Cream Cheese Dip with Spicy Pollock Roe is very easy to make and full of flavour from the mentaiko (spicy pollock roe). It has well-balanced spiciness, saltiness, and richness, with the mentaiko providing umami and saltiness.
Prep time does not include the time to soften the cream cheese.
- 100g / 3.5oz cream cheese (soften at room temperature, note 1)
- 2 tsp milk
- 80g / 2.8oz mentaiko , sac removed (note 2)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
- Finely chopped spring onions as garnish (optional)
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Mix the cream cheese in a bowl until it becomes a thick paste.
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Add the milk and lemon juice to the bowl and mix well.
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Add the mentaiko to the bowl and mix well, ensuring the roe is evenly distributed through the cream cheese.
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Mix in a pinch of salt and pepper.
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Transfer the Mentai Cream Cheese to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped spring onions, if using. Serve with crackers (note 3).
1. You need to soften the cream cheese, otherwise it will be very difficult to mix with the other ingredients.
Leave it on the kitchen bench for 1-2 hours.
If you don’t have time, microwave it on low power in 5-10 second intervals. Cutting the block into small pieces will also help it soften faster.
2. Please refer to my post Mentaiko Pasta, which shows how to remove the roe from the sac.
3. In addition to some crackers, vegetables sticks go very well with Mentai Cheese Dip. It can also be used as a spread on bread. I have not tried this yet, but it would also make a great sauce to put on grilled meat or fish.
4. It keeps up to 2-3 days in the fridge.
5. Nutrition per serving, shared with 8 people.
serving: 25g calories: 51kcal fat: 3.9g (6%) saturated fat: 2.4g (12%) trans fat: 0g polyunsaturated fat: 0.2g monounsaturated fat: 1.1g cholesterol: 39mg (13%) sodium: 314mg (13%) carbohydrates: 1.3g (0%) dietary fibre: 0g (0%) sugar: 1.0g protein: 3.1g vitamin a: 0.2mcg (4%) calcium: 13mg (8%) iron: 0.2mg (6%) potassium: 36mg (1%)