What is fish sauce?!
Answers: is it sauce made out of fish or is it just sauce and spices for fish?
It is made out of fish and commonly used as a condiment in Southeast Asia.
It is a sauce made from fermented fish. A staple condiment in SE Asia.
fermented vietnamese ancoives that are fermented for a 1year before package.
It is a flavouring juice that is used lots in asian cuisine comes in a bottle tastes very vile but works well when added to other stuff. It is just like oyster sauce uses flavours derived from fish sources perservative high in sodium as in salt
fish sauce
Fish sauce is a condiment derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. The term describes a wide range of products used in many different countries, and by different cultures, throughout history. Fish sauce is frequently used in Thai, Vietnamese, Lao, Philippine and other Southeast Asian cooking to add saltiness to dishes. In Southeast Asian cuisines, it is also used as a dipping condiment for fish, shrimp, pork, and chicken. In southern China, it is used as a cooking oil, or as an ingredient for soups and casseroles.
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If you're feeling adventurous
Here is a recipe from the 1881 Household Cyclopedia for an antique non-fermented fish sauce.
Take:
* 1 pound of anchovies
* 1 quart of claret (a dry red wine)
* 1 pint of white wine vinegar
* ? ounce of cloves and mace
* 2 rages of ginger sliced
* a little black pepper
* peel of a lemon
* a piece of horseradish
* 1 large onion
* a bunch of thyme and savory
Set all these over a slow fire to simmer an hour, then strain it through a sieve; when cold put it in a bottle with the spice, but not the herbs. To a large coffeecupful cold, put a pound of butter; stir it over the fire till it is as thick as cream; shake the bottle when used, and put no water to the butter.
In Vietnamese restaurants (across North America, at least), fish sauce is rarely presented to the client in pure or "straight" form. Rather, it is usually mixed with water, vinegar, or lime or lemon juice, and sugar, and often other ingredients such as crushed garlic, ground ginger, Tabasco sauce, chili pepper seeds and/or marinated carrots. This mix (known as n??c ch?m) accompanies such dishes as Imperial rolls and rice vermicelli noodles (and various permutations thereof, e.g. bún bì, bún ch? giò etc.). Here is one rendition of the basic formula:
* 1 part fish sauce
* 3 parts water
* 3 parts vinegar
* 3 parts white granulated sugar
Combine ingredients and stir well, until sugar dissolves. Chill before serving.
its a sauce made out of fish. I saw a program on this once, they take the anchovies and put them in big buckets in the great outdoors, where it gets shat on by seagulls. When it rots for a good few months, they strain it out and bottle it. I think it smells gross, and I substitute with anchovy oil and depending on the recipe- some mashed anchovy, because at least I know it was done in a sanitary environment! That's my two cents...
oh its derived from fish alright, you could smell it a mile out