Fish Sauce

More than any other ingredient, fish sauce delivers the flavour which positions and differentiates the cooking of Southeast Asia. It is used as a sauce, like soy sauce, but also in cooking, when exposure to heat moderates its intense and complex flavour to the point where its origins cannot be determined, only a subtle alteration to the overall taste – so you notice its absence almost more than its inclusion.

The most common fish sauces are nam pla from Thailand and nuoc mam from Vietnam. Both are made from small sea fish and squid, which are layered with sea salt in huge wooden tubs then left to ferment for several months. The liquid which this produces is drawn off into ceramic pots and left in the sun to mature for several weeks before being bottled; the first of several extractions, with the first being the lightest and finest. The result is a rich and mellow sauce which smells rather alarming to the uninitiated, but the taste of which is difficult to describe and certainly very different from what the strong odour leads you to expect.