It’s possible that fish sauce is the most important spice in Southeast Asian cooking, and Thai food is no exception. You may have had it without realizing it, either in your pad thai or in the orange dipping sauce nuoc cham that comes with your Vietnamese takeout.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about fish sauce, such as what it is, how it’s made, how to store it, pick a good one, and use something else instead of it.
YOU LIKE VIDEOS? Check out this video below where I explain what fish sauce is and taste 5 different brands in real time. But this article does go into more detail.
Fish sauce is a key ingredient in many Asian cuisines especially Southeast Asian dishes like Vietnamese pho, Thai curries and Filipino adobo. However, if you don’t live near an Asian market, fish sauce can be tricky to locate in a standard American supermarket. Don’t worry – with just a little detective work, you can track down fish sauce at any major grocery store.
Why Finding Fish Sauce Matters
Fish sauce provides a unique umami richness that can’t be replicated. Many cuisines use it as a foundational flavoring, much like soy sauce. Fish sauce balances sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy elements in complex dishes. It also amplifies savory flavors. Home cooks determined to make authentic pho, pad Thai, or other Asian recipes need to source this fundamental ingredient. Don’t settle for omitting it. With the right approach, fish sauce can be found even in grocery stores where it’s not a mainstream staple.
Where to Look for Fish Sauce in the Grocery Store
Fish sauce is traditionally made by fermenting small fish like anchovies with salt for months to extract the rich concentrated flavor. This Southeast Asian condiment is not usually stocked with other savory sauces or condiments. Instead try these grocery store sections
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Asian/International Foods Aisle: Scan shelves near soy sauce, oyster sauce, Thai curry pastes, rice noodles, etc.
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Specialty Foods Section: Some upscale markets have a gourmet/specialty area for unique products.
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Seafood Department Check near fresh seafood or prepared seafood salads
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Ethnic Cuisine Aisles: Look in the Mexican, Indian, or Mediterranean sections.
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Condiments Area: Seek the kosher, organic, or international condiment shelves.
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Promotional Displays: Fish sauce may be featured as a seasonal special or new product.
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End Caps: Stores often display trendy or niche products on aisle end displays.
Grocery Stores Most Likely to Carry Fish Sauce
Not all supermarkets are equal when it comes to specialty products like fish sauce. Larger chains with more diverse shoppers generally offer better selection. Try these grocery stores first in your quest for fish sauce:
- Asian or International Markets
- H-Mart
- Whole Foods Market
- Kroger
- Publix
- Wegmans
- Albertsons
- Safeway
- Giant
- Stop & Shop
- Harris Teeter
- Hy-Vee
- Ralphs
- Fry’s Food Stores
- Food Lion
Independent ethnic groceries and high-end gourmet stores in your area may also stock fish sauce. Don’t overlook these local options.
Tips for Finding Fish Sauce
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Ask for help – Tell customer service you’re seeking fish sauce. Employees can look upexact locations in their store inventory system.
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Call ahead – Phone the store first to check if they carry fish sauce and confirm the aisle.
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Buy online – Order fish sauce from stores offering delivery or pickup if selection in your area is limited.
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Search specialty websites – Retailers like The Mala Market and ImportFood.com focus on Asian ingredients.
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Buy in chinatowns or Asia towns if nearby – Markets here reliably stock fish sauce.
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Try different stores – Selection varies. One location may have 10+ options where another has none.
Popular Brands of Fish Sauce to Look For
Once you locate the fish sauce section of the store, you’ll want to pick a high-quality brand. Here are some top producers typically available at grocery stores:
- Tiparos
- Squid
- Thai Kitchen
- Red Boat
- Megachef
- Dynasty
- Three Crabs
- Tra Chang
- Phu Quoc
- Golden Boy
- Shrimp & Fish
- Viet Huong
- Pantai Norasingh
- Tean’s Pure Fish Sauce
How to Identify Quality Fish Sauce
Avoid fish sauces with added preservatives, MSG, colors or thickeners. Check the ingredients for:
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Anchovies – Better quality sauces use more fish.
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Salt – This is the main ingredient along with anchovies.
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Water – Lower is better. Check that it’s not the first ingredient.
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Sugar – A small amount is acceptable.
Ideally there should be no other major ingredients. Good fish sauce is reddish brown in color. It will smell fishy and salty – this shows real fish content. A milder aroma indicates dilution.
Fish Sauce Flavor Profiles
Filipinos generally prefer a sweeter, mellower fish sauce while Thai and Vietnamese styles are saltier and more pungent. Chinese versions fall in the middle. Always taste test brands to find your favorite flavor profile.
With a strategic approach, locating fish sauce at standard supermarkets is very doable. Arm yourself with this guide on where to look, what to look for, and how to find the good stuff. The joys of cooking authentic Asian dishes await just an aisle away. Don’t delay your enjoyment due to a missing bottle of fish sauce. Get out there and go find it!
Frequency of Entities:
fish sauce: 41
grocery stores: 18
finding/v: 10
preservative/n: 1
aisle/n: 5
refrigerated/j: 0
Which Fish Sauce to Avoid
- Golden Boy is a brand of babies that I think is creepy. If this is the only one you have, that’s fine, but it’s not the best quality, even though the list of ingredients is pretty short.
- Lucky Brand. Avoid this one at all cost. It’s mostly salty water with color added, but it has a lot of extra stuff in it.
- Something that isn’t a clear brown liquid! If you see “fish sauce” that looks like a murky, brownish-gray liquid, that’s not what you want unless you’re making a dish that calls for it. It’s fish sauce that hasn’t been filtered and has a much stronger taste. This food is usually from Vietnam and is called mam nem. There is also a Thai version that is called pla ra. There should be nuoc mam or nuoc mam nhi written on the bottle of Vietnamese fish sauce you want to buy.
Fish sauce is kept out at room temperature by the stove by most Thai people. We use it for everything, so it needs to be easy to get to. But we also go through it fast.
If youre an occasional user, keep opened fish sauce in the fridge. At the very least, put it somewhere cool and dark if you can’t put it in the fridge. This is because, over time, the taste does get worse and stronger, and the color will become more noticeable. Keeping it cold, in the dark, and tightly sealed will slow this process down significantly.
But fish sauce won’t “spoil” because it has so much salt that bacteria can’t grow in it. It will just taste bad if it’s “old.”
PREMIUM TIP: If you don’t use fish sauce very often, get a small bottle so it doesn’t go bad. At the Asian market, look on the top shelf as smaller bottles are often hidden there. Even my parents, who live in Thailand, only buy small bottles now that we’re all grown up and do not use as much.
What is Fish Sauce?
Some people call it a condiment, but it’s really more of a seasoning because we use it to season food. The main thing it does is add saltiness. The other, less important thing it does is add umami, or savory flavor.
You can think of it as soy sauce with fish. It’s the main way that Thai food is salted, and people in many Southeast Asian countries, like Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines, also use it.
We also use it as a condiment. A simple mix of fish sauce, chilies, and sometimes lime juice and garlic is called prik nam pla. It is often on the table in Thailand to give food an extra kick of flavor, similar to how salt and pepper are used in the West.