Can mentaiko be eaten raw? Things to know before eating it raw

Mentaiko is originally eaten raw; cooking it actually makes it taste worse. Mentaiko is a dish whose main ingredients are walleye pollack and chili, made by curing the roe of walleye pollack with chili and spices. During Qingming Festival, every Korean household eats walleye pollack.

Walleye pollack is a fish that lives in both river and sea waters, mainly from the Korean Peninsula and Russia. Walleye pollack is also known as Alaska pollack. It is 1 species of the genus Gadus in the family Gadidae, suborder Gadinae, order Gadiformes.

The Alaska pollack has an elongated body, laterally compressed toward the rear; body length can reach 900 mm, body length is 6.6 to 10.2 times body height, 4.1 to 4.6 times head length, and 3.9 to 4.8 times eye diameter. The eyes are positioned high on the sides. The interorbital space is smaller than the eye diameter. The mouth is large, anterior, and oblique. The lower jaw tip is longer than the upper jaw. The chin barbel is about equal to 1/2 of the pupil. There are 7 branchiostegal rays. The head and body have small cycloid scales.

The anterior part of the lateral line is positioned high on the sides, dropping to a mid-lateral position at the second dorsal fin and appearing interrupted. Dorsal fins 12-14, 12-18, 20-21; anal fins 19-23, 21-23; the first anal fin begins slightly in front of the second dorsal fin; pectoral fins 18-20; pelvic fins 6, beginning slightly in front of the pectoral fins, with the second fin ray extending into a filament; the caudal fin is concave and forked.