5 Best Brands of Fish Sauce to Enjoy Savory Seafood

by Touseef Shaikh

Fish Sauce as its name, is made of small anchovy fish by coating these with the sea salt into large size barrels or containers for fermentation. Now, this process can take from months to several years, and then the natural bacteria break it down which is the fermenting process. Different manufacturers can select their own ways to bring that savory liquid of the sauce. Not only anchovies but sometimes Krill is also used for making this sauce. There are some of the best brands of fish sauce for enjoying your seafood recipes even more.

Editors' Picks: Top Brands of Fish Sauce to Enjoy Savory Seafood
Editors' Picks: Top Brands of Fish Sauce to Enjoy Savory Seafood (source)

So When Was First Fish Sauce Made?

It was made by Ancient Greeks during the 4rd to 3rd century BC. The scrapes of fish were fermented, and the salt content was low as compared to modern fish sauces.

Top 5 Best Brands of Fish Sauce:

Here is the list of some of the best brands of fish sauce for savory seafood dishes:

1. Red Boat Premium Fish Sauce

Red Boat Premium Fish Sauce
Red Boat Premium Fish Sauce

This Red Boat Fish Sauce is free from the gluten and doesn't contain preservatives or MSG.

It is also packed with Vitamin B and the minerals and it is all natural and doesn't contain added water also.

It uses the secret ingredient which is used by professional chefs and the home cooks.

This sauce is made by using the traditional chemical free methods of fragmentation.

It is the 100 percent all natural fish sauce.

It is great with different dishes such as seafood recipes and pasta dishes.

2. Four Elephants Premium Fish Sauce

Four Elephants Premium Fish Sauce
Four Elephants Premium Fish Sauce

This sauce is an all natural fish sauce which is first press extra virgin.

It doesn't contain GMO and doesn't contain extra water, preservatives, MSG or the artificial colors.

It is the sweet and savory fish sauce which is full of flavor too.

By using this sauce you can add the unique flavor to your favorite dishes.

3. Premium Fish Sauce Nuoc Mam Vietnam Multi-purpose

Premium Fish Sauce Nuoc Mam Vietnam Multi-purpose
Premium Fish Sauce Nuoc Mam Vietnam Multi-purpose

It is made by using 80 percent of anchovy and 20 percent salt and doesn't contain anything else.

It is 100 percent sugar free and is free from the artificial sweeteners.

The taste of this sauce is refreshing sweet savory.

It is gluten free and is low in the carbohydrates.

This fish sauce is great for your favorite salads, vegetables and different types of meats.

This sauce has rich and full bodied, authentic, fresh and clean aromas which are well balanced and great flavor to your dishes.

4. Son Fish Sauce Natural Anchovy Fish Sauce

Son Fish Sauce 40° 100% Pure Natural Anchovy Fish Sauce
Son Fish Sauce 40° 100% Pure Natural Anchovy Fish Sauce

This sauce is 100 percent pure natural and it doesn't contain preservatives or additives.

It doesn't contain Shellfish or gluten.

It is made from only two ingredients which are Wild Anchovy and the Sea Salt.

Many food lovers, chefs and cooks understand that how fish sauce can improve the taste of their seafood and different cuisine.

5. Thai Kitchen Gluten Free Premium Fish Sauce

Thai Kitchen Gluten Free Premium Fish Sauce
Thai Kitchen Gluten Free Premium Fish Sauce

It is the premium Fish Sauce which is crafted carefully from the salted anchovies by first pressing these.

This Fish Sauce greatly blends with the sweet and spicy flavors of the authentic Thai dishes.

It is free from the gluten and it is also made with the sea salt.

Not only that it can also be used as an alternative to the soy sauce or the salt and your recipe will still get the savory taste.

What are Different Types of Fish Sauces?

There are some forms of fish sauce which contain same or similar ingredients to give extra taste to your dishes:

Anchovy Essence:

It has pink color and used to flavor sauces, soups and different types of savory dishes. Mixing it with soy sauce can be used as fish sauce alternative.

Budu Sauce:

It is the fermented Malaysian version of seafood sauce. This sauce is made by mixing anchovies and the salt with 2:1 to 6:1 ratio and it takes from somewhere 140 to 200 days for fermentation. It is popular for adding flavor to rice, raw vegetables and the fish.

