Some call it a condiment, but fish sauce is more of a seasoning in a sense that we use it primarily to season our food. Its main purpose is to add saltiness; and the secondary purpose, but still very important, is to add umami or savory flavor. You can think of it as soy sauce, but with fish! It's the main salting agent in traditional Thai cuisine, and is widely used in many Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Another indicator of quality is protein content. As I explained in How is Fish Sauce Made above, lower quality fish sauce has more water added, and this naturally dilutes the concentration of fish protein. Maybe I’m lazy, but with so many affordable fish sauce brands available, I wouldn’t bother making my own. And yes, you CAN use fish sauce outside of Asian cuisine! Remember it's just a source of salty and savory taste. Richer foods are great for experimenting as the fish flavour won't be too obvious: try it in stews, chili, bolognese sauce, braised meats, pasta sauces, or meatloaf! Prik nam pla is a great way to use fish sauce. It's a popular tableside fish sauce condiment that you can use to boost the flavour of any dish. Basically, fish sauce is the liquid that results from the fermentation of small fish (most commonly anchovies) and salt. The process is rather simple: put a bunch of anchovies and salt together in a big tank and let it do its natural thing.

Nước mắm nhĩ Red Boat 40°N, 250ml

We used the fish sauce in our recipes, we sold bottles of it in our merch section, and someone was like, “Are you sponsored by Red Boat now?” I’m like, no, I’m just evangelical about it. The transparency of the company was also important because international fisheries are notoriously rife with labor violations and human rights violations. It was great to know about a product that didn’t perpetuate that chain of behavior.

Our unique process preserves the fresh fish taste and aroma, with a richer and more complex flavor and a higher nutritional value than other leading brands. Red Boat has won international awards and is the #1 brand in Thailand and Vietnam. Now that you know everything there is to know about this essential Thai sauce, time to get into the kitchen and cook with it. This list of easy Thai dishes is a great place to start.In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the health benefits of Red Boat Fish Sauce. Some studies have suggested that it may have anti-inflammatory effects and may be beneficial for heart health.

Fish sauces can be stored in your pantry or at room temperature for a few years. However, they will continue to ferment and get funkier with age. If you want to keep it fresher longer, I recommend storing your fish sauce bottles in the refrigerator. A great way to use Red Boat Fish Sauce is to add a little extra flavor to your next stir-fry. Just a few dashes of the sauce can really help to boost the flavor of your dish, and it’s a great way to use up any extra sauce you may have on hand. Plus, the added saltiness can really help to round out the flavors in your dish. There are shortcuts you can take by making a salty brine and submerging the fish in that. You can let it ferment at room temperature for a couple of days and do the rest of the fermenting in a refrigerator for about four to six weeks. Strain out the solids and store in the fridge for up to six months to a year. If you're an occasional user, keep opened fish sauce in the fridge. If the fridge is not an option for some reason, at the very least store it in a cool, dark place. This is because over time, the flavour does deteriorate and becomes more pungent, and the color will be visibly darken. Keeping it cold, in the dark, and tightly sealed will slow this process down significantly. At the most basic, a good fish has simple ingredients: fish, water and salt. Sometimes, sugar, molasses, or caramel are added for color and sweetness. You want to find a fish sauce that has been fermented long enough to develop deep flavors and aromas. A simple ingredient list is best, but I sometimes like the ones with a bit of added sweetener.A perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness with a touch of umami, Red Boat is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes to enhance the flavor. It can be used in soups, stir-fries, sauces, and marinades, or even as a finishing touch to a dish.

THREE CRABS. I mostly use Thai fish sauce (for obvious reasons) but Vietnamese fish sauce or nuoc mam can be used in Thai cooking. I find Three Crabs to have a milder flavour than most others, which could be attributed to a higher sugar content (2g vs 1g) and perhaps less concentration of fish. You can also use it as a tableside condiment, adding it to anything that feels a little bland. For this, I recommend making the most popular Thai condiment, prik nam pla, simply by combining fish sauce with chopped fresh chilies and a squeeze of lime juice. (Ratios do not need to be exact, but you can start with 3 parts fish sauce to 1 part lime juice.) Add some chopped garlic or shallots if you'd like, then treat it like you would tabasco, worcestershire sauce, or salt and pepper! But will it make my food taste fishy?Price is just a general rule of thumb though, and should not be used as the only indicator (I've seen some ridiculous pricing on fancy-looking fish sauce with a bunch of additives!). But once you've already considered the two points above, price can be used as a tiebreaker. We also use it as a condiment. Often in Thailand you’ll find prik nam pla on the table, which is a simple combination of fish sauce and chilies (and sometimes lime juice and garlic) used to add an extra boost of seasoning to anything that might need it, much in the same way salt and pepper are used in the West. How is Fish Sauce Made? Anything that is not a clear brown liquid! If you see "fish sauce" that is a murky, brownish-grey liquid, that is a different thing altogether and is NOT what you want unless you are making specific dishes that call for it. It's an unfiltered fish sauce with a much more pungent flavour.