Global Pantry: Other Uses for Fish Sauce
Don't be daunted! This Southeast Asian staple adds depth to many dishes. By Naomi Duguid
A long time ago, when I was making food for my second child, who was about eight months old, I made a soft puree of ripe avocado with cooked potato and a little olive oil. He loved it. I did, too-after I'd seasoned it with a dash of fish sauce for my adult palate. That led me to add fish sauce to guacamole the next time I made it. It turned out to be a great addition: Fish sauce enhances the avocado's richness and gives it extra depth without overpowering. Ever since, I've always added a dash to my guacamole-about a teaspoon. The effect is subtle (there's no taste of fish), but it's not a "hidden" ingredient: Taste the fish sauce version next to an unsauced one; the former is notably deeper, richer, and somehow smokier.
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In many parts of mainland Southeast Asia, fish sauce (made from the liquid of, yes, salted fermented fish) is a staple, used for seasoning instead of salt. It gives wonderful depth of flavor-what the Japanese call umami. But unless you're cooking Southeast Asian food every week, a big bottle (it's cheapest in big bottles) can sit in your cupboard unloved and unused for months. It probably hasn't gotten into your regular rotation of cooking ingredients because, undiluted, it gives off an intense fishy smell.
Don't let the first whiff of fish sauce put you off; it's actually a lighter and more subtle seasoning than soy sauce. I prefer Thai fish sauces, though others like more pungent ones from Vietnam. In any case, it has become my most-used seasoning. I add it to soup broths, to vinaigrettes and marinades, and to many Asian dipping sauces (most often with lime juice and a little garlic), which are great for grilled meat, dumplings, or noodle bowls.
More Everyday Uses for Fish Sauce
Remember, this stuff is concentrated. You only need a tiny amount to make a flavor impact.
1| Splash into brothy soups to deepen the savory notes.
2| Add a dash to vinaigrettes-it's not so different from anchovies in Caesar dressing.
3| Mix with olive oil and toss with vegetables before grilling; try zucchini or onions.
See More: New Uses for Everday Ingredients
This super simple recipe is for when you have perfectly ripe avocados--there's no need for tomato or other complications. You just want the avocados' richness to shine against the zip of lime and cilantro, their flavor deepened with fish sauce.
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
1. Place avocados in a medium bowl; mash roughly with a fork. Add lime juice, fish sauce, and salt; mash to desired consistency. Stir in cilantro.
Naomi Duguid has coauthored six award-winning cookbooks, including Hot Sour Salty Sweet. Her forthcoming book about Burma, Pinch of Turmeric, Squeeze of Lime, will be published in September 2012.
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