16 Fish Sauce Recipes to Use Up that Bottle of Fish Sauce! (2024)

FAQs

How do you use a lot of fish sauce? ›

If properly kept in a cool, dark place at a constant temperature, fish sauce will remain safe and palatable for at least two or three years after purchase. The fish sauce should be discarded if there is a change in its already-pungent aroma, or if mold appears in the bottle.

Traditionally, oily fish such as anchovies are placed in a barrel with salt and slowly pressed to extract the liquid. Anchovies are often used, although some fish sauces are also made from shrimp, krill, or mackerel. The basic ingredients of a good fish sauce are fish, water, and salt.

When using fish sauce, less is usually more. It's easy to go overboard, so our rule: use it as you would salt.

Southeast Asians generally use fish sauce as a cooking sauce. However, there is a sweet and sour version of this sauce which is used more commonly as a dipping sauce.

Something like Vietnamese fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce won't “go bad” for 8 years or more if it's kept cool and out of the light. It might dull with age and lose some flavor but it won't harm you because it has a high salt and preservative content. If it tastes ok to you, use it.

The high concentration of salt in fish sauce means it won't go bad at room temperature, but the color may lighten and the flavor will become more complex as the sauce ages. Keeping it in the fridge will slow this down.

Fish sauce is salty and umami so it works great as a marinade. You can mix it with other seasonings like ground pepper, chopped garlic or soy sauces.

Fish sauce is liquid, while oyster sauce is thicker. Fish sauce is fermented, while oyster sauce is caramelized. MasterClass says that when it comes down to taste, fish sauce is much saltier and deeply pungent and doesn't have the sweetness and subtleness that oyster sauce has.

Pinch of sugar and a squeeze of lime or lemon. More vegetables and protein would also help beforehand if the fishy taste is very strong.

What does fish sauce do to a meal? ›

A little fish sauce can boost salty, savory flavor in sautéed greens, pastas, roast chicken, or broths. Generally speaking, we're down to experiment with a dash of fish sauce whenever we would otherwise add salt. It's aggressively flavorful though, so be sure to add just a bit at a time and taste as you go.

With the fish sauce, though, it tastes deeper, fuller, more savory, and even a little meaty. The bread crumb mixture adds an irresistible jolt of toasty crunchiness, too. Adding Vietnamese fish sauce to an Italian pasta dish isn't all that radical when you think about it.

Yes, absolutely. I usually add Asian fish sauce to my tomato pasta sauces that include meat, but not typically in Marinara (meatless) sauce. I also use it in soups and stews. There is an Italian equivalent (Colatura di Alici), but the Asian fish sauce is easier to find in stores.

A little fish sauce can boost salty, savory flavor in sautéed greens, pastas, roast chicken, or broths. Generally speaking, we're down to experiment with a dash of fish sauce whenever we would otherwise add salt. It's aggressively flavorful though, so be sure to add just a bit at a time and taste as you go.

Yes, fish sauce is a popular condiment in many Asian countries, especially in Southeast Asia. It is commonly used in Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Cambodian, and Laotian cuisine, among others. Fish sauce is made from fermented fish and salt and adds a salty, savory flavor to dishes.

One reason for its popularity is that fish sauce is a staple ingredient in many Thai and Vietnamese dishes, it is used as a base for many sauces and marinades, and it is also used as a condiment for dipping.

Shopping for and Storing Fish Sauce

Store it in a cool dark place, like the pantry, and away from any hot areas in your kitchen, like directly above the stove. You should avoid storing fish sauce in the fridge because cold temperatures will cause the salt to crystallize over time.