Tobiko Pasta

Name: Tobiko Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: Salt; 1 pound spaghetti or linguine; 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces; 1 (2-ounce) chunk extra-sharp white Cheddar or Parmesan, finely grated through a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon wasabi paste; 1 heaping tablespoon tobiko, masago or ikura, plus more for serving (see Tip); Nori, cut into thin matchsticks with scissors, and thinly sliced scallions, for serving

By Eric Kim

Updated Dec. 24, 2024

Tobiko Pasta — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 4(232)
Comments: Read comments

When you’re craving the dynamic flavors of sushi and the warmth of creamy pasta, this speedy meal hits the spot. It stars tobiko, the delightfully briny and slightly sweet flying fish roe that often coats the outside of a California roll. Other roes such as ikura (from salmon or trout) and masago (from capelin) work well too. They all lend rich seafood flavor with zero effort, not to mention fun pops of texture. The only thing you have to cook is the spaghetti, which gets tossed with cream cheese, Cheddar and pasta water to become a lovely sauce. Creamy but light, the sauce gains dimension from the tried-and-true combination of soy sauce and the horseradish bite of wasabi paste, which mellows out once combined with the hot pasta. Enjoy with your favorite sparkling wine or sake.

Featured in: This Midnight Pasta Was Made for New Year’s Eve

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

Salt
1pound spaghetti or linguine
4ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1(2-ounce) chunk extra-sharp white Cheddar or Parmesan, finely grated through a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater
2teaspoons soy sauce
1teaspoon wasabi paste
1heaping tablespoon tobiko, masago or ikura, plus more for serving (see Tip)
Nori, cut into thin matchsticks with scissors, and thinly sliced scallions, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return to its pot.
Step 2
Add the cream cheese, white Cheddar, soy sauce, wasabi, tobiko and ¾ cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss until combined and the cheeses are melted, adding splashes of the pasta cooking water, as needed, to thin out the sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
Step 3
To serve, plate the pasta, then top each serving with a little nori, scallion and more tobiko.

Tip

Fish roes such as tobiko (from flying fish), masago (from capelin, a type of smelt fish) and ikura (from salmon) are much more affordable than caviar and easy to find in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores and Asian markets. They add delicate pops of seaside salinity to dishes.

Ratings

4 out of 5

232 user ratings

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Comments

Eric Kim5 months ago

Hi Kevin, this is incredible with Boursin and Brie, as well. I chose cream cheese because it melts beautifully, but this recipe is very adaptable. Enjoy, Eric

Tara5 months ago

Believe it or not, the big-box, Sweden-based, home-goods store that we all know so well sells its own seaweed 'caviar.' They call it “Sjörapport,” or “Seaweed Pearls,” and it's a caviar made from kelp (seaweed). It has the correct look and mouth-feel with a good measure of sea-like brininess.

LeafyNYC5 months ago

Other roes such as tarako (pollock roe) or Mentaiko (spicy pollock roe) work too. Open secret for Koreans & Japanese :)

Susan in Seattle2 months ago

Such an unexpected combination of ingredients, but absolutely delicious. The first few times I made it I used a sharp truffle white cheddar, which was delicious. Recently I used Iberico cheese, and that worked fine too, so I think as long as you have a cheese that melts well and has a bit of bite, it's all good!

Marika Ray3 months ago

Totally agree with all the comments praising this dish. Completely delectable! Made with cream cheese, mixed in a smidgeon of feta for sharpness and used salmon eggs/roe, parmigiana with a bit of pecorino, a bit less pasta water. Came together so fast I had to rush to finish the decoration bit- cutting the nori and slicing the scallions. You can also use squid ink pasta for a dramatic look! Just superb.

Kim4 months ago

This was greater than the sum of its parts! A luscious umami-fest in my mouth! For two people, I used about half the linguine called for. I also used Parmesan and mascarpone (instead of cream cheese) and the resulting dish was really delightfully creamy and unctuous. We had steamed broccoli on the side. Oh, and we each added a dollop of caviar. I'm not a salmon roe fan. We'll definitely make this again! YUM!

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