The mentaiko pasta that skips the heavy cream

Spicy, salty, deeply savoury, and completely unforgettable. Mentaiko—Alaska pollock roe cured with salt and marinated in chili pepper—has been a Fukuoka staple since Toshio Kawahara adapted it from Korean cuisine in 1949. Right now, thanks to the massive online buzz surrounding Japanese establishment Futoppara, everyone is suddenly remembering just how spectacularly versatile this ingredient is. While you can pile it on toast or stuff it inside fresh rice balls, the absolute best way to experience that brilliant, punchy flavour at home is to fold it into pasta. Forget the heavy cream sauces that dilute the kick; this stripped-back, thoroughly modern preparation relies on butter, soy sauce, and the rich, spicy pop of the roe itself to create a glossy emulsion that is nothing short of magic.

Ingredients

• 200g dried spaghetti
• 2 plump mentaiko (spicy cod roe) sacs, skin removed (about 60g)
• 30g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp starchy pasta cooking water
• Finely shredded nori (seaweed) and chopped spring onions, to serve

Method

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until perfectly al dente.
2. While the pasta is bubbling away, use a sharp knife to slit the mentaiko sacs down the middle and gently scrape the brilliant red roe out of the membrane into a large mixing bowl. Discard the clear skins.
3. Add the softened butter, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil into the bowl with the mentaiko, mashing everything together with a fork into a vibrant, thick paste.
4. Just before draining the pasta, carefully scoop out a couple of tablespoons of the starchy cooking water and vigorously whisk it into your mentaiko paste to loosen it into a silky sauce.
5. Tip the hot, drained spaghetti directly into the bowl and toss continuously for a minute until every single strand is coated in the rich, spicy roe and melted butter.
6. Transfer immediately to warm bowls, using tongs to twist the pasta into high mounds, and scatter generously with the shredded nori and crisp spring onions.

Serves two enthusiastically, best eaten immediately while the butter and roe are still perfectly glossy.