Fish Sauce
As soon as we opened the first bottle of fish sauce, the rest of the kitchen staff were off, scattering to the far corners of the building. Why the histrionics? Fish sauce is a very potent Asian condiment made of the liquid from salted, fermented fish—and smells as such. Fish sauce has a very concentrated flavor and, like anchovy paste, when used in appropriately small amounts, lends foods a salty complexity that is impossible to replicate.
We gathered six brands of fish sauce—one from Vietnam (where fish sauce is known as nuoc nam), one from Phillipines (patis), and the rest from Thailand (nam pla)—from our local supermarket, natural foods store, and Asian market. Tasters had the option of tasting the fish sauce straight up (which few could stomach) or in a modified version of the dipping sauce that accompanies our recipe for Thai-Style Grilled Chicken.
Differences in the sauces were noted immediately. Color correlated with flavor; the lighter the sauce, the lighter the flavor. Tasters had preferences, but those preferences varied greatly from taster to taster. In the end, all of the sauces were recommended. In fact, only one point (out of a total of 10) separated all six sauces.
With such a limited ingredient list—most of the brands contained some combination of fish extract, water, salt, and sugar--the differences between the sauces were minimal. And because fish sauce is used in such small amounts, minute flavor differences get lost among the other flavors of a dish. If you are a fan of fish sauce and use it often, you might want to make a special trip to an Asian market to buy a rich, dark sauce that is suitably pungent. But for most applications, we found that the differences were negligible. Because most supermarkets don't carry a wide selection of fish sauce, we recommend buying whatever is available (that will mostly likely be an Americanized brand and only lightly colored and flavored).
| Product Tested | Origin | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highly Recommended | |||
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Columela Extra Virgin Olive OilOur favorite premium extra-virgin olive oil from a previous tasting, Columela is composed of a blend of intense Picual, mild Hojiblanca, Ocal, and Arbequina olives. This oil took top honors for its fruity flavor and excellent balance. Tasters praised its “big olive aroma, big olive taste” with a “buttery” flavor that is “sweet” and “full,” with a “peppery finish.” One taster said: “It’s very green and fresh—like a squeezed olive.” Another simply wrote: “Fantastic.” |
Spain | $19 for 17 oz |
| Recommended | |||
|
Lucini Italia Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive OilTasters noted this oil’s flavor was “much deeper than the other samples,” describing it as “fruity, with a slight peppery finish,” “buttery undertones,” and a “clean, green taste” that was “aromatic, with a good balance.” “It has the flavor that some good EVOOs have,” said one admiring taster. |
Italy | $19.99 for 500 ml ($39.98 per liter) |
|
Colavita Extra Virgin Olive OilVirtually tied for second place, this oil was deemed “round and buttery,” with a “light body” and flavor that was “briny and fruity,” “very fine and smooth,” and “almost herbal,” with “great balance.” “Good olive flavor. I could smell it and taste it,” approved one taster. In a word, “pleasant.” |
Italy | $17.99 for 750 ml ($23.98 per liter) |
| Recommended with Reservations | |||
|
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive OilA clear step down from the top oils, tasters noted “overall mild” flavor and “very little aroma,” with only a “hint of green olive” and a “hint of spiciness at the end.” In pasta, it was initially “not complex,” but gradually “bloomed in your mouth.” Overall, it was “worthy of a second bite.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $12.49 for 750 ml ($16.65 per liter) |
|
Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive OilWhile some tasters found this oil “sweet” and “buttery” with “medium body” and “slight spice at the end,” others complained that it had “zero olive flavor” and was “so floral it’s almost like eating perfume”; still others noted a “bitter” aftertaste. In pasta, it was “extremely mild” to the point of being “boring.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $10.99 for 750 ml ($14.65 per liter) |
|
Goya Extra Virgin Olive OilComments: The best comments tasters could muster were “mild” and “neutral.” Some liked it on pasta (though one called it “Snoozeville”), but complaints were myriad: “metallic,” “soapy,” “briny,” “hints of dirt.” Carped one taster, “I can’t imagine what is in here, but they have a nerve calling it EVOO.” |
Spain | $13.99 for 1 liter |
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