated with chilli, sake and konbu. Traditionally spooned over hot rice, packed into onigiri or tossed through buttered spaghetti.

Prep

15 min

Total

15 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •240 g (8½ oz) salted pollock roe (tarako), skin on, Japanese grocery stores sell this frozen or thawed in the chiller section; ask for tarako (salted) rather than sukimi (already skinned).
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) sake, Use real cooking sake, not 'salt-free sake'; shaoxing wine is an acceptable substitute if sake is unavailable.
• •10 ml (2 tsp) soy sauce
• •2 g (2 tsp) dried chilli pepper (togarashi), Korean gochugaru works in a pinch; quantity is a guide, not a rule.
• •1 g (1 piece (4 cm / 1½ in)) dried konbu (kelp), Optional but authentic; omit if unavailable.

Steps

1. 1 If the roe is frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator (0–4 °C / 32–39 °F). Roes that were not previously frozen must be frozen at home at –20 °C / –4 °F for at least 7 days before use; this destroys parasites (anisakid larvae) that may be present in raw fish roe.
2. 2 Carefully slit the thin membrane along the length of each roe sac and peel it away, removing the dark connective strip running down the centre. Work over a bowl so you don't lose any roe.
3. 3 Break the skinned roe into loose grains in a non-reactive (glass or ceramic) bowl, discarding any tough membrane fragments.
4. 4 Pour the sake and soy sauce over the roe and stir gently. Add the konbu and let everything rest for 5 minutes so the roe soaks up the seasoning.
5. 5 Sprinkle in the chilli pepper a little at a time, tasting as you go. The mentaiko should be noticeably savoury with a gentle, lingering warmth rather than sharp heat.
6. 6 Remove and discard the konbu. Cover and refrigerate the mentaiko for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the flavours settle and the roe firms up. It will keep, refrigerated, for about 5 days.
7. 7 To serve over rice: cook 320 g (about 1¾ cups) Japanese short-grain rice in 400 ml (1¾ cups) water until tender, then mound in bowls and top with 40–50 g (1½–1¾ oz) mentaiko per person. Eat while the rice is steaming hot.
8. 8 Variations: pack a spoonful inside an onigiri with a sheet of nori, or toss 80–100 g (3–3½ oz) mentaiko through 200 g (7 oz) hot spaghetti with 15 g (1 tbsp) butter and a splash of pasta water.