• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Onolicious Hawaiʻi
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • Travel
  • About
  • Newsletter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • Travel
  • About
  • Newsletter
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
    • Travel
    • About
    • Newsletter
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Seafood

    Mentaiko Rice

    Published: Feb 18, 2024 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This simple and satisfying dish requires no cooking! Mentaiko Rice is a quick weekday favorite. Top a bowl of warm rice with mentaiko (spicy cod roe), chives, and drizzle of sesame oil. Mix and eat. Delicious and full of flavor.

    Mentaiko Rice.

    How could you not love this dish?

    Imagine warm rice topped with a single mentaiko lobe, chopped chives, and drizzle of sesame oil. Comfort food for sure!

    Assuming you already have hot rice (which we often have ready to go in the rice cooker), you don't need to cook anything. Just chop the chives and gently place everything on top of the rice.

    I especially enjoy mentaiko rice for a solo meal. Think quiet nights with a good movie or a quick lunch on busy days. It hits the spot and feels "homemade" even though it's much easier than getting delivery or driving somewhere for takeout.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • What Is Mentaiko?
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Storage
    • Top Tip
    • FAQ
    • Mentaiko Rice Recipe
    • Mentaiko Rice
    • Related

    Ingredients

    Here's what you'll need:

    Ingredients for Mentaiko Rice.
    • Cooked rice - Jasmine rice or Japanese short-grain rice works best.
    • Mentaiko (spicy cod roe)
    • Chives
    • Sesame oil

    See recipe card for quantities.

    What Is Mentaiko?

    Mentaiko

    Mentaiko is spicy cod roe. It's briny and salty with a little bit of heat. Mentaiko is delicious and very versatile.

    Aside from making mentaiko rice, you can also make mentaiko toast, mentaiko udon and mentaiko pasta. Mentaiko is a popular onigiri filling (recipe coming soon).

    The different ways you can cook and eat with mentaiko is endless. For examples, there a popular Japanese bakery in Honolulu called Okayama Kobo Bakery. They make mentaiko mochi oyaki and a salt and butter roll with mentaiko! Both are incredibly tasty when you get them hot out of the oven (imagine hot melty mochi mixed with mentaiko!)

    Purchase mentaiko from Japanese markets. In Honolulu we go to Nijiya (Ala Moana location), Mitsuwa, or Marukai. Mentaiko is available in the frozen and/refrigerated section of the market. Mentaiko freezes well so you can buy a couple packs and store them the freezer for last minute meals.

    Instructions

    Let's get cooking!

    Mentaiko Rice.

    Place the cooked rice into a serving bowl.

    Note: We usually have warm rice ready to go in the rice cooker. But if the rice isn't already hot, make sure to heat it up first.

    Place a single mentaiko lobe on top of the rice.

    Sprinkle the chopped chives next to the mentaiko lobe.

    Drizzle sesame oil all over the top. You can use more or less of what the recipe calls for depending on how much you love seasame oi.

    Mix and eat and enjoy!

    Substitutions and Variations

    A few of our favorite ideas:

    • Extra spicy - Mentaiko itself is already a little spicy, but you can add a drizzle of chili oil to add even more heat.
    • Nori strips - Top the dish with shredded nori, always a good idea.
    • Egg yolk - Top the dish with a raw egg yolk or a soft cooked egg (that has a barely cooked / still runny egg yolk). To make a soft cooked egg: bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat. Gently add the egg. Put a lid on the pot and remove from heat. Let sit for 6 minutes. Then crack the egg directly over the rice.

    Try one or try them all!

    Storage

    The prepared dish does not keep well. Assemble the dish only right before you are ready to eat.

    Top Tip

    There is no need to remove the mentaiko from the sac/membrane.

    In all our other mentaiko recipes, we remove the mentaiko from the thin sac/membrane that holds everything in. In this recipe, we don't need to do that!

