Creamy Karasumi Pasta With Roasted Radish Chips
Now that things have settled down a little in my life for this moment in time (including the terrifying ordeal of getting the dojo inspected for NYS COVID compliance), my creative juices are flowing so I decided to make a simple, but elegant pasta dish using Karasumi, which is cured mullet roe. Also known as Bottarga in Italian and Wuyuzi in Chinese, this briny delicacy that is full of salty, umami, ocean flavor is a national export product of Taiwan. I have a recipe of one style of Karasumi Pasta, plus several that use it as garnish.
This pasta however, is cream based which is a bit more rich and heavy than the lighter Japanese style. Either way, it’s a delicious treat as Autumn moves in. Normally, it is served sliced with daikon radish, garlic, scallions, as an accompaniment to alcohol. I recreated that combination of flavors to great success here. The radish chips mellow out from the heat it isn’t too spicy, but provides a refreshing crunch for for flavor and texture.
If you were wondering about a simple and tasty dish should you have some Bottarga/Karasumi/Wuyuzi hand (or you can purchase them on Amazon). Bottarga, Karasumi, and Wuyuzi taste almost interchangeably so you can purchase it under either name.
I toss in the crumbled/grated bottarga at the end when the pasta is off the heat so that it doesn’t get cooked, as it will turn dry.
Ingredients
- 1 serving of spaghetti
- 1 heaping tablespoon grated Karasumi
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon sake or white wine
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pink radishes, thinly sliced
- Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons of reserved starchy pasta water
- Cook pasta until al dente, using less water so that the pasta water is more starchy for thickening the sauce. Reserve the pasta water.
- Toss the radish slices in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, and either fry in the air fryer or roast in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-8 minutes, or until crisp.
- In a pan over medium high heat, sauté minced garlic in butter until fragrant. Add cream, the starchy pasta water, and sake or white wine. Heat all the alcohol has burned off. Add cooked pasta and toss until coated thoroughly. Remove from heat.
- Toss with the Bottarga/Karasumi and salt and pepper to taste. Plate and garnish with radish slices and scallions. Serve warm!
