Tarako - salted cod roe

I have not seen Tarako or Mentaiko in any of the japanese restaurants I have been to in Chicago. Do any restaurants serve this? I assume that it can be sold, if not fresh, in a tube at Mitsuwa - is this true?

For a photo of Tarako please click the link below.

http://japanesefood.about.com/library/p ... tarako.htm

Thankyou,
Hikari

I love tarako... When I was in Tokyo, I had tarako onigiri at least once a day. That said, most of the Japanese restuarants in the city do not serve tarako, IIRC. The one exception is Ginza on Ohio (and Wabash). They have it in onigiris and in ochazuke. Sometimes, Mitsuwa has tarako onigiris but they sell out fast.

Mitsuwa also sells the "fresh" stuff, not in tubes. It is in the back above the unagis.

Thank you so much for your helpful response. I just got back from Tokyo and have a huge craving for tarako. I had forgotten how much I love the stuff until I went back!

Hikari,

I am blaming you for this...

After reading your post, I have not been able to get tarako off my mind. So off I went to Mitsuwa for a pack of tarako. (ok... I got other stuff too, but tarako was the main reason for my trip). Last night, I made my first real onigiri!



Actually turned out that one pack of tarako makes 8 very generously filled onigiris. I am finishing the last 2 as I am typing this... phew!



This is the first time my riceballs came out looking like what they are supposed to look like. I actually did not want to open my 3000 yen pack of Chiba seaweed, so I used Korean seaweed instead. Slightly greasy, but the sesame oil really added something to mix.

It will be a long time before I eat tarako again...

Impressive onigiri C-dawg!!! Now I have you to blame for intensifying my desire to make the journey to mitsuwa. I like the flavor of korean seaweed too and I also like the crispy texture. Nori is more chewy and lacks the sesame flavor - both good for onigiri if you ask me, it just depends on your mood.

CrazyC,
Great looking o-nigiri (and I'm sure tasting, I can almost taste it myself)! Looks like you make the o-nigiris by hand (not using a mold).

Every now and then I make onigiri with umeboshi and spicy-mayo-(canned)tuna(not together of course). I'll have to look for taroko and mentaiko next time at Mitsuwa (and/or Tensuke).
I also sprinkle some sesame seeds (goma) on the rice, but have often wondered about furikake. I'd appreciate any buying advice (pics) on that - the array of furikake available is bewildering enough even if it wasn't all labelled in Japanese!
Arigato!

making onigiri link

Actually, the only problem I had was figuring out how to cook the tarako! I have been told to grill them, but was confused as to how and for how long. So I microwaved them at 50% for a minute at a time, and kept checking them... =) some of them were medium cooked, but that was fine by me... =)

I'm far from an expert, but don't they broil them in the ubiquitous behind-the-bar toaster oven? I had a lobe all to myself last week (family took a pass) after a trip to Mitsuwa, mixing it up with some nice "sweet" rice after broiling (w/ some broiled saba on the side).

-- PS all Zojirushi rice cookers are on sale. I swore I'd never buy one as I take pride in being able to cook rice, but damn it's turned out to be a great kitchen tool, especially with the fickle glutinous variety.

Thanks to the OP for bringing this topic up.

Yes, I have been told to broil, grill over an open flame, bake, nuke, etc... But nobody ever told me what to look for when they are done...

The first time, I baked them (no toaster oven, but I figured that the oven is just a giant toaster oven, right? . They came out dry and tough... I started grilling these on a foil lined grate on the stove top this time, but when a strangely foul smelling metallic odor started circulating through the kitchen, I switched to the microwave...

Like I say... Not much of a cook... =)

Hikari,
You can find salted cod and pollack (close first cousin of cod) roe at the larger Korean stores i.e. Chicago Food Corp. and Arirang. My family used to eat it quite a bit growing up usually in a jigae or spicy soup or just sliced and served uncooked as part of our panchan. Uncooked, it presents an interesting taste and texture, though you have to be a bit of a salt-aholic. In case you don't have them, here are the addresses for both stores:

Arirang Super Market
4017 W. Lawrence Ave, Chicago
773-777-2400
9:30am-9pm Mon-Sat, til 7pm Sun

Chicago Food Corp.
3333 N. Kimball Ave, Chicago
773-478-5566
7am-9pm Mon-Sat, til 8pm Sun

Also, fwiw while looking up the address/phone number for both I came across this webpage which has quite a few city and suburban Korean stores location/contact information conveniently located on one site.
http://chicagoseoul.tripod.com/food.htm

John