ok. anyone eat south east asia's "fish sauce"?

vash · vash's Garage

i love the stuff. it is potentially the funkiest food item i eat. i am not clear on the concept of how it is made, but i think it is the juice from fermenting salted fish parts. i try not to think too much about it. it is salty, and very complex tasting. you use very little to build sauces. i used it tonight to make a dressing for tonight's dinner. Green Papaya Salad. a common staple in thailand. if any of you have ever eaten thai or vietnamese food, you have eaten fish sauce. it is in 100% of the food over there.

the salad comes out salty, super spicy, and very complex. delicious!

TimT · 06-01-2009, 06:45 PM

Yes, and there is a definite hierarchy to the fish sauces... My local asian market has probably 7-10 brand of fish sauce on the shelf at any time....

I once asked someone who I thought would know more about fish sauce than me (Im caucasian, the person I asked turned out to be from Laos)

He said the lighter and clearer the sauce the better... and that sauce like that is more expensive.. but this is all relative..

I bought a bottle of Tiparos from Thailand last week for $1.29... allegedly the fish sauce "nuac mam" from Viet Nam is among the best...

Wierd I wont eat stinky tofu, but I have no issues with a tablespoon of rotted fermented fish in a meal

TimT · 06-01-2009, 06:48 PM

BTW that salad you made looks delish..

Pat S · 06-01-2009, 06:54 PM

Nice salad Vash.

Anthony Bourdain did an episode of No Reservations where they showed a small maker of fish sauce somewhere in south east Asia. Amazing that something so gross can make things taste so good.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

It's not bad at all. Now, how do they make oyster sauce? That seems to be on a lot of Chinese dishes I eat.

Jim Richards · 06-01-2009, 07:02 PM

I like fish sauce, too. Vash, that looks tasty.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

All the time. Bun is one of my favorite dishes.

gassy · 06-01-2009, 07:29 PM

masraum · 06-01-2009, 08:08 PM

I like Vietnamese, and so, yes, have had fish sauce often. I've also used it when making a Thai dish.

BeyGon · 06-01-2009, 08:15 PM

when I was taking Vietnamese language class in the USMC the instructor threatened anyone that went to sleep in class had to drink that stuff. We already knew what it was and how it was made, strained rotted fish. Nobody went to sleep in class.
I still don't eat it or any other Vietnamese cooked dish.

Gogar · 06-01-2009, 08:27 PM

I like fish sauce as an ingredient, you bet.

Once I made the mistake of opening the bottle and wafting it, though. Took me a while to get over that.

TimT · 06-01-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Once I made the mistake of opening the bottle and wafting it, though. Took me a while to get over that.

Or take a healthy taste of it straight!!!

mossguy · 06-01-2009, 08:29 PM

I ate a lot of it in 1967 in Vietnam, but the beer that went with it has killed the memory.

Best,
Tom

javadog · 06-01-2009, 09:23 PM

You think fish sauce is strong, you should cook a little with blachan, trasi....

JR

Evans, Marv · 06-01-2009, 09:39 PM

My philippino wife introduced me to that stuff a long time ago. I took one whiff of it & almost fainted. Later on when she was using it in a soup she had made, I tried some in mine too and it tasted pretty good. Now I don't like the soup without it. Funky stuff though.

LeeH · 06-01-2009, 09:59 PM

I saw a show on how that stuff is made... don't know that I would try it willingly. This isn't the one I saw, but it hits the high points:

cantdrv55 · 06-02-2009, 12:00 AM

Dude, all this talk about food is going to make you fat.

rnln · 06-02-2009, 12:33 AM

The short movies above is not exactly what I saw, years ago, but the idea is similar. One thing I know is that most people think fish sauce is fish got rotten. That is not correct. I am not sure how to explain this, but during the procedure, if the fish got rotten, it turns bad and it will be stink and they are not successed, of course it will not become the sauce.
If you like to try, you might want cook (boil) it slightly. Adding some sugar and lemon/lime. It will taste a lot better. Some people like to add some water to lighten it.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Anthony Zimmern did a show that featured fish sauce. It's very interesting and I've eaten it many time and it adds a lot to the dish it accompanies.

Freybird · Freybird's Garage

My favorite summer salad; crank up the fish sauce!

Combine cucumber, avocado and mango with a salty-sweet dressing for a taste of the tropics.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 cup each

ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

3-5 teaspoons fish sauce (see Shopping Tip)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 medium English cucumber, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 avocado, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 mango, cut into 3/4-inch dice (see Kitchen Tip)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk fish sauce to taste, lime zest, lime juice, oil, brown sugar, vinegar and crushed red pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add cucumber, avocado, mango and cilantro; gently toss to coat. Serve garnished with lime zest, if desired.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 169 calories; 11 g fat (1 g sat, 7 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 5 g fiber; 178 mg sodium; 342 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (45% daily value), Vitamin A (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 2 fat

TIP: Shopping Tip: Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment; find it in large supermarkets and Asian markets.