Taking your first steps into veganism can be such an exciting time. You are joining a whole new community of like-minded people who are all on their way to leave the world a nicer place than when they joined it. With that being said, the nuts and bolts of eating a vegan diet can get quite complicated. Taking the time to research some of the ingredients that you tend to use in your food to double-check that they are actually vegan can be time-consuming, but it won’t be long before it becomes second nature! One of those ingredients that could trip you up is fish sauce, which is a very common ingredient (although you may not always have been aware of it). We are going to take you through what fish sauce is, whether or not it’s vegan, what its purpose is and where you would find it, and what you can substitute it with in your own cooking.
What is fish sauce?
Fish sauce is a liquid condiment that is used both as an ingredient and as a dipping sauce in many East and Southeast Asian foods. It is made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. A variety of types of fish can be used to make fish sauce, depending on the region that it comes from.
Fish sauce is used as a condiment in Thai food
Is fish sauce vegan?
In short, no. Fish sauce is not vegan since it is made with fish. This isn’t one of those situations where the name means something different. Fish sauce really does mean fish sauce.
How is fish sauce made?
The technique for making fish sauce can vary depending on the country, but the basics are pretty similar. Salt is added to an oily fish such as anchovy or mackerel and it is placed in a wooden barrel to ferment for 6 months to 2 years. It is then either pressed or strained so that the fish juice can be extracted. In some countries, the pulp is also kept as an ingredient. In others, it is thrown away.
source: Adam Skowronski
Why do chefs use fish sauce?
Ok, so now you know the process of making fish sauce, it probably doesn’t sound all that appetizing. Especially for vegans! So why is it such a popular ingredient? Well, fish sauce adds a flavor called umami to your dish. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. It is a savory meaty flavor that you will have come across fairly regularly, especially if you eat a lot of Asian food. It also helps to deepen the other flavors in a dish, making the whole thing much tastier. This is why it is known as the “flavor of deliciousness”.
Which cuisines use fish sauce?
Fish sauce is very popular in Asian cuisine, especially in East and Southeast Asian cooking.
THESE COUNTRIES USUALLY USE THESE FISH
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THESE COUNTRIES |
USUALLY USE THESE FISH |
|---|---|
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EAST ASIA ChinaJapanKorea |
sardines squid sandfish anchovies sand lances mackerel |
|
SOUTHEAST ASIA Burma Cambodia Indonesia Laos Philippines Thailand Vietnam |
sardines anchovies scabbard fish krill |
Which dishes that you order at a restaurant might contain fish sauce?
Avoiding fish sauce when you are eating out can be quite tricky. In some cases, the dish could look completely vegan but fish sauce is actually used. Communicating with the restaurant staff can really help you to find a dish that is vegan and, very often, they will be happy to substitute the fish sauce for something else (if they can). Some dishes are more likely to contain fish sauce than others.
Thai cuisine
Fish sauce is used commonly in Thai food, especially street food.
- Curries
- Soups
- Stir-fries
- Noodle dishes, such as pad thai
Japanese cuisine
- Shottsuru Nabe
- Ishin Kaiyaki
- Sashimi
- Shottsuru yakisoba
- Asazuk
Vietnamese cuisine
- Pho
- Dipping sauces and dressings, such as nuoc chan (often served with spring/summer rolls which usually are vegan)
source: Candice Eisner
Korean cuisine
- Kimchi
- Dumplings
- Soups and stews
- Lettuce salad
How can you substitute fish sauce in your cooking?
Ok, so we know fish sauce isn’t vegan or even vegetarian. But we also know that it brings a wonderful umami flavor to your dishes and can enhance the other flavors that you are using. So you are probably going to want to try to find a decent substitute for fish sauce, especially if you are doing Asian cooking at home.
1) Soy sauce
Soy sauce is an absolute staple for anyone doing Asian cooking. It is made from fermented soybeans and salt and it does add an umami flavor to your food.
2) Vegetarian and vegan fish sauce
You aren’t just limited to soy sauce alone, however. There is actually a vegan “fish sauce” that is made from fermented seaweed instead of fish. You can find it in Vietnamese food markets and in specialty grocery or vegan grocery stores.
3) Golden Mountain Sauce
source: kattebelletje
This is a popular flavoring that you can find in many Asian markets. It is quite similar to soy sauce and is also made from fermented soybeans and salt, but it is saltier than soy sauce and it also contains sugar, so it is also sweeter.
What can you do to avoid fish sauce when at a restaurant or traveling?
Communication is key here! You need to communicate with the people who are serving your food. Fish sauce is so common in many Asian cooking styles that the restaurant workers may not be consciously keeping it in their awareness. So a good idea is to be proactive and tell them when you are ordering your dish that you want it without fish sauce. They will either tell you that they can substitute the fish sauce for something else or that you will need to order a different dish as a substitution isn’t possible (or they’ll tell you that there is no fish sauce in it anyway!).
When you are traveling, it can be helpful to learn the local name for fish sauce so that you can ask for your food without it and be as clear as possible. For example, in Japan fish sauce can be known as gyoshō, ikanago-jōyu, or shottsuru. In Korea, it is often known as eojang (어장). In Thailand, it is called nam pla (น้ำปลา).
We have a handy local language guide for vegans for both Thailand and Vietnam. Check them out!
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LANGUAGE |
ENGLISH SCRIPT |
LOCAL SCRIPT |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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nam pla |
น้ำปลา |
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Japanese |
Gyosho |
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Korean |
eojang |
어장 |
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Chinese |
yúlù |
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Burmese |
|
ငါးငံပြာရည် |
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Cambodian |
euk trei |
ទឹកត្រី |
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terasi |
terasi |
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Lao |
nam pa |
ນ້ຳປາ |
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Tagalog |
patis |
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Final thoughts
Fish sauce is not vegetarian and vegan because it is made from fermented fish and salt. It is common in East and Southeastern Asian cooking and it adds a distinct umami flavor to the food. There are vegetarian and vegan fish sauces available made from seaweed, and you can also achieve an umami flavor by adding soy sauce or Golden Mountain sauce. To avoid accidentally ordering a dish with fish sauce at a restaurant or while traveling, it is important to communicate with your server so that they know you don’t want any fish sauce in your dish.
Let’s Discuss!
We’d love to hear from you! Do you have any questions? What’s your favorite vegan fish sauce or alternative? Let us know in the comments below!
