Why Fish Sauce Is the Umami Upgrade Your Cooking’s Been Missing

What is fish sauce, and why does it merit consideration, experimentation, or even full-on immersion? A staple in many Asian cuisines, fish sauce has transformative powers. It's a go-to ingredient for many chefs and an ingredient any home cook should have on hand to help achieve peak flavor. We connected with chefs and cookbook authors to learn more about what makes it so exceptional, plus how to use it in traditional and unexpected ways.

What Is Fish Sauce?

"Fish sauce is a salty, robust condiment," says Ronna Welsh, chef/owner of Purple Kale Kitchenworks, a cooking school in Brooklyn, NY. Made with just a few ingredients, this liquid mixture effortlessly takes dishes to the next level. "I love using fish sauce because it adds depth, umami, and complex savoriness to food," says Mark Yu, executive chef at 53, a contemporary Asian restaurant in Manhattan.

Backstory: Originating in the ancient Mediterranean, fish sauce was possibly introduced to Southeast Asia via trade routes, like the Silk Road, where it became a staple. Vietnamese fish sauce is called nước mắm; Thai fish sauce, nam pla. 

Ingredients: Fish sauce is traditionally made by fermenting fish, usually small fish like anchovies, with salt, says Nat Thaipun, author of the forthcoming cookbook, Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere, and winner of MasterChef Australia 2024. 

Variations: "Anchovies are the most common fish used (especially in Thai and Viet fish sauces), but other small fish, or even larger fish, can be used, depending on regional traditions," Thaipun says. In Southeast Asia, she adds, you'll find versions made with mackerel, sardines, or other local catch.

Fermentation Process

Fermentation is largely responsible for lending this simple sauce its potent taste. "I like to say that fish sauce adds 'salty funk that makes you sigh,'" Welsh says. "It can be used in small amounts to great effect."

Lengthy process: Fish sauce doesn't develop its powers overnight. The fish is combined with sea salt in large barrels or tanks and left to ferment, a process that can take several months—or even years. 

Flavor dimensions: "Fermentation breaks down the fish proteins into amino acids, particularly glutamates (same compound as MSG), which creates the deep, umami flavor," Thaipun explains. Over time, it releases a clear, amber liquid that's profoundly savory. "There are few replacements for it because the fermented fish taste is not easy to replicate," Welsh points out.

Aromatic: Fermentation flicks the olfactory switch, too. "This process also generates a pungent, salty, slightly funky aroma that can seem intense on its own but adds an incredible depth to dishes," Thaipun says.

Don't Miss

5 Benefits of Kefir—the Fermented Superfood You Should Be Drinking Daily

17 Ways to Eat Sauerkraut, the Fermented Food You Should Be Adding to Everything

Why Store-Bought Fish Sauce Beats Homemade

Given the varying fermentation periods, methods, and ingredients, not all fish sauce options taste exactly alike. "Like soy sauce, there are loads of different grades, clarities, etc," Thaipun says.

It's also not necessarily better homemade—in fact, it's probably best left to commercial brands. "It's not practical for the home cook to make fish sauce since the fermentation process is so long, and it's not always easy to find the quantity and kind of fish you need," Welsh says. "Also, it's increasingly easier to find really good fish sauce."

How to Use Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is both a condiment and an ingredient. "You'll sometimes find a bottle on the table of Vietnamese, Thai, or even Philippine restaurants, alongside chili pastes and other condiments," Welsh says. Integral to many classic Asian dishes, it also perks up plenty of other cooking, from simple dipping sauces for fries to gravy and Bolognese. Here's how our experts employ its funky flavors.

Traditional Uses

Salads and yums: Fish sauce is essential in Thai salads like som tum (green papaya salad), Thaipun says. (Yums are salads with a panoply of spicy, sour, sweet, and salty flavors.)

Kimchi: "I use fish sauce at home when making any type of kimchi, which gives it great flavor during the fermentation process," Yu says.

Marinades: "You'll find fish sauce used in marinades, sauces, and dressings," Welsh says. It adds depth and saltiness to marinades for meats, fish, and tofu, Thaipun adds.

Vietnamese sauces: "I also love making a nước chấm, which is a simple Vietnamese dipping sauce made with fish sauce, lime juice, water, sugar, garlic, and some Thai chilies,” Yu says. It's especially delicious with chicken, noodles, and spring rolls. Pair it with our Cashew-Chicken Kebabs. 

Thai sauces: Thaipun relies on it for Thai nam jim talae, a green chili sauce, and nam jim jaew, a sweet and sour dipping sauce served with grilled meats.

Soups and broths: Fish sauce zips up pho, Thai tom yum, a spicy Thai noodle soup, and tom kha, an aromatic Thai soup.

Curries and stir-fries: Thaipun uses it "to season and deepen savoriness" in curries and stir-fries. It adds oomph to our Curried Chicken With Coconut Rice. "At 53, we add fish sauce to our pea shoots, which we stir-fry with garlic and our housemade sambal sauce," Yu says.

New Ways to Use Fish Sauce in Your Cooking

Fish sauce heightens other dishes—and even drinks—in intriguing ways. 

Condiments: Fish sauce is terrific mixed with aioli or mayonnaise for a vegetable dip, Welsh notes, and it also enlivens ketchup. Dunk French Fries into a fish sauce and ketchup mash-up.

Cocktails: "A splash can be great in a Bloody Mary," Welsh says. Take our Bloody Marys for a test-drive, or bump up the brine in our Extra Dirty Martini.

Bolognese sauce: "Try a few drops in a Bolognese or ragu instead of (or alongside) anchovy paste—it boosts umami without a fishy taste," Thaipun suggests.

Gravy: A splash also intensifies the flavor of gravy or mushroom gravy.

Fish sauce caramels: Fish sauce, says Thaipun, can even take on salted caramels for a salty-sweet riff on this candy classic.