Cincalok:

This sauce is made by fermenting shrimps or the krill and it is commonly used as the condiment along with chilies, lime juice or and also shallots. The shrimps used in this sauce are usually small size, and this condiment has pungent smell, whereas its flavors are usually salty and sour. It is enjoyed as the dipping sauce.

The purpose of fish sauce is to enjoy fish and other seafood with the great taste. However, you may want to know about other sauces which may or may not be similar to fish sauce. Here are some of these:

Oyster Sauce:

The main difference is consistency; the oyster sauce has the thick consistency while fish sauce is clear and has watery form. Oyster sauce has usually sweet flavor whereas, fish sauce has salty flavor. These days the oyster sauce usually contains salt, cornstarch and sugar, while the oyster sauce or essence of oyster is less. Fish sauce on the other hand has rich flavor if the fermentation longer period of time.

Oyster sauce has the brownish color and the fish sauce has the amber or reddish brown color.

Worcestershire Sauce:

It is another sauce which can also be used as the alternative to fish sauce. This sauce is made of tamarind and anchovies, along with some more ingredients like vinegar, malt, molasses, garlic, sugar, onions, salt and other flavorings and spices too. The preparation takes about 3 months sealed in the oak barrels which develop the taste.

Fish Sauce Recipes:

Though, this sauce is made of anchovy fish, while it can be used for number of recipes, from chicken to seafood and other meats, and different vegetables. So, here are some of the recipes in which fish sauce works great:

Fish Sauce Chicken Wings in Vietnamese Style:

This recipe may take some of your time but if you do it with patience, you would make a delicious dish. So here are the ingredients you need:

Garlic cloves, salt, superfine sugar, Vietnamese fish sauce, warm water, Thai rice flour, cornstarch and Thai roasted chili paste. Here is this recipe step by step.

While if you want to learn about more fish sauce recipes, you can check at saveur.com.

How Does Fish Sauce Taste?

Anyone can give their own opinion about the taste, of course it is savory or fish like flavor. While here is a video by Pailin's Kitchen, where she actually tastes most of the fish sauces and tells in details about these:

How Does Fish Sauce Taste?
How Does Fish Sauce Taste?

Fish Sauce Frequently Asked Questions:

There still can be some questions you may have about the fish sauce. Here are some of the common questions and the answers:

How to know if the fish sauce has gone bad?

The reddish brown color of the fish sauce is the color of the good fish sauce. By time it may change the color and its taste. However, it doesn't become harmful when it ages till there is the mold starts to develop. To keep it in good use, you should store the sauce in the cool temperature in an airtight container and make sure to keep it away from stoves.


Has fish sauce some real health benefits?

This sauce is considered healthy because of the different nutrients it contains. Whole bodies of small fish are fermented in making this sauce, which includes all organs too. Some vitamins it contains are Vitamin A and Vitamin D. So not only it has good taste but also good for health in many ways.


How much fish sauce is too much?

According to a report a tablespoon of the fish sauce contains 96% of daily required intake of salt. So, in this case, too much of it may increase blood pressure and can cause heart problems. So, you should take it in limits.

Buy on Etsy, Walmart, eBay (subject to availability)

BLiS Barrel Aged Fish Sauce, 200 ml Bottle - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

The Red Boat Premium Fish Sauce Extra Large Size 750ml/25 fl oz - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Thai Kitchen Gluten Free Premium Fish Sauce, 6.76 fl oz - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce, 24-Ounce Bottle - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Haku Iwashi Whiskey Barrel Aged Fish Sauce (375 ml) - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Vegan Fysh Sauce (Vegan Fish Sauce Made with Seaweed) - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Red Boat Fish Sauce, 17 fl oz - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Golden Boy Brand Fish Sauce, 24 Ounce Bottle - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Premium Anchovy Fish Sauce Gold (Small 1.1 lb) By Chung-jung-one - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Lucky Brand Thai Fish Sauce (1) - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Flying Lion Vietnamese Style Fish Sauce - 24 ounce bottle - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Megachef Premium Anchovy Fish Sauce (23.6 fl. oz. - 700 ml) - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Conclusion:

So in this article, you learned about some of the best brands of fish sauce, different benefits and its similar sauces. If you have any questions, please do ask.

About Touseef Shaikh

Hi, I am Touseef, and I can help you here with the right information about groceries. With years of experience in looking for nutritional information I can find the right products related to grocery and gourmet and can save a lot of your time."

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