

They are set apart by their flavors and level of saltiness.įish sauce is the most common condiment when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. Making A Standard Vietnamese Dipping Sauceįrom the same sauce extracted from anchovies, there are endless varieties of dipping sauces that can be made for various dishes.

Pure fish sauce from this island features a touch of sweetness, a mineral flavor, and caramel notes.

Phu Quoc, an island off the southwest coast of Vietnam, is believed to be the home of black anchovy, producing the best fish sauce in the country. A good fish sauce is one that’s drawn directly from the first press of a single vat and is unmixed with other batches and not diluted with water. The fermented anchovies are slowly pressed to yield the salty and fishy sauce. During which the liquid dripped from the spigot will be poured back into the barrel. Back on land, the salted anchovies are transferred to large wooden barrels for up to a 12-month aging process. To preserve the fresh catch during the fishing season, fishermen layered sea salt between the anchovies. So they stayed close to the shoreline with basic nets collecting smaller fish, much of what they caught were black anchovies. In ancient times, Vietnamese fishing boats were too small to venture out to the deep ocean waters to catch big fish. Fish sauce is a staple condiment in the country. Traditional Vietnamese cooking features fresh ingredients while using fish sauce to enhance exposing flavors.
Vietnamese fish sauce how to#
Learn how fish sauce is made and how to use it
