Product Description
THE COOK’s TOUR
Umami. If one thing brings out the best in Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, oh heck and pretty much any other world cuisines, it is fish sauce.
For my cautious carnivores in North America and Europe, you meat-and-potatoes eaters, go ahead. Let’s get it out of your system:
“EWWWWWWWWWW.”
Happy? Guar-un-tee that y’all eat it a LOT more than you know, so, please, read on.
If you use soy sauce, it is kind of the low-rent vegetarian cousin of fish sauce.
True fish sauce is a wonderful salty-umami, a total flavor rush, used in moderation, but NOT fishy. It amps up everything from fried rice and a bazillion noodle dishes to that mystery dash in a Bloody Mary that puts that big WOW smile on your face after the first sip.
If you go to an Asian market, there are a bunch of fish sauces. Many of them are pretty cheap, thinned either because they water down their batch to make it go further, or because it’s an inferior second-pass. If you see caramel coloring, or ingredients that don’t involve fish, salt, and/or herbs, take a pass, as it’s second-pass.
So why go Red Boat? Their 200 year-old all-natural, chemical-free, first-press artisanal process produces an “extra virgin” Vietnamese fish sauce that just stomps the comp in many, many taste tests. Its worthiness will become self-evident when witness the wonders that it does for your dishes!
This is your Rolls Royce for summer rolls, your Cadillac for killah carpaccio:
WHAT DOES IT DO
Adds deep umami and balanced salinity, enhancing savory dishes, marinades, and sauces with clean, concentrated flavor.
THE FEATURES
- First-press (“extra virgin”) fish sauce
- Made from wild-caught black anchovies
- Only two ingredients: anchovies and sea salt
- No additives, preservatives, or added sugar
- High protein nitrogen content for richer flavor
- Naturally fermented in wooden barrels
- Clean, less harsh aroma than typical fish sauces
THE SPECIFICATIONS
- Ingredients: Anchovies, sea salt
- Fermentation: Traditional barrel-aged process (typically 12+ months)
- Style: First press (highest quality extraction)
- Flavor profile: Savory, clean, umami-rich
- Origin: Vietnam
- Brand: Red Boat
THE CARE NOTE
Store in a cool, dark place. Refrigeration after opening helps preserve flavor, but is not required. Keep bottle tightly sealed to prevent oxidation and aroma transfer.
MY TAKE
If fish sauce isn’t a staple in your kitchen, it will be once you see what Red Boat’s extra-virgin fish sauce can do to up the quality of your dishes and cocktails.
If bold is beautiful in the fish sauce game, then Red Boat would be a Ruby Rose/Riz Ahmed love-child.
How you make it matters. Red Boat’s, artisan, traditional barrel fermentation, and top-grade black anchovy, walk that walk. That has to be why pretty much every major food rag and legions of the world’s top chefs love it so much! My go-to umami, it earns The Jazz Chef Five Diamond for sticking to artisan excellence where most of its competitors on the shelf have become watery and second-rate.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.