A lot of people will start by mixing their water with sugar and either lemon or lime. This creates a lemonade. Too sweet? We add water. Not sour enough? Add more citrus. This is oftentimes prepared to taste as the amount of flavor and acidity varies from fruit to fruit. Towards the end of a Vietnamese fish sauce recipe, there are several ingredients you can add and/or customize to taste. Chopped chilies or finely chopped garlic are common. There’s variations which one can make in their fish sauce recipe, including the replacement of lemons with vinegar.
In North America, the sort of Vietnamese fish sauces one encounters are made predominantly from anchovies, mackerel, scabbard fish, and salt. These larger fishes can have a high mercury concentration and so one must exercise caution when making their own. Additives like sugar, hydrolyzed protein, or preservatives are rarely added, at least when following traditional Vietnamese ways of preparation. The much-easier-to-obtain store-bought brands of fish sauce which duplicate a lot of the Vietnamese style flavourings include Mega Chef, Red Boat, 3 Crabs, Golden Boy, and Hon Phan Thiet.
A few things to remember about Vietnam fish sauce is that it oftentimes does not come with a strong smell and is transparent with a golden amber color. Fish sauce is also commonly used to manufacture other sauces and condiments, like nuoc cham, when lime and chili peppers are added. There’s also ‘mam’ which is made like fish sauce except it is not as fermented and it is used more as a base condiment for dipping sauces. Fish sauce has found its way into a lot of traditional Vietnamese meals and customizations on those meals, ranging from stir-fries to soups and more.
The best fish sauce in Toronto is found at Toronto Pho. When you pair it with your favourite stir fry, you can have that authentic Vietnamese taste so many families have come to love and appreciate from us. How we make fish sauce is the same way we make our other Vietnamese and Asian-style cuisine dishes. We borrow from traditional recipes and authentic methods of preparation to deliver something Canadians will delight in having a plate or bowl. Visit Toronto Pho today to see more of what we mean!
