I've seen lower sodium version @WM and WF. Depending on where u live may b hard to find but its offered

Great, thanks - I'm not too far from a Whole Foods - I'll check it out next time I head that way.

One of the reasons for using fish sauce is for the salt - you use it in place of salt, and you only use as much as is needed to obtain the saltiness that you want.

Substitutes for salt would depend on the recipe you are making. I sometimes use Japanese black vinegar in place of soy sauce, but I have also found that Chinese black vinegar does not have the same flavor and is NOT a good substitute. You can find reduced salt soy sauce and even salt-free soy sauce, but it can be a bit nasty. It is usually preserved with alcohol of some sort. For some recipes, you can use Sake in place of fish sauce, but it depends on the recipe, and the taste will be very different.

Thank you both - well over 1000mg in a tbsp. just seemed like so much sodium, and I think the recipes I was looking at called for 1-2 tbsp. For one of them that was on top of red curry paste, which is very high in sodium as well.

57% is not too bad.

I say go for the taste. Get the best tasting sauce and don't worry about the salt.

Enjoy your recipe, and cut out sodium the next meal to compensate.

How often do you get to use fish sauce? once a week? once a month?

dcarch

I agree. Just cut the amount in half or cut out all salt in other meals. Get a good one like FishBoat that packs a big punch and use less. Use half a tbsp and add a half tbsp of Braggs cider vinegar. DH likes anchovies packed in olive oil, then smashes with a fork and a bit of Braggs. Lots of flavor in just a couple anchovies. Salty foods are more of a treat here, used in moderation.

I don't use salt at all in cooking as it is already in so many things. Just at the table if needed. Same with sugars. I usually