Posted by Sandy Gluck
Here’s something that came up yesterday while I was on my radio show, "Everyday Food." Would an ingredient like fish sauce (which is known in Thailand as nam bplah) be a deal breaker if you saw it in a recipe?
It all started because I discussed putting together a pantry of everyday Asian ingredients. One listener called and said she kept fish sauce in her pantry. I do too, but we’ve never used it in Everyday Food (the magazine that I edit). So I asked the listeners, and you responded. The yea outweighed the nay, with some people saying they’d already tried fish sauce and others saying they’re willing to taste it.
Okay, fish sauce does smell bad (but only when it’s in the bottle -- cooked, it’s fine), but if you’ve had Thai or Vietnamese dishes, chances are you’ve tasted it. So, what do you think -- yea or nay?
Also, read more about recipe deal breakers.
Sandy Gluck is the food editor of Everyday Food and hosts a namesake radio show on Sirius channel 112.
From: Monica | 6/6/08 at 5:30 pm
Not a deal-breaker! If I had to make the fish sauce myself, and it had many obscure ingredients it would be a problem, but since it just comes out of a bottle it's not a big deal at all.
From: Alexis T | 6/6/08 at 7:02 pm
I don't think it's a dealbreaker either! Fish sauce doesn't scare me but anchovies....ew, I'm horrified of 'em.
From: sandygluck | 6/6/08 at 11:25 pm
Alexis - have you had those big old pieces of anchovies randomly stuck on a pizza pie? I'm betting lots of people have been traumatized by the sight of those strips of fish atop a pie. Well if they're mashed you wouldn't even know they were there, except for their tastiness. They melt into sauces and give them great flavor - convinced?
From: Steamy Kitchen | 6/7/08 at 11:32 pm
Fish sauce is one of my "killer apps" in the kitchen! Just like anchovies in Italian cooking, the intensity of fish sauce disappears once you cook with it.
Some tips:
1) Fish sauce adds a sweet/salty flavor that rounds out the flavors of any dish. It's that "umami" thing. I only use a few shakes of the bottle (1/2 tsp) at a time. taste, then add more if needed.
2) when choosing brand, look at the color of the sauce - ice tea color = good; cola color = inferior. Three Crabs brand is my fav.
3) Thai brands has a stronger, more intense flavor (saltier, fishier); Vietnamese brands are milder.
4) Easiest way to start cooking with fish sauce is to make a simple Thai curry. Grab a can of thai curry paste, cook acc'd to instructions and add 1 tsp fish sauce + 1 tsp sugar. Or my secret ingredient to fried rice - ditch the soy sauce and instead season with fish sauce (use about 1/2 amount of what recipe calls for soy, taste and adjust) - it's lighter in taste + the fried rice stays white and not brown-soy color.
5) And prob the most important tip: Just don't drop the bottle on the kitchen floor.
From: Alexis T | 6/9/08 at 1:00 pm
Hey Sandy....OK, I might try pizza with anchovies now..doesn't sound too horrific! LOL. I'll let you know how it goes!!!
From: sandygluck | 6/10/08 at 5:51 pm
Steamy Kitchen,
Thanks for all - great website too.