Fish Sauce

fish sauce An essential flavoring ingredient in many parts of Southeast Asia, fish sauce is known in Thai as nam pla and in Vietnamese as nuoc mam. Thai fish sauce is a light amber color and has a salty, somewhat pungent taste (milder than its strong smell). Fish sauce is available from Southeast Asian and Chinese groceries. Try to find a pale-colored (which equates with higher quality) Thai brand, such as Flying Lion Brand or the fairly common Squid Brand made by the Thai Fishsauce Company. Fish sauce keeps indefinitely in the cupboard.