Fish Sauce

[Andy M.]

I agree with Jen. The first time I bought fish sauce, the first thing I did was taste it. I needed to know how it would impact the recipe I was making. The taste is not unpleasant. Just keep in mind it's an ingredient similar in effect to soy sauce.

 

[Timothy]

I'm talking tasting like a teaspoon of it at a time.

Not sure how you can use an ingredient if you don't taste it on its own.

The way I was taught by the Chef I worked for was to make a dish without one ingredient and then taste it with the ingredient and without, without being tried first.

That way you can experience the actual difference that one ingredient makes in that specific dish.

 

[Andy M.]

The way I was taught by the Chef I worked for was to make a dish without one ingredient and then taste it with the ingredient and without, without being tried first.

That way you can experience the actual difference that one ingredient makes in that specific dish.

Sounds like a pretty good method.

 

[no mayonnaise]

I'm talking tasting like a teaspoon of it at a time.

Not sure how you can use an ingredient if you don't taste it on its own.

Well, cooked fish sauce tastes entirely different than it does from the bottle, and fish sauce used at the table is usually diluted with water, along with lime juice, sugar, and sometimes chilies (Nuoc Cham)
It's kinda the equivalent of tasting raw chicken so you know how to use it as an ingredient.

 

[Timothy]

Sounds like a pretty good method.

It taught me a lot. Henri had a big ole wooden spoon in his apron pocket that he would whack me on the head with if I couldn't tell him what ingredient was missing! I got whacked plenty, but I learned a lot about seasoning that way.

 

[jennyema]

The way I was taught by the Chef I worked for was to make a dish without one ingredient and then taste it with the ingredient and without, without being tried first.

That way you can experience the actual difference that one ingredient makes in that specific dish.

We did that in culinary school but only after tasting the ingredient by itself first.

 

[Timothy]

We did that in culinary school but only after tasting the ingredient by itself first.

Henri showed me how the absence of only one small amount of one seasoning can make a real difference in flavor of the final outcome. Sometimes, the dish would be very good without it, but with it, it had a subtle flavor waaaay in the background that showed itself after swallowing, in the nose on an exhale. The one that was always the most surprising to me was lemon juice added in drops. Try a bite of grilled salmon some time and then add just a drop of lemon juice to the meat and wipe it around the entire piece. You wouldn't think one drop of lemon juice could make much difference, but it really, really does. A back-of-the-tongue citrus aftertaste that really helps the flavor of the salmon come out.

The same thing with bean dishes and lemon juice. Quite a difference!

 

[jennyema]

Henri showed me how the absence of only one small amount of one seasoning can make a real difference in flavor of the final outcome. Sometimes, the dish would be very good without it, but with it, it had a subtle flavor waaaay in the background that showed itself after swallowing, in the nose on an exhale. The one that was always the most surprising to me was lemon juice added in drops. Try a bite of grilled salmon some time and then add just a drop of lemon juice to the meat and wipe it around the entire piece. You wouldn't think one drop of lemon juice could make much difference, but it really, really does. A back-of-the-tongue citrus aftertaste that really helps the flavor of the salmon come out.

The same thing with bean dishes and lemon juice. Quite a difference!

I agree totally that lemon juice is outstanding and IMO underappreciated!

 

[Dawgluver]

I agree totally that lemon juice is outstanding and IMO underappreciated!

When I asked a friend if she wanted me to mule something down with us on our recent trip to Mexico, she requested Realemon juice! The stuff in the bottle! Apparently, while limes are all over in Mexico, lemons are almost unheard of. I've always used them interchangeably, though the flavors are different.

Same friend requested fish fertilizer to be brought down awhile ago. As they live on the ocean, with fresh fish in abundance, I had to give her a hard time, and recommended the old Indian trick of burying a dead fish at the base of her plants.

Hmmm. Maybe shoulda brought her some fish sauce. Would have served dual purposes.

 

[buckytom]

dawg, i hope you meant to smuggle the lemon juice in your luggage.

to mule something means to carry something in a body cavity, swallowed or inserted.

 

[Dawgluver]

dawg, i hope you meant to smuggle the lemon juice in your luggage.

to mule something means to carry something in a body cavity, swallowed or inserted.

Actually, we do call it "muling" as in using a mule/donkey to carry your stuff, no cavities involved. Smuggling would prompt a "search".

2 16 oz. bottles of Realemon would be, um, uncomfortable. Especially on a long flight!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I agree totally that lemon juice is outstanding and IMO underappreciated!

Or lime juice. Lime juice is one of my "secret" ingredients. Sometimes a squeeze of lime over the top of a dish can really make the dish come alive!

When I first encountered fish sauce (nam pla) it sounded sort of weird to me but I knew I wasn't going to be doing any serious Thai cooking without it, so I began using it. Later on I eventually built up to actually tasting it, and I discovered that it was much milder than I had ever imagined, the smell wasn't as strong as I had previously imagined, and I realized that it was quite salty. It sometimes seems to me that fish sauce to some degree is Thai salt, or serves the function in many recipes. (And adds to the flavor complexity too of course.)

