Substitute for fish sauce

Mitchell G. (Q&A ID 1302)

Is there any workable substitute for fish sauce? I can't use it due to a family member with a food sensitivity to almost all things fishy. Right now I'm eyeing the Vietnamese Caramel Chicken recipe in the most recent magazine.

Thanks!

Mitch

Lynn C. (Q&A ID 662)

Hi Mitchell - In general, and especially in this recipe, you could use a combination of soy sauce and rice vinegar in place of the fish sauce. It's hard to fully mimic the distinct flavor of fish sauce, but this combo should work OK. I highly recommend this recipe - it's on weekly rotation in my house since it's so easy to prepare and packs a ton of flavor in its simplicity. Make sure to really cook the caramel until it's smoking. You need the bitterness from the dark caramel to balance the sweetness of it. I'd love to know what you think! Best, Lynn C.

Mitchell G. (Q&A ID 1302)

Thanks, Lynn! I tried this substitution with the Vietnamese Caramel Chicken last night. I wasn't sure the proportions and decided to go 2 parts soy sauce 1 part rice vinegar. I also used chicken breast instead of thighs and lemongrass paste since that's all I had. It was good. Too spicy for us - next time I'll halve the serrano chili. I'm not sure if the fish sauce would have been better, but it didn't feel like something was missing.

Thanks again for the coaching!

Mitch

Lynn C. (Q&A ID 662)

Hi Mitch - Great to hear! Thanks for letting us know the results. Always helpful for us and others to hear the follow up. Best, Lynn.