Fish sauce substitute without seafood: a 1:1 swap
A seafood-free fish sauce substitute that works 1:1, from America's Test Kitchen's shiitake and soy brew to the 30-second soy sauce and vinegar fix, plus what changes in the dish and why fish allergy is not shellfish allergy.
The tested seafood-free swap for fish sauce is 1:1, and it starts with dried mushrooms. America's Test Kitchen simmers 3 cups water, 1/4 ounce dried sliced shiitake, 3 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons soy sauce until the liquid reduces by half, then strains and cools it. Use that brew spoon for spoon wherever a recipe calls for fish sauce. If dinner is already on the stove, soy sauce goes in 1:1 with a splash of vinegar.
Fish sauce is fermented anchovies and sea salt, so a fish allergy, a vegetarian table and an empty bottle all lead to the same question.
Seafood-free fish sauce substitutes at a glance
| Substitute | Ratio | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATK shiitake and soy brew | 1:1 | Thai and Vietnamese dishes, curries, marinades | 20 to 30 minutes, and it lives in the fridge |
| Soy sauce | 1:1, plus a splash of vinegar | Stir-fries, braises, noodles | Salt and glutamates, none of the fermented funk |
| Soy sauce and vinegar blend | Equal parts of each plus a pinch of salt, used 1:1 | Dipping sauces, dressings | Skip balsamic; use white, cider, wine or rice |
| Coconut aminos or liquid aminos | 1:1 plus a pinch of salt | Soy-free, gluten-free cooking | Sweeter and much lower in sodium, so add the salt |
| Thin (light) soy sauce | 1:1 | Southeast Asian dishes | Lighter than dark soy sauce, closer in color |
| Miso paste thinned with water | Equal parts miso and water, then 1:1 | Soups, marinades, dressings | Adds body and cloudiness fish sauce lacks |
| Dried shiitake powder plus salt | A pinch of powder plus salt, to taste | Dry rubs, dishes with no room for liquid | High glutamate, almost no sodium |
| Commercial vegan fish sauce | 1:1 | Cooks who use fish sauce often | Usually pineapple or seaweed based; read the label |
How to make the shiitake and soy fish sauce substitute
- Put 3 cups water, 1/4 ounce dried sliced shiitake mushrooms, 3 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a saucepan.
- Simmer over medium heat until the liquid reduces by half, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Strain out the mushrooms.
- Cool it completely, then pour it into a clean jar and refrigerate. You get about 1 1/4 cups.
- Measure it 1:1 for the fish sauce in the recipe. For a gluten-free batch, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
Keep the jar cold and use it within about three weeks. ATK's how-to says three weeks and its recipe page says two months, so I go with the shorter number from the same kitchen. It is a salty, low-acid liquid, so treat it like fresh broth.
What changes when you swap fish sauce
Fish sauce tastes meaty because it carries both glutamates and nucleotides. Soy sauce has the glutamates. Dried shiitakes bring the nucleotides, which is why ATK simmers the two together instead of leaning on one. Their kelp broth alone did not add enough depth to stand in.
Color and body shift. Thin soy sauce looks closest to fish sauce; the miso version comes out cloudy and thicker.
Salt is the part to watch. None of these substitutes are as salty as fish sauce, so taste near the end and adjust instead of assuming the swap did the job. Fish sauce shows up by the teaspoon or tablespoon anyway, and once the salt lands right most dishes stop asking for the funk.
When to skip the fish sauce substitute
If fish sauce is the loudest thing in an uncooked dipping sauce, plain soy sauce will taste like plain soy sauce. Make the shiitake brew for those. In a curry, a braise or a stir-fry that already has garlic, chili, lime and sugar going, the 1:1 swaps blend right in.
Fish sauce and allergies: fish allergy is not shellfish allergy
Fish sauce is made from anchovies, and anchovies are finfish. The FDA lists fish among the nine major food allergens and requires it to be declared by species on a label. Molluscan shellfish are not on that list, so the oysters in oyster sauce trigger no required allergen declaration of their own, though any wheat or soy in the bottle still has to be declared. Substitute round-ups blur the two constantly, so read the label on whatever you swap in.
Related fish sauce and umami swaps
The bottle beside it gets its own answer in the oyster sauce substitute guide, with a weeknight version in substitute for oyster sauce in fried rice. Worcestershire is anchovy based too, so substitute for Worcestershire sauce and the vegan version answer the same allergy question. For the rest of the pantry, keep the printable ingredient substitution chart on the fridge.
Cook around the fish sauce you do not have
Well Stockd's substitution engine suggests swaps from what is already in your kitchen when a recipe calls for something you are out of. Frozen and canned forms count, and you can reject any suggestion you would rather not see again. It works off your real inventory, so it pairs with tracking expiration dates and a pantry inventory.
Fish sauce substitute questions
Is fish sauce a shellfish allergen?
No. Fish sauce is made from anchovies, which are finfish. The FDA counts fish as a major food allergen that must be declared by species on the label. Oyster sauce is a mollusk product, and mollusks are not major allergens, so the oyster content carries no required declaration. Read the label anyway, because the wheat or soy in that bottle does have to be declared.
Why does soy sauce alone not taste like fish sauce?
Soy sauce supplies glutamates but not the nucleotides that give fish sauce its meaty taste. America's Test Kitchen's fix is to simmer soy sauce with dried shiitake, which is loaded with nucleotides, so the pair does what neither does alone.
How long does homemade fish sauce substitute keep?
Refrigerate it and use it within about three weeks. Store it in a clean, sealed jar and treat it like any fresh broth.
Is there a gluten-free fish sauce substitute?
Yes. Make the shiitake and soy brew with tamari instead of soy sauce, or use coconut aminos 1:1 with an added pinch of salt.
Sources: America's Test Kitchen, making a vegetarian substitute for fish sauce; America's Test Kitchen, vegetarian fish sauce substitute recipe; America's Test Kitchen, ingredient spotlight on oyster, hoisin and fish sauce; Food52, how to substitute for fish sauce in a pinch; FDA, what is a major food allergen; Tasting Table, vegan swaps for anchovies.