What is fish sauce? The salty, savory Asian staple explained

Fish sauce is a thin, salty, amber seasoning made from fish that has been fermented with salt, and it is one of the most widely used flavorings in Southeast Asian cooking. A teaspoon or two gives soups, dressings, marinades and dipping sauces a deep savory taste that salt alone cannot supply.

What is fish sauce made of?

Fish sauce is made from small fish, usually anchovies, and salt, and many traditional bottles contain nothing else. The fish and salt are packed in large containers or barrels and left to ferment for many months, sometimes a year or longer. The liquid that drains off is the sauce.

Some bottles also include sugar, water or other additives, and cheaper versions may be diluted or flavored. Reading the ingredient list is the quickest way to see what you are buying.

What does fish sauce taste like?

Fish sauce tastes intensely salty and savory, with a faint sweetness and a deep, almost meaty background known as umami. Straight from the bottle the smell is pungent and fishy, but the taste in a finished dish is rounded and not obviously of fish.

Quality varies. Lighter, clearer sauces taste cleaner and are often used for dipping and dressings. Darker, thicker ones can taste stronger and heavier. Heat and acid change the flavor, so a splash cooked into a stir-fry tastes mellower than a splash stirred into a cold dressing.

How is fish sauce used in cooking?

Fish sauce is used as a salty, savory seasoning, added in small amounts to marinades, dressings, soups, stir-fries and dipping sauces. It replaces some of the salt rather than adding to it.

Typical uses include:

• Mixing into a dipping sauce with lime juice, sugar, garlic and chili.
• Dressing salads such as green papaya salad or noodle bowls.
• Seasoning stir-fried vegetables, rice and noodles near the end of cooking.
• Marinating chicken, beef or fish for grilling.
• Adding a few drops to soups, stews and sauces for depth.

A good starting amount is one teaspoon per serving. Taste before adding more, because it is easy to overshoot.

What are the names for fish sauce around Asia?

Fish sauce goes by different names in each country, and the flavor and thickness differ a little by region. The table lists the common ones.

Fish sauce is also related to garum, a fermented fish seasoning of ancient Rome. How closely modern fish sauce descends from it is a matter of debate, so treat the link as a family resemblance rather than a direct line.

What is nuoc cham and how do you make it?

Nuoc cham is a Vietnamese dipping and dressing sauce built on fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, garlic and chili. It is sweet, sour, salty and spicy at once, and it goes with spring rolls, grilled meat, rice noodles and fresh herbs.

A simple home version:

1. Stir 3 tablespoons of sugar into 1/2 cup of warm water until it dissolves.
2. Add 1/4 cup of fish sauce and 1/4 cup of lime juice.
3. Add 1 minced garlic clove and sliced chili to taste.
4. Taste and adjust, adding more lime for sourness or more sugar for sweetness.

The sauce keeps for several days in a covered jar in the refrigerator. The garlic and chili are best added fresh.

How do you choose a bottle of fish sauce?

Look for a short ingredient list, ideally fish and salt, and read the front label for the country and the style. Sauces made without added sugar or flavor enhancers usually taste cleaner.

A few things help when comparing bottles on a shelf:

• Ingredients: anchovy and salt first, few additions.
• Color: a clear amber to reddish brown is typical, and murky or very dark liquid may be a heavier style.
• Size: small bottles are a sensible first purchase, since an opened bottle is used slowly.
• Glass versus plastic: glass bottles keep the flavor stable and are easy to see through.

Some labels use wording about the pressing or the fish content. Those terms are not standardized everywhere, so compare the ingredients, not the slogans.

How should you store fish sauce?

Store fish sauce tightly closed in a cool, dark cupboard. Its high salt content keeps it stable, and many cooks keep it in the pantry. Some people prefer the refrigerator for opened bottles to keep the flavor fresh over a long time.

Salt crystals may form at the bottom after a while, and gentle warming or shaking usually brings them back. If the smell turns sharply sour or rotten rather than just strongly fishy, or you see mold, discard the bottle.

What can you use instead of fish sauce?

For a vegetarian or shellfish-free dish, soy sauce, tamari or a seaweed and mushroom seasoning can stand in for fish sauce, though none matches it exactly. Use roughly the same amount of soy sauce and add a squeeze of lime for brightness.

For a dish that needs the funky depth, a small amount of miso dissolved in water, or a touch of Worcestershire sauce, can add savory complexity, though Worcestershire contains anchovies. Check labels for allergens and ask the store if you are unsure.

Does K&S World Market sell fish sauce?

K&S World Market in Nashville is an international grocery with an Asian focus, and fish sauce is the kind of product such stores commonly stock. However, no source lists the store’s exact shelves, so this guide cannot say which bottles it carries.

The best way to find out is to look in the sauces aisle in person or ask staff. Opening hours and the address are on the hours and location page, and the FAQ page covers what is and is not documented about the store. This guide is independent and takes no orders.

Common questions

For the address, opening hours and menu, see K&S World Market in Nashville.

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from K&S World Market itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.