noun
walleye pollack; Alaska pollack
The fish Theragra chalcogramma. In everyday Japanese, the fish itself is more commonly called スケトウダラ (介党鱈). 明太 is often used in the context of its roe.
from Korean myeongtae
See also: 介党鱈
明太はスケトウダラの別名として使われることがある。
明太 is sometimes used as another name for walleye pollack.
noun
Abbreviation of 明太子 (めんたいこ). Refers to the salted and spiced roe, a popular ingredient in Japanese and Korean cuisine. This is the most common usage of 明太 in modern Japanese.
See also: 明太子
明太パスタが大好きです。
I love mentaiko pasta.
この明太は辛さがちょうどいい。
This mentaiko has just the right amount of spiciness.
From Korean 명태 (myeongtae, 'walleye pollack'). The roe sense is an abbreviation of 明太子 (めんたいこ), which adds 子 (こ, 'child/roe').