Japanese people love Tarako Spaghetti, which we call “tarasupa”. Made with cod roe, which may sound odd to you but it is really tasty. If you like salmon roe or caviar, trust me, you are going to like this tarako spaghetti.
What is Tarako?
Tarako(たらこ) is a pollock(cod family of fish) roe that has been salted and processed. We normally eat it with white rice or eat it alone with sake. We also like to use tarako for other dishes, like udon or okonomiyaki, etc. You can find it at every Japanese and Korean grocery store.
Tarako Spaghetti is Very Popular Among Japanese People
The origin of tarako spaghetti is a restaurant called “Kabenoana (壁の穴)” in Tokyo. The chef was asked one of his customers to make caviar spaghetti one day. And then the caviar spaghetti became a really popular dish. However, the caviar is too expensive so, the chef use tarako instead of caviar. Eventually, tarako spaghetti ended up becoming one of the most beloved spaghetti in Japan.
Fish Egg Spaghetti Sounds Odd but Taste So Good
When I was a kid, I didn’t even want to try to taste tarako because it was too exotic and smelled too fishy for me. However, when I was 10 years old, my mom ordered a tarako spaghetti at a local karaoke restaurant while my family was having a great time singing J-Pop. I observed my mom really enjoyed the spaghetti which made me try it for the first time. It was surprisingly so good and tasty. Since then I have asked my mom to make tarako spaghetti over and over.
Tarako Spaghetti Sauce is Convenient but Making Your Own Sauce is Much Better
Yes, there are instant tarako pasta sauces sold in Japan. Of course, I’ve used them a lot. However, if you have access to fresh (frozen) tarako, please try to make your own tarako sauce. It’s tastes really good, especially with good butter. Tarako and butter is really a great combination!!
How About Mentaiko?
Mentaiko(明太子) is identical to tarako which is also salted pollock row. But the only difference between these two is that mentaiko is marinated in powdered chilies and spices. Mentaiko is a little more bright red color, although it depends on the food manufacturer. Mentaiko spaghetti is also popular in Japan. If you like it a little bit spicy, you can make it with mendaiko instead of tarako.
Pasta Recommendation for Tarako Spaghetti
The tarako sauce goes with any type of pasta but I prefer to use thick spaghetti especially for this tarako cream spaghetti. Normally I hate overcooked pasta, and really prefer it to be perfect “al dente” when it comes to pasta. However, for this recipe, mochi mochi (chewy and springy) texture of spaghetti somehow makes the taste really great. So cook them 1 minute longer from al dente. Fresh pasta is also perfect for this tarako sauce. Udon noodle also goes well with this tarako sauce.
Ingredients
- salt (1 % of boiling water)
- 4 quarts (16 cups) of water
- 4 oz thick spaghetti
- 1 sack of cod roe (squeeze out the row from the sac, leave 1 teaspoon of the roe for decoration)
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
- ½ cup of heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon of pasta boiling water
- ½ teaspoon of dashi powder (optional)
- 2 shiso leaves, (julienne/ thin strips)
- kizami nori (shredded nori seaweed)
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt. Add the spaghetti and cook it according to the package directions.
- Add butter and mayonnaise into a large pan, and heat them in medium heat. Once butter and mayonnaise are melted, add the heavy cream.
- Add the dashi powder, stir the cream mixture occasionally. Turn the heat up once it starts boiling.
Right before the spaghetti is cooked, add the pasta water into the cream mixture, and turn the heat to low heat.
- Add the cooked spaghetti into the pan, with cod row, stir everything until it’s combined. After you add the cod row, mix really quickly to not over overcook.
- Serve spaghetti immediately, garnished with shiso strips and an extra cod row on the top of spaghetti.
