My Family's Secret Ingredient for Making Jarred Pasta Sauce Taste Better Than Ho
Growing up in a Thai American household — full of chefs, might I add — I had the pleasure of witnessing culinary magic happen firsthand. We’re talking real, beautiful cultural and flavor magic between traditional Thai cooking and the best of American cuisine. We smothered our ribs in sweet Thai chili sauce, added pandan to our banana pudding, but best of all, we Thai-ified (coining that as a term!) spaghetti and marinara with heaps of fish sauce.
In my kitchen, there’s one condiment that’s next to none: fish sauce. Its distinct, savory taste is foundational to countless Thai dishes like pad Thai and Pad krapow, among a plethora of other Southeast Asian dishes. Because I grew up with fish sauce readily available in my kitchen — alongside table salt and black pepper — I’ve been incorporating this savory condiment into my everyday cooking so I know firsthand how much untapped potential it holds for home cooks. And the easiest way to start cooking with it? Add it to your marinara sauce.
What Is Fish Sauce?
To better understand why this condiment is so good, you need to understand the ingredients. Fish sauce is made through fermentation of anchovies, salt, and water over a period of 4 to 12 months, followed by additional maturing in clay pots under the sun for varying durations (this is where the distinction of light vs. dark fish sauce comes in). As the mixture breaks down over time, the liquid that is left is the actual fish sauce.
The longer fish sauce sits, the lighter it becomes, so when you harvest it from the early stages, it is at its darkest, most potent flavor. Thai-style Squid Sauce is harvested early, making it incredibly strong — so strong that the aroma alone can fill a room. But that’s its strength that quadruples the flavor in anything it touches. In my family’s Thai kitchen, there is only one acceptable brand of fish sauce: Squid Brand. Whether driven by the loyalty of supporting Thai businesses dating back to the early 2000s (inspired by Thailand’s widespread gastrodiplomacy efforts) or by the sauce’s distinct flavor and smell evoking the ambiance of bustling Thai street food stalls, it’s an insult to my taste buds — and my grandma — to use any other brand.
Why Does Fish Sauce Make Marinara Sauce So Good
Fish sauce is an umami booster that adds salty-savory flavor to virtually any dish. With a savory base flavor similar to Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce, fish sauce lends a richness that when added to marinara sauce, compliments the acidity of the tomatoes and adds a salty-savory depth that is just so good.
In addition to salt, the fermented nature of the fish sauce adds a subtle sweetness, balancing the overall flavor of marinara, without overpowering it.
How to Add Fish Sauce to Your Marinara Sauce
The beauty of fish sauce is that it quadruples the flavor of virtually any and every dish, which means you can bolster the flavor of your store-bought marinara in a near-instant.
Fish sauce is all about flavoring and personal preference, I personally add a tablespoon or two to mine (because I love it so much). Our assistant recipe editor, Jan Valdez, also does this trick and says a tablespoon is her go-to as well. But it’s something to play around with. Because fish sauce is a condiment, I suggest starting with seasoning your store-bought marinara sauce 1 teaspoon at a time, tasting in between to see if you want to add more. After you try it out for yourself, I’m confident that you’ll be on your way to adding it to everything (well beyond marinara).
Further Reading
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