    That is what makes this an extra easy recipe. The sac/membrane is edible and delicious but we needed to remove it for the other recipes because we used the mentaiko as a spread or tossed it with noodles.

    In this recipe you just eat it with rice! You might end up getting a bite of the sac/membrane here and there. Or you might get it all in one bite. But either way, this is a truly easy and tasty recipe.

    Mentaiko Rice.

    FAQ

    Looking for other recipes using mentaiko?

    Mentaiko Toast is great for an easy breakfast or snack! Mentaiko Hanpen is a great bento component. We also love to make Mentaiko Udon and Mentaiko Pasta (super tasty with angel hair pasta).

    Looking for easy no-cook rice bowl recipes?

    Try making Natto Rice! We also love Tuna Rice - it is one of our most popular recipes and a local Hawaii favorite. Ume Shiso Rice is also a very tasty and bright dish, very elegant.

    How to store mentaiko?

    Mentaiko is usually sold in 2 packs (2 lobes per package). You only need 1 lobe for this recipe. Mentaiko will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. So make sure to use the other lobe pretty quickly. You can either make this recipe again or any one of our other mentaiko recipes.

    You can also freeze mentaiko! Mentaiko will keep in the freezer for about 2 months. We love to keep a couple packages in the freezer. It often comes in handy for last minute meals.

    Mentaiko Rice Recipe

    Mentaiko Rice.

    Mentaiko Rice

    This simple and satisfying dish requires no cooking! Mentaiko Rice is a quick weekday favorite. Top a bowl of warm rice with mentaiko (spicy cod roe), chives, and drizzle of sesame oil. Mix and eat. Delicious and full of flavor.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 serving

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups cooked rice Jasmine rice or Japanese short-grain rice works best
    • 1 lobe mentaiko (spicy cod roe)
    • 1 tablespoon chives chopped
    • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

    Instructions

    • Place the cooked rice into a serving bowl.
      Note: We usually have warm rice ready to go in the rice cooker. But if the rice isn't already hot, make sure to heat it up first.
    • Place one mentaiko lobe on top of the rice
    • Sprinkle the chopped chives next to the mentaiko lobe.
    • Drizzle sesame oil all over the top.
    • Mix and eat and enjoy!

    Related

    Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

    • New Cholon in Honolulu Chinatown.
      New Cholon (Oahu) - Vietnamese Snacks!
    • Bacon Almond Onigiri Musubi.
      Bacon Almond Onigiri / Musubi
    • Kombu Onigiri / Musubi.
      Kombu Onigiri / Musubi
    • Kimbap and spam musubi from Kimbap Plus.
      Kimbap Plus (Oahu)

    More Seafood

    • Steamed shrimp and vermicelli.
      Steamed Shrimp and Vermicelli
    • A plate of Stuffed Delicata Squash with Fish Paste.
      Stuffed Delicata Squash with Fish Paste
    • Tuna tacos.
      Ahi Tuna Tacos
    • Fish Paste Stuffed Peppers.
      Fish Paste Stuffed Peppers

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Mahalo for Reading! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Aloha, I'm Kathy!

    I'm a born and raised Hawaii local who loves everything about Hawaii (especially the food). I’m excited to share recipes from our island home, favorite restaurants, and Hawaii travel tips ^_^

    More about me →

    Trending Posts

    • Haupia Pie from McDonald's Hawaii
      Special Menu at McDonald's Hawaii
    • Shoyu Chicken
    • Plate of Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
      Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
    • A bowl of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.
      Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

    Most Popular

    • Misoyaki Butterfish
      Misoyaki Butterfish
    • bowl of sushi bake
      Sushi Bake
    • Furikake Salmon
      Furikake Salmon
    • A bowl of Furikake Chex Mix
      Furikake Chex Mix

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign up here

    Contact

    • About
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    As an Amazon Associate Onolicious Hawaii earn from qualifying purchases.

    COPYRIGHT © 2025 ONOLICIOUS HAWAII

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.