Mentaiko Cheese Spring Rolls

When you hear "spring roll," chances are you picture one stuffed with pork and vegetables. While spring rolls originated in China, here in Japan, where they're called harumaki, they're more of a framework than a recipe, and we roll just about anything into the wrappers. This combination of mentaiko, cheese, and green shiso is one of my favorites. The salty, mildly spicy roe and the cool, fresh shiso pull in opposite directions, while the melted cheese brings the whole thing together in every gooey bite.

Mentaiko is Alaska pollock roe that's been salted and cured with chili, a Fukuoka adaptation of Korean myeongnan-jeot. These days it turns up in everything from traditional onigiri to Japanese-style pasta to scallion pancakes.

In these rolls, I've paired it with string cheese because the sticks are already the perfect length for spring rolls, but any cheese that melts will work, you just need to cut it into sticks. When I made these, I ran short of cheese and made the last two rolls with cheddar; my daughter liked those best. The same goes for the rest of the filling: if mentaiko is hard to find where you live, anything colorful and salty will do the job, like smoked salmon, imitation crab, or even Spam. Any fragrant herb, like basil, tarragon, cilantro, or dill, can stand in for the shiso, and while I used shishito peppers, slices of bell pepper or other quick-cooking veggies like baby corn or asparagus work just as well.

However you decide to fill them, have a few for dinner while they're crispy, then pack the rest for lunch the next day. Sliced into rounds with a sharp knife, they show off a colorful pink, white, and green cross-section that's not only beautiful, but savory enough to make them a great accompaniment for rice.