These days I don't even measure the stuff (or at least not unless I'm trying to create a written recipe so I can post it on the Internet). I usually just pour it into my pan ingredients, stir things a bit and taste, then add some more if I think it needs it.

Also noting, there are wide variations between brands and there are different kinds of fish sauce, and fish sauce varies depending on origin (e.g. Thai fish sauce, Vietnamese fish sauce, etc.). Somebody who thinks their fish sauce is too strong should find a different brand. I recommend the kind that looks like dark tea with little or no sediments. (My favorite is Cock brand from Thailand, a mild fish sauce IMO.)

Get mam nem sauce if you want something with a real kick to it!

 

[apple916]

Since no one has mentioned a brand yet and if you're like that one starring at all the choices I highly recommend the one with 3 crabs. It's at most places that sells fish sauce and I think I've seen it at albertsons or Ralphs in Asian isle. If you can't find that, the Squid brand is almost as good.

 

[GLC]

Called, strangely enough, Three Crabs Brand.

 

[apple916]

Nice job, that's the Hennessy of fish sauce.

 

[powerplantop]

Nice job, that's the Hennessy of fish sauce.

Since I bought some red boat Red Boat Fish Sauce First Press Extra Virgin my wife will only allow in the house. I have to mail order it and it is expensive but is worth it.

 

[jennyema]

Fish sauce isthe new olive oil.

All of a sudden there are more and more interesting brands on the market.

 

[Bigjim68]

Or lime juice. Lime juice is one of my "secret" ingredients. Sometimes a squeeze of lime over the top of a dish can really make the dish come alive!

When I first encountered fish sauce (nam pla) it sounded sort of weird to me but I knew I wasn't going to be doing any serious Thai cooking without it, so I began using it. Later on I eventually built up to actually tasting it, and I discovered that it was much milder than I had ever imagined, the smell wasn't as strong as I had previously imagined, and I realized that it was quite salty. It sometimes seems to me that fish sauce to some degree is Thai salt, or serves the function in many recipes. (And adds to the flavor complexity too of course.)

These days I don't even measure the stuff (or at least not unless I'm trying to create a written recipe so I can post it on the Internet). I usually just pour it into my pan ingredients, stir things a bit and taste, then add some more if I think it needs it.

Also noting, there are wide variations between brands and there are different kinds of fish sauce, and fish sauce varies depending on origin (e.g. Thai fish sauce, Vietnamese fish sauce, etc.). Somebody who thinks their fish sauce is too strong should find a different brand. I recommend the kind that looks like dark tea with little or no sediments. (My favorite is Cock brand from Thailand, a mild fish sauce IMO.)

Get mam nem sauce if you want something with a real kick to it!

I think that a lot of the citrus flavors used in Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese, and other Siamese countries comes from Kaffir Lime and Lemongrass rather than from the fruit itself. Neither is easy to come by in my area as spices, but both do well as deck and house plants. Kaffir lime grows around 6 ft high as a pot plant, and has long, very sharp, spikes.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

All I can say is that I've frequently seen Thai recipes that include lime juice as an ingredient, or finished off with lime juice. (Both in my Thai cookbooks and on TV cooking shows.)

I don't see how anybody can make a real Thai curry without Kaffir lime leaves. I'm fortunate in L.A. that I can find Kaffir lime leaves in my favorite Asian market (but not every time). Kaffir lime leaves don't taste much like ordinary limes to me. I find the taste indescribable, and so obviously I won't try to describe.

I've often thought it would be a good idea to get a Kaffir lime bush, to have a dependable source of the leaves. As I said, IMO you can't make a good Thai curry without, or at least I can't.

Lemongrass doesn't taste like ordinary limes to me either, not even slightly. Again, indescribable, so I won't even try.



BTW I use Cock brand fish sauce (picture of rooster next to brand name). I have so many brands to choose from (at least a couple dozen, probably more) that I happened to pick Cock brand because I was already using their brand jasmine rice. It worked fine for me so I just stuck with it (both the fish sauce and the jasmine rice). Like they say, "don't fix what ain't broke!"

 

[jennyema]

I think that a lot of the citrus flavors used in Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese, and other Siamese countries comes from Kaffir Lime and Lemongrass rather than from the fruit itself. Neither is easy to come by in my area as spices, but both do well as deck and house plants. Kaffir lime grows around 6 ft high as a pot plant, and has long, very sharp, spikes.

Lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves don't taste much like lemon or lime.

Lime juice us a very common ingredient in Thai and Vietnamese cooking.

I envy your lime tree! I grow lemongrass in my garden but have had to resort to buying lime leaves at Mario Batalis Eataly. They are gorgeous and perfect though and, for some reason, very cheap.