RECIPE: Japanese-Style Pasta with Soy Sauce and Scallops

Some of the most delicious food in Japan is a Japanese twist on other cuisines! Pasta is a favorite food for many Japanese people and you can easily find Japanese-style pasta in many restaurants.

Pasta with a Japanese flair is often topped with a type of seafood or has Japanese ingredients like soy sauce or nori sheets. Making Japanese-style pasta is the perfect way to try a Japanese dish using many ingredients that you can find in your local grocery store. 

As the base for this pasta recipe, you will need ingredients that you can likely find in your area, such as pasta, mushrooms, or seafood. This recipe recommends using scallops as the main seafood protein, as it is a favorite topping in many Japanese-style pastas. Scallops are also easy to cook and keep their shape! However, Japanese-style pasta uses many types of seafood, like fish, shrimp, or clams. Feel free to use the seafood that you can find in your local grocery store, whether fresh or frozen!

For a distinct Japanese flavor, this recipe recommends using ingredients like negi (spring onion), soy sauce, and nori sheets. These ingredients may sound surprising but they are a staple in Japanese-style pasta! You may not think soy sauce and nori pair well with pasta but they wonderfully enhance the pasta, seafood, and garlic.

Japanese people love soy sauce as a staple because it complements many savory dishes! This soy sauce will give your pasta a deep, savory flavor that will bring out the umami taste in the other ingredients.

For a final dose of mouthwatering, crispy texture, top your pasta dish with shredded nori sheets! Make sure to top it as your last step to keep it nice and fresh. Enjoy your pasta hot and savor the umami aroma of the Japanese ingredients!

Servings: 1-2

Ingredients

• 100g pasta
• ¾ tbsp butter 
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 whole negi (spring onion) (1cm slices)
• 1½ king trumpet mushrooms (or your favorite mushroom)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 6-7 scallops
• Nori sheets (garnish, shredded)

Instructions

1. Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the package.
2. Separately melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the scallops and cook.
3. Add the negi, mushrooms and pinch of salt, and cook until soft. Add the soy sauce and mix until evenly coated.  
4. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Mix well and serve topped with shredded nori.

Note: You can reserve some of the pasta water when draining the pasta in step 4 and add a bit to the pan as needed to thicken the sauce or to prevent the pasta from sticking.

Introduction courtesy of Kimberlee Laney

As a Japanese-Korean-American, my love for Japanese food first came from my grandmother's kitchen! Japanese food feels like home and I love being able to cook it anywhere in the world to connect with Japan in my own little way. I love diving deep into the layers of Japanese food and always marvel at the food diversity between prefectures. I'm currently eating my way through Tokyo and taking up photography with my Instagram account @capturingkim!