Tobiko Ingredient Guide: How to Use Flying Fish Roe

Tobiko is the roe harvested from flying fish, which live in temperate or tropical oceans and get their name from their ability to glide above the water's surface. Chefs use tobiko to adorn sushi rolls and sashimi in Japanese cuisine. The ripe, unfertilized eggs look like small, translucent red-orange color pearls. After harvesting, tobiko producers will salt-cure the roe to preserve them for eating, giving them a light flavor profile that's salty and sweet.
Tobiko is one of three types of fish eggs commonly used in sushi restaurants—the others are masago (capelin) and ikura (salmon). A single tobiko egg is tiny, ranging between 1/64 and 1/32 of an inch in diameter. Restaurants sprinkle the roe generously as a garnish or serve it in a large cluster, so you can fully appreciate its chewy, slightly crunchy texture. Like most roe, tobiko is low in calories and rich in protein. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, an essential fat that humans don’t naturally produce on their own.

Reddish-orange is tobiko’s natural color. To produce different shades of tobiko, some sushi chefs bathe the fish eggs in natural food colorings, taking care as the roe absorbs both the hue and flavor. Here are some natural ingredients used to create different colors of flying fish roe:

1. 1. Wasabi: Most diners recognize wasabi as the spicy paste served alongside sushi rolls. Green tobiko is made from the natural extract of Wasabi japonica, a plant related to horseradish and mustard, along with other ingredients such as soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
2. 2. Squid ink: Black tobiko gets its color from soaking roe in cephalopod ink, which contains a high amount of melanin, making it a common natural food dye. When added to flying fish roe, it lends a hint of octopus flavor.
3. 3. Beetroot: You can intensify the natural orange-red hue of tobiko with beet juice, producing a deeper shade of red. Beetroot is boiled down to create a reddish-purple concentrate.
4. 4. Chilis: Red tobiko can also get its color from chili peppers, but with a much different impact than beetroot. This type of red tobiko has a hot, peppery flavor.
5. 5. Yuzu: Yellow tobiko draws its color from yuzu, an Asian citrus fruit with a sour, tart taste that's similar to lemon or lime. Yellow tobiko has a clean, refreshing taste, and sometimes has hints of ginger.

Tobiko's mild, salty taste makes it an ideal complement to a variety of Japanese dishes. It's sturdier than other types of roe, such as ikura, and can hold its shape and taste whether it's frozen, thawed, or mixed into sauces and dishes. Here are classic and creative ways to use this versatile fish roe:

1. 1. Tobiko nigiri: Nigiri is a type of sushi that features a small mound of vinegared sushi rice topped with raw fish and wasabi. Make tobiko nigiri by using a spoonful of flying fish roe as the featured topping.
2. 2. Gunkan maki: This type of sushi roll entails wrapping an oval ball of rice in nori, which is a dried edible seaweed. Tobiko can be used on its own in gunkan maki or wrapped inside the nori with strips of cucumber.
3. 3. Sashimi: Flying fish roe is popular served as sashimi. The tobiko can be scooped into creamy avocado halves or cucumber cups to complement the salty taste.
4. 4. Sushi rolls: One of the most popular ways to use tobiko as a garnish is on a variety of sushi, such as California rolls. Tobiko is sometimes spread on the rice, lending a brightly colored appearance and adding crunch to the rice.
5. 5. Garnish: Tobiko can also be generously sprinkled on different types of sushi to enhance the presentation and add flavor. Flying fish roe is also an excellent garnish for a wide variety of seafood dishes.
6. 6. Sauces, dips, and salads: Use flying fish roe to add some crunch and a bit of salty taste to soups, sauces, and dressings. The roe holds its shape and texture, even when added to liquids.
7. 7. Appetizer: Tobiko can be served as an hors d'oeuvre. Place dollops of flying fish roe on plain crackers, crustless triangles of toast, or blinis, which are thin Russian pancakes.

Tobiko, masago, ikura, and caviar are all types of roe—the difference between them is the species of fish that the eggs are harvested from.

• Tobiko: Tobiko is roe from flying fish. It has a little more sweetness than other types of roe.
• Masago: Masago is the roe from capelin, a species of smelt. Eggs from this small North Atlantic or Arctic fish tend to be pale yellow or gold, and they have a more subdued taste and grainier texture than tobiko.
• Ikura: Ikura is salmon roe. Plumper and glossier than tobiko and masago, the small, round eggs contain a liquid that's slightly more sweet than salty.
• Caviar: People sometimes mistakenly refer to any type of roe as caviar. However, only eggs from the sturgeon family are authentic caviar.

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