Mentaiko Pasta (Korean Myeongran Pasta)

This Korean-style mentaiko pasta keeps things light with a simple garlic oil base instead of cream. Made with salty myeongran (pollock roe), spaghetti, and finished with fresh perilla and green onion, it’s a quick, savory pasta you can pull together in about 15 minutes. Great for a quick weeknight dinner. Get new recipes via email: Thank you for subscribing! There’s a trendy spot in Seongsu right now known for Korean fusion plates, and this mentaiko pasta stopped me mid-bite. This is the kind of pasta I keep ordering in Seoul these days. It’s also called myeongran pasta (명란파스타), made with Korean pollock roe. Unlike the creamy Japanese version, this one keeps it light with a simple garlic oil base. Clean, savory, and quietly addictive. Korean fusion pasta has been having a moment lately. I’ve been making versions like my doenjang-based pasta with a savory soybean paste sauce, and this myeongran version fits right into that same space. I knew I had to recreate it at home. This version lets the myeongran do the work. It melts gently into warm pasta, coating each strand with deep umami. I finish it with fresh perilla leaves and a sprinkle of ground perilla seeds, which adds a nutty, al...