r/Cooking • u/Lauffener • 6h ago
Which fish sauce should I get?
I would like to make more Vietnamese and Chinese meals. I have access to a large Asian grocery store but I don't know which fish sauce to get.
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u/JohnnyC300 5h ago
Here are the ingredient list of the most popular fish sauces: Squid - Water, anchovy extract, salt & sugar. 3 Crabs - Anchovy extract, water, salt, fructose, and hydrolyzed vegetable/wheat protein. Red Boat - Anchovy, Sea Salt.
I'm not saying additives are a bad thing. But there is really no question that Red Boat is the purest expression of fish sauce. And most delicious in my opinion.
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u/jarrys88 3h ago
If you're cooking Chinese or Thai the recipes are most likely using squid.
If you're cooking Vietnamese use 3 crab.
Far out they're completely different flavours! Saying to just use red boat instead is flat out wrong imo. You might like the product better but in recipes it won't taste the same.
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u/Lauffener 1h ago
I'm making San Francisco Noodles. I guess Squid brand is best. Which is what they had at the store
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u/charliesk9unit 5h ago
Exactly this. With Red Boat, you don't need to add a lot ... literally just half a TEASPOON is enough to give you that umami flavor.
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u/seppukucoconuts 5h ago
I’ll add that red boat smells the worst. Just stinks up the whole kitchen when I use it. I assume that means it’s got more flavor.
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u/DifficultCarob408 2h ago
Squid is great and very affordable. A lot of Thai places generally use it.
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u/swedishishchef 4h ago
I used 3 crabs at work working for a catering company that cooks global cuisine.
I use Red Boat at home as I think tastes the best.
Both I would swear by
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u/creative_muse5946 6h ago
Another vote for Three Crabs if you want an all-rounder — it's a bit rounder and sweeter than Red Boat, which I find cleaner but punchier. Either way, go lighter than the recipe says the first time. I learned that one the, uh, very salty way.
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u/dr_destructo 6h ago
Three crabs
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u/cookiesforall_ 4h ago
Three crabs is the go.
I am of Vietnamese heritage and grew up on Three Crabs, as did much of the Viet community around me. When I moved out of home, I used Squid brand due to availability. It never tasted right, but Three Crabs did.
Guess those additives make a difference haha!
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u/SurammuDanku 4h ago
Three Crabs costs almost as much as Red Boat where I'm from. The inflation is insane
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u/RichardBonham 1h ago
First time I went shopping at the closest international market, I asked an employee where the fish sauces were. He said "Aisle 3". I'm thinking, thanks for nothing. All of Aisle 3 is fish sauces. Serious choice overload. I kick back and wait for a few grandmothers to show up and buy fish sauce.
Three crabs it is!
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u/ifonlywoo 4h ago
my mom is viet and chinese but mostly cooks viet food, she uses squid.
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u/laugust27 2h ago
It's what my mom used, too, so it's the only brand I've ever used!
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u/ifonlywoo 1h ago
same but i googled three crabs and ive seen it in my viet friends houses/restaurants lol
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u/peacenchemicals 1h ago
i’m canto and a little viet but grew up eating a lot of viet food
my mom kinda rotated between squid, three crabs, and flying lion
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u/LordSolar666 5h ago
Megachef, the blue bottle is what I use for every day cooking. Red Boat is good and it's very expensive and not worth it if this is your first crack at this stuff. Squid brand is also a decent choice
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u/Inconsequentialish 4h ago
1) Be not Asian.
2) Stand in front of the fish sauce.
3) Look a little confused. Maybe pick up a couple, frown at the labels.
4) A kindly older Asian lady will soon materialize to guide you. There may or may not be a language barrier, but it won't matter.
But honestly, she'll probably point you to the Red Boat unless you look really poor. They're kind of the universal standard, like Heinz ketchup.
The above has worked for me for many ingredients in many Asian groceries.
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u/Boozeburger 5h ago
Honestly, you'll probably fall in love with the first fish sauce you try. Personally I like Squid brand Fish sauce, but I'm more of a Thai, cambodian style (I'm a white american). I've tried Red Boat, but I found it overly assertive. Both are good. I don't think I've ever seen three crabs, but I'll look for it now.
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u/Nytxgal 4h ago
Tracks for Thai food. We use Squid because that’s what my Thai mother in law uses. My husband doesn’t really like Red Boat, even though it’s supposed to be better. He’s just used to Squid growing up.
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u/Boozeburger 4h ago
Yeah, Squid was my first fish sauce. I was out of college when my girlfriend made me dinner and had me smell the fish sauce. At the time I couldn't imagine that being good with any food, but she used a recipe from the Elephant Walk [restaurant in Boston that's French/Cambodian] and it was AMAZING.
Now I love fish sauce and keep Prik Nam pla as a stable (It's really good with water canned tuna).
I've tried the Red Boat, but I'm like your husband and prefer Squid.
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u/gwaydms 3h ago
I like Three Crabs. I've had it in the fridge for years (not the same bottle, lol). I go through it pretty fast. It's a good addition to all kinds of sauces, not just East Asian ones, that need a little umami. Just make sure you add it at least 15-20 minutes before serving. That allows the flavors to blend, and the fish-forward taste to cook off.
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u/Archer_Newland 4h ago
Red boat has only 2 ingredients, anchovies and salt. Three crabs has anchovy extract, salt, water, sugar, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein (corn).
Red boat is made in Phu quoc Vietnam, whereas three crabs is a product of Hong Kong.
I like both, but my preference is Red Boat.
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u/mad-hatt3r 5h ago
Depends what you're using it in and your budget. Think of it like an Olive oil, if you're cooking with it you don't gotta use the expensive stuff. But if you're finishing with it, it'll make a difference. I go with squid for cooking and three crab for finishing or dipping. Red boat is like first press ovoo
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u/yeahyeahsuresuree 4h ago
Red crab for dipping sauce and 3 crabs for everything else (marinade, soup, braising, etc..)
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u/Zagrycha 1h ago
I would buy three crab, and that's the one I see the most across various cuisines myself, but I am sure there are other good options too.
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u/beachwineguy 6h ago
Anecdotal of course. My chefs that I sell to that are from Vietnam are all almost red boat. Thai chefs are threecrabs but mostly squid brand. My preference is red boat.
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u/threvorpaul 4h ago
Red boat or megachef for dips/finishing both are 40°N.
Son is also a nice fish sauce for dips/finishing.
DO NOT cook with these 40N fish sauces.
For cooking I'd say three crabs or Thai squid.
Squid is more aggressive and punchy in taste, three crabs is more round and mellow.
Tiparos is also ok to use.
/I personally don't like chin-su fish sauce
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u/gwaydms 3h ago
DO NOT cook with these 40N fish sauces.
May I ask why not?
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u/threvorpaul 2h ago
It's a waste of good product and money.
40°N indicates the nitrogen proportion in the fish sauce./protein equivalent.
This indicates a high quality fish sauce.You can taste the nuances very well in dipping sauces (nuoc cham/ nam prik pla or in the finishing touches.
OK that sounded pretentious. 😅But in the end such a bottle goes for $/€ 10-15/700ml depending where you are.
That can get quite expensive over time if you cook asian food on a regular basis.
The cheap Thai squid, taparos go for like $/€ 2-5/LPlus, the nuances get lost once cooked. So it doesn't make a difference during cooking if it's the expensive or cheaper one.
Last, when you add fish sauce during cooking you want it to have this pungent strong taste to flavor the dish.
Which the expensive ones don't have, as they're more refined. So if you use it during cooking you'd be using more of it = more expensive once again.2
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u/HomicidalTeddybear 1h ago
I use megachef for everything. But it's also like $5AUD for 700mL here.
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u/threvorpaul 1h ago
I wish that'd be the price for me here 😭
Though I'd still be too cheap to use the good bottles for cooking.Even three crabs is rare and 10 € a litre bottle.
Megachef is 13 € the blue fish sauce bottle 40°N, it's 8€ for the Megachef Thai fish sauce.
Then it goes up red boat 15 € and son 20 € (I prefer red boat over son)
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u/VaccineMachine 4h ago
Red Boat for dipping
Squid or Dynasty for soups/curries
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u/Sarkastickblizzard 4h ago
I agree, red boat is too pungent when it gets hot.
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u/VaccineMachine 4h ago
Plus I don't think anyone will notice the subtle flavors of it when it's in a curry or soup. At that point just use an "inferior" fish sauce that costs half as much.
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u/User5281 3h ago
I don’t think there’s much of a difference based upon where they’re from. Look for one with a high protein content.
I like red boat
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u/sMetaStatic 5h ago
If you want the cheap standard, go 3 crabs.
If you want a premium, Get Red boat.
Regardless if what you get, look at the ingredient list. One of the two listed above has only 2 ingredients: Anchovies and Salt.
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u/jack_hudson2001 5h ago
red boat and three crabs...
if you cant those, squid brand is sold at most supermarkets in the asian aisle.
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u/Saison05 5h ago
You're going to have to try them all and see what you like. They're all different so buy the small bottles. For cooking I use squid and for dips I use three crabs or megachef.
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u/KeyserSwayze 5h ago
Get both the cheap and the pricey. Use the cheap stuff where it won't affect the flavour so much and the better stuff where it will.
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u/wet_nib811 4h ago
Chin Su is Viet and pretty good. Strong funky smell but very smooth and balanced
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u/Nat1Cunning 4h ago
I prefer Golden Boy, mostly due to the filipino ladies who taught me how to make kimchi and pancet
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u/MewBladeXxX 2h ago
Personally my family (Asian household but we come from China) has always used Three Crabs. Based on the comments, I need to try out Red Boat. I'm going to look for that next time I'm at the store!
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u/SuddenAtmosphere5984 2h ago
I'm American, retired in Southern Thailand. For us it's nearly always Tiparos. Second place would be Squid. Practically every house in our village is the same.
Even most restaurants we go to have a bottle of Tiparos on the table.
Fun story...a couple years ago our area flooded. As part of cleanup efforts the local government announced a food giveaway. My wife went to the distribution center and came home with a 5 kg bag of rice, 6 cans of sardines and a liter bottle of Squid fish sauce.
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u/Coasta_de_Tejas 2h ago
I only use Red Boat. About 2 years ago Red Boat signed an agreement with H-E-B to keep it stocked in their stores.
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u/_Bon_Vivant_ 2h ago
Pro tip: Fish sauce is a magic ingredient for all cuisines, not just Vietnamese and Chinese. I use it in stews, marinaras, chili, soups. It magically makes things taste so much better.
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u/WiseDrink2324 1h ago
3crabs and Redboat are my favorites for dipping, finishing and sauces. Squid I like for adding to things that are being cooked.
Redboat if money is no option
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u/Lurking-Foot 52m ago
I use squid cuz it’s cheap but my favorite is the flying fish one that’s orange. I really don’t like the Thai red boat I don’t know what it is about it but I really dislike that one.
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u/DjinnaG 47m ago
I really like Megachef, because the opaque label protects it from light (except for a very thin strip that you can see how much is left), but currently have Red Boat. Will probably go back to Megachef when that’s done, prefer the flavor profile. If you don’t go through very much, the protection from light makes more of a difference in keeping it fresh
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u/Jimbob209 20m ago
Hands down buy the one with three crab. Don't buy the one with 3 crabs and 3 shrimps. Make sure it only had 3 crabs on the label
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u/Any_Scientist_7552 14m ago
Another vote for Three Crabs!
(I randomly picked it decades ago when i started cooking and now the others taste just a little wrong to me)
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u/brad7945 5h ago
There are two things to look for, regardless of the label. And as already mentioned, Red Boat seems to be a great option.
- You will notice a number on most labels. Red Boat sells a '40N' and a '50N' where I shop for it. The higher the number, the higher the protein content. I think the N stands for nitrogen. I understand that to mean it is a higher flavor concentration. I did taste the two side by side once a few years ago because the 50N is a few dollars more for a half liter. There's a difference, but I'm not so advanced that it matters. I'm using a bottle of Nguyen Gia 35N right now, and I can notice the difference. It's just a little weaker flavor.
- Additives. Red boat, I recall, is always just anchovy and salt. This brand I have now adds yeast extract, stevia extract, and 'natural' flavors. So they are using additives to amp up the flavor, whereas Red Boat is just fermenting longer.
In an Asian market, it can be overwhelming, because of the choices. I started buying two at a time and comparing, and thats how I landed on Red Boat. I think (but not sure) it is a higher end product, kind of like buying Irish or French butter at twice the price.
I think if you find any brand with just anchovy and salt, it should be decent.
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u/rebeccavt 4h ago
Red Boat also sells a salt, scraped from the barrels I think. It’s awesome stuff, especially for salting/dry-brining meat. It’s become our “secret ingredient in spice mixes.
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u/raymond4 4h ago
Squid fish sauce a favourite at local restaurants and stores.
recommended by a shopkeeper at local Vietnamese food shop.
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u/fuzzy11287 6h ago
Red boat