Vegan Fish Sauce (Fish-less Sauce!)
It’s the (sort of) secret to Thai food- a splash of fish sauce. But if you’re like me, and don’t include fish on the menu this vegan fish sauce is the perfect alternative. It uses soy sauce, seaweed, and shiitake mushrooms to get that perfect, fishy, complex umami flavor that makes Thai food amazing, without harming a single fish. It is simple to make, and can be used 1:1 for fish sauce in all of your favorite Thai dishes.
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This post was last updated 6/5/24, and improvements were made to the original posted recipe.
What is Fish Sauce?
Fish sauce is a pungent and savory condiment that originated in Southeast Asia and has since become a staple in cuisines around the world. Fish sauce is traditionally made through a process that begins with fresh fish, usually anchovies or other small, oily fish. These fish are layered with salt in large wooden or ceramic barrels and left to ferment in the sun for an extended period. During fermentation, naturally occurring enzymes and bacteria break down the fish proteins into amino acids and peptides, creating the sauce’s signature umami flavor. The fermentation process can take anywhere from a few months to several years, resulting in a rich amber liquid with a complex flavor profile characterized by its umami richness and distinct fishy aroma. Fish sauce is commonly used as a seasoning in cooking, adding depth and complexity to dishes such as stir-fries, soups, marinades, and dipping sauces. Fortunately we don’t need to use fish to create the salty, funky, and complex flavors of fish sauce- we can mimic it in an entirely vegan way.
How to Use Fish Sauce
If you’ve made your fish sauce, tried it and were shocked by how salty it was, then came back here to read the recipe and see if you did anything wrong, chances are you didn’t! Fish sauce/vegan fish sauce is salty! It’s not meant to be eaten in large amounts, or on it’s own. Add a dash of vegetarian fish sauce to food the same way you would add soy sauce- add it to stir-fries, marinades, soups, noodles, vinaigrettes, or dipping sauces. If you’re following a non-vegan recipe, this vegan fish sauce can be substituted 1:1 for traditional fish sauce.
Looking to Use Your Vegan Fish Sauce? Try one of these recipes!
- TVP Vegan Larb: A Delicious Laotian Salad
- Spiralized Radish Thai Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)
- Vegan Chicken of the Woods Pad Kee Mao
- Substitute the soy sauce for vegan fish sauce in this Japchae
- Or in this Thai Rice Noodle Salad with Vegan Chick’n
The Secret is Seaweeds
The real secret to getting a fishy flavor without the fish is by finding underwater vegetation- seaweed. I used a couple different varieties I picked up when I spent a week up on Grand Manan Island, in New Brunswick. I got them at Roland’s Sea Vegetables, which provided at least a dozen different varieties of dried seaweeds- in the end I got 4-5 types and threw them all in this sauce. I used both of them in the creation of this fish sauce, and found the flavor deeper and more delicious than when I had made it in the past with only dulse. I highly recommend this combination of seaweeds when making this vegan fish sauce, but you should feel free to experiment with the types that are available to you. A quick note there- you are looking for seaweed that will produce a flavor broth, and not thicken your sauce. Something like Irish moss that is not flavorful and acts as a thickening agent is not what we’re going for!
Making Vegan Fish Sauce
This vegan fish sauce takes about 45 minutes to make, but it’s also really hands off. Put it on the stove (turn on a fan), and walk away. There are just two basic steps- the first step is to combine all the ingredients except the soy sauce in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Let that simmer for a while, and then drain it keeping the liquid, which is now basically a strong seaweed tea. Not something I’m drinking a mug of, but it’s perfect for this vegan fish sauce. The second step is to take that seaweed tea, add the soy sauce, and reduce it to concentrate the flavor. This shouldn’t take all that long as the liquid will have already reduced in the first step. Then just let the sauce cool down, and store it in the fridge where it’s handy any time you want to give your cooking a little “oomph”.
Vegan Fish Sauce (Fish-less Sauce!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups of water
- 20 grams dried seaweed (ideally a mix of flavorful seaweeds such as nori, dulse, and, kombu)
- 10 grams dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tsp. whole white peppercorns
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. umeboshi paste
Instructions
- In a medium sized saucepan, add the water, seaweed, dried mushrooms and white peppercorns. and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about half.
- Strain the solids from the liquid and discard the solids. Combine the mushroom tea in a jar with the remaining ingredients and shake well to combine. For a more concentrated fish sauce, reduce further on the stove until it is even saltier, otherwise use as is. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
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What an incredible idea! Really answers the “I can’t have that because it will contain fish sauce” issue!
Thank you!