When I was in Singapore last month, food expert Christopher Tan (foodfella.com) and I had a long conversation about different kinds of fish sauces. I'd tasted it in a number of dishes in Singapore and was surprised to see it so present in the food. Yes, the beloved Viet condiment is used in many cuisines, and it's just not in that of Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. I mentioned that Knorr has been buying and bottling tons of nuoc mam fish sauce from Phu Quoc island off the coast of Vietnam -- where the best fish sauce is made. (Okay, I'm biased!) Chris, who has a well-tuned palate and amazing passion for food, said he was preparing for a fish sauce tasting in Singapore and would get some.
In preparation for the event, Chris asked me to decipher this fish sauce label from a Knorr bottle. The label basically touts it's purity and well-balanced flavors -- a lot like a fine wine. It also says to users that it's just for dipping sauces and table uses. It's too good to be cooked with. The price is rather low -- 12,000 Vietnamese Dong (75 cents), which is probably for one of the small tableside-sized bottles. Click on the thumbnail image to view a larger one.
So how did the Vietnamese fish sauce stand up the others? Chris just sent these remarks and results:
China - Swee Huat Yu Lu from Shantou
Very salty, otherwise unremarkable. A bland fish sauce more suited to
cooking or adjusting the seasoning of a sauce/gravy with, or for light dips.The Philippines - Florence Patis
Salty flavour, though aroma has slight sweetness. Very simple taste. Very
short aftertaste has a slight flatness from sodium benzoate.Thailand - Tiparos nam pla
Both sweet and salty in the initial taste - it contains added sugar - but
overall much better balanced than the above two sauces, with stronger and
more rounded anchovy notes.Vietnam - Thanh Ha Chanh Hieu Phu Quoc nuoc mam, 40 Dam
Easily the most complex of all the sauces we tasted. Beautiful colour. The
salt hits you first, but then the fish flavours come forward. Rich and
smooth feel in the mouth.Vietnam - Knorr Nuoc Mam Cham
A lot of people liked this. Like a sweeter version of the Thanh Ha, and to
me even oilier on the lips. Long aftertaste. Would be peerless as a dipping
sauce base.Myanmar - Fish Sauce (label's all in Burmese, but there's a prawn-shaped
logo on it, so maybe prawn brand?)
Very interesting - earthy, mushroomy notes in its aroma, and a murky cola
colour, but the taste, though salty, was quite mild, with some of the funky,
leaf-mould nuances that you taste in some Burmese dishes. Would work well in
braised dishes containing mushrooms, or in claypot rice, I'd wager.Korea - Sandlance Fish Aekjeot (label is totally in Korean, so don't know
the brand name)
Meant primarily for making kimchi, apparently. This had good colour and was
very smooth, but it smelt sulphurous, like pungent salted-egg yolks, and
hence was almost universally face-wrinkling.
I've done personal tastings myself but not for a crowd. Sounds like fun! If any of you are tasting new kinds of fish sauce, let us know!
Related information: Fish Sauce Buying Guide
Nate says
Do they sell fish sauce from Phu Quoc around here? I always prefer to buy the Three Crabs brand from Thailand. I use it in Thai Beef Salad. It's so addictive!
http://chezannies.blogspot.com/2007/07/thai-beef-salad.html
White On Rice Couple says
Fish sauce wars, love it! I take the Viet nuoc mam battle straight to the source- Viet home cooks! My nail salon staff and I have been battling it out for years and it's so much fun. Their experienced palettes are some of the best sources of information, inspiration and insight into nuoc man flavors and which one makes their cooking stand out - and believe me, each of them thinks their cooking is the "stand out" amongst the rest! There's family pride for ya!
After years of jousting (over 15 bott
Marvin says
I actually use Tiparos in my Filipino cooking not because of flavor, but because of convenience--I like how the Tiparos bottle has a squirt top for easy dispensing. In addition to the Tiparos, I also have a Filipino brand in my cupboard, although I forget the brand name. I'll have to do a taste test of the two and see if I can notice a difference.
Andrea Nguyen says
My friends, Phu Quoc Flying Lion is just slightly more intense than 3 Crabs. Viet Huong makes both. I cook with the 3 Crabs for consistency and because it's generally easier to obtain than Phu Quoc Flying Lion.
WORC, How do you to through 8 bottles? Geeze woman. I'd love to hear the conversation at the nail salon!
Marvin, no patis for you? I'd love to get your take. Do let us know after you've done your personal tasting.
double0 says
Where can I purchase some of these sauces in NJ, USA.
Josh says
I have to disagree with the Thai fish sauce selection. Tiparos is dark, stinky, sweet, and heavy, suitable only for cooking strong-flavored dishes. For the best quality Thai fish sauce, try either Oyster or Squid brand, both of which are very light and clear, and without too much stink (although if you're cooking, expect a short blast of it when it hits the pan, as you would with any fish sauce). I've never used Viet fish sauce because of my brand loyalties; what Viet sauce would be comparable
Vietcook says
My mom and family like the one crab brand better. It can be used straight out of bottle. We really like the taste of it. We used to like the three crab brand but they are too salty now.
mike says
This might horrify some of you but I drink fish sauce straight from the bottle. I usually pour it into a spoon before I drink it but sometimes, it's straight from the bottle.
Then again, I'm the guy who eats salt for fun.
Andrea Nguyen says
Ah, drinking it straight. My brother tried that when he was a kid and we lived in Vietnam still and boy did he get sick! He probably drank too much. Then there was the time he ate 10 salted chicken eggs...
I'm a walking salt lick so I appreciate your fondness for nuoc mam, Nate!
Andrea Nguyen says
Ah, drinking it straight. My brother tried that when he was a kid and we lived in Vietnam still and boy did he get sick! He probably drank too much. Then there was the time he ate 10 salted chicken eggs...
I'm a walking salt lick so I appreciate your fondness for nuoc mam, Mike!
steamy kitchen says
I like Three Crabs brand because the only other alternative is the Squid brand here in my markets.
Fish Sauce Wars sounds fun!
Phil says
I use Three Crabs brand for Vietnamese, mainly because my Vietnamese friends tell me it's the best. It's definitely the most expensive here in Australia. A personal favourite of mine to make is the steamed Vietnamese beef pate!
For Thai, I generally use Golden Boy, because the forums I visit have the consensus that it's best (for Thai).
BTW, I've found that a nice shortcut for nuoc cham is to make the basic sauce in litre (quart) lots and keep it in the fridge. i.e. Get the balance of fisk sa
Phil says
I use Three Crabs brand for Vietnamese, mainly because my Vietnamese friends tell me it's the best. It's definitely the most expensive here in Australia. A personal favourite of mine to make is the steamed Vietnamese beef pate!
For Thai, I generally use Golden Boy, because the forums I visit have the consensus that it's best (for Thai).
BTW, I've found that a nice shortcut for nuoc cham is to make the basic sauce in litre (quart) lots and keep it in the fridge. i.e. Get the balance of fisk sa
Diane says
I like Golden Boy (from Thailand) quite a lot. I tried 3 Crabs and didn't like it quite as much as the Thai fish sauce, but maybe I should compare them side by side. Can you get "One Crab" here in the US? I haven't seen it.
knorr philippines says
Hmmm... This post is what I'm looking for! I'm not good in cooking so I don't know how to mix the ingredients well. But now that I found this, a guess I'll give it a try. Thanks!
-krisha-
Diane says
I also very much like "Golden Boy," from Thailand and prefer it to "Three Crabs." But possibly that's because I cook a lot more Thai than Vietnamese food, and so am more familiar with its taste. It's quite good though. I have to agree that"Tiparos" isn't very good at all - certainly not in the league of "Golden Boy."
Diane says
Whoops - I just realized I posted essentially the same comment about Golden Boy last year as well! Sorry - maybe I can make it an annual thing - Spring Fish Sauce tasting...?
knorr philippines says
Knorr - One of the favorite ingredient that Filipino want the taste for their food by lunch and dinner.
Jason Zenteno
Karla says
Thai cookbook writer and cooking instructor Kasma Loha Unchit does not care for Three crabs brand Fish sauce either because of the addition of hydrolyzed wheat proteins and fructose which are unnecessary for this naturally fermented product: http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/fishsauce1.html
Fish Sauce says
I love fish sauce and have cooked with Tiparos, Three Crabs, Cock and Squid brands for various Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino recipes with good results.
Is Thai Kitchen any good? They don't add any sugars or hydrolyzed protein.
Someday I will get the "real" fish sauce from Phu Quoc Island...
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In our house we use two kinds of patis or fish sauce. One is the tiparos and the other is marca pina patis. For me they are one of the best patis I used to cooked our Filipino food.
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I love fish sauce and have cooked with Tiparos, Three Crabs, Cock and Squid brands for various Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino recipes with good results.
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