Fish Sauce - Guide For The Home Chef

Fish Sauce © kvalifood.com

Fish sauce is the secret weapon you’re probably underusing. A teaspoon in a stir-fry, a splash in a braise, a drizzle over roasted vegetables - it adds a deep, savory richness that’s hard to put your finger on but immediately noticeable when it’s missing. It smells strong in the bottle. It tastes like the sea. In the dish, it disappears into the background and makes everything taste more like itself.

The Three You’ll Encounter

Vietnamese Fish Sauce (Nước Mắm)

The most nuanced of the mainstream options. Slightly sweeter, more complex, less aggressively salty than Thai. The benchmark is Red Boat - deep amber, two ingredients (anchovies and salt), intensely savory with almost no harsh fishiness. Use it anywhere you want the fish sauce to be tasted, not just sensed - in dipping sauces, finishing a dish, or anywhere it’s a feature rather than a background note.

Thai Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)

The most widely available. Sharper and saltier than Vietnamese, with a more assertive fish character. This is what goes in pad Thai, Tom Yum, and Thai curries. Perfectly at home in stir-fries and marinades. Megachef and Squid Brand are the reliable everyday choices.

Italian Colatura di Alici

A small-bottle luxury - the direct descendant of Roman garum, made on the Amalfi Coast from anchovies fermented in chestnut barrels for up to three years. Less pungent than Asian fish sauces, more concentrated and nutty. Use it raw: tossed into pasta with garlic and olive oil, or a few drops on a salad dressing. Never cook it - the delicate aromatics vanish immediately. Worth having if you’re curious; not a pantry essential.

Which One to Use When

Situation Reach for
Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Thai curries Thai (Megachef or Squid Brand)
Vietnamese dipping sauce (nước chấm) Vietnamese (Red Boat)
Boosting a Western braise, stew, or Bolognese Either - Thai for everyday, Vietnamese for best results
Marinating meat before grilling Either
Finishing a dish at the table Vietnamese (Red Boat)
Raw pasta sauce or salad dressing Colatura di Alici
You only want one bottle Thai (Megachef)

Nước Chấm - The One Recipe to Know

Vietnamese dipping sauce. Works with grilled meat, spring rolls, fresh rice paper rolls, noodle bowls - basically everything.

1 : 1 : 1 : 3 - fish sauce : lime juice : sugar : water. Add minced garlic and sliced bird’s eye chili. Taste, adjust.

Five Things Worth Knowing

It’s not just for Asian food. A teaspoon in Bolognese, a beef braise, or a lamb stew adds savory depth without any detectable fishiness. The “fishy” smell cooks off; the umami stays. Start with 1 tsp per 4 servings and adjust.

Add it late, not early. On high heat, the aromatic compounds evaporate fast. Add fish sauce toward the end of cooking - or after - to get the full flavor. The exception: marinades, where it has time to work slowly.

It’s your salt. Fish sauce is very salty (~1,300mg sodium per tablespoon). When you add it, cut back on salt. Don’t season with both at full strength.

Two ingredients on the label means quality. Anchovy + salt = traditionally fermented. Anything else - sugar, hydrolyzed protein, fructose, caramel - means it’s been cut or fortified. It’ll work in cooked dishes but won’t taste as good raw.

The °N number is the quality signal. If you see it on the label, higher is better. 30°N is solid. 40°N (Red Boat) is the best you can buy off the shelf. Below 20°N, skip it.

What to Buy

One bottle: Megachef (Thai, 30°N) - clean, versatile, works in everything.

Two bottles: Add Red Boat 40°N (Vietnamese) for dipping sauces, finishing, and anywhere the fish sauce is front and center.

Treat yourself: A small bottle of Colatura di Alici (Nettuno) if you want to try the Italian version on pasta.

Avoid: Three Crabs, Tiparos, and anything with a long ingredient list - fine for bulk cooking, but noticeably flat by comparison.

Storage

Fish sauce keeps well - it’s basically a brine. Unopened, it lasts years. Once open, keep it in a cool, dark cupboard for up to a year, or refrigerate to preserve the best flavor for longer. It won’t spoil at room temperature but will darken and lose some brightness over time.

See Also