Umami Mart Gift Guide

Japanify: Egg-On-Egg Pasta

Yoko Kumano on

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One of my favorite things to find at the fish counter is sujiko (fish roe). Its appearance is fleeting so I end up getting pounds of it to take advantage of the situation. I swear I could never get bored of ikura. It might possibly be one of my favorite foods, ever!

For every half pound of sujiko, my ikura curing solution is: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp soy sauce, covered with mirin for 1-2 days. Drain and enjoy. Once the ikura is cured to perfection, for the following week, I will have ikura donburi, ikura on crackers, ikura pasta, ikura in salads, etc.

For my version of ikura pasta, I applied the same technique I did to ikura donburi -- a raw egg, raw green onions and plenty of ikura.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of ikura
4 stalks green onion
1/2 pack of dry pasta (I prefer thin spaghetti for this recipe)
2 egg yolks lightly beaten
4-5 cloves of grated garlic
1 tsbp of olive oil

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METHOD

1. Get the pasta water ready.

2. In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil and saute the grated garlic. Turn off the heat once you start smelling the aroma of the garlic.

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3. Add the pasta with tongs from pasta pot to sauce pan.

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4. Add the egg yolks and coat well. Be careful that it doesn't curdle as you toss the pasta and coat each strand.

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5. Add the ikura and mix well.

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6. Plate and garnish with extra ikura and sliced green onions.

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Enjoy on a 90's granite counter top with a glass of wine.

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Savor the moment of being the ultimate baby killer with this egg-on-egg recipe.
Column: Japanify
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4 comments

  • Yes! I love Iikura or mentai pastas! Sometimes I mix them BOTH in and wonder how many eggs I am consuming in one sitting. Kinda a dark thought but who cares when it is so delicious.

    Tomo on

  • That looks SO good. I prefer mentaiko to ikura but I’ve never really had ikura pasta – must try!

    sakura on

  • @tomo Both?! That sounds delicious. I go into a dark place when I search for “fish eggs” and see how many links come up for preparing them for fish bait. Mottainai!!!

    @sakura Yes, you must try it!

    yoko on

  • Yoko: For every half pound of sujiko, my ikura curing solution is: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp soy sauce, covered with mirin for 1-2 days.

    This sounds very interesting. Unfortunately, in my youth, I spent too many days fishing, using Balls o’ Fire, a salmon egg bait. For that reason, ikura has always taken a back seat to tobiko, traditionally flying fish (Cheilopogon agoo) roe but now, more often that of capelin—a type of smelt—(Mallotus villosus). The proper Japanese name for capelin roe is masago.

    I’m still trying to find a sushi bar that serves tarako (cod fish roe), as that has been on the menu in Denmark forever and my Viking heritage should ensure some sort of ancestral hankering for it.

    As Jeff Foxworthy was wont to observe, “For men, there are two food groups … meat and salt.” So, with that axiom in mind, sprucing up some ikura with a bit of salt, soy sauce and mirin sounds like just the ticket! However, instead of salt, I’d be tempted to try a bit of shinshu (yellow) miso but, having never met an egg I didn’t like, your egg-on-egg idea works just fine for me.

    Finally, in the grand tradition of going sideways with my comments, for anyone who enjoys eggs, be sure not to miss trying the classic Chinese 100 year-old egg (pídàn). While its appearance may be off-putting, if properly prepared, this culinary marvel has an almost voluptuous, creamy texture. I first encountered them at my hotel’s breakfast buffet in Taoyuan, Taiwan. As a dedicated gourmet, I was obliged to try a taste and was astounded to encounter not a trace of sulfur or ammonia-type aromas. Just lots of eggy goodness with a consistency somewhere between a perfectly prepared three minute egg and one that was lightly hard-boiled.

    Chris S. on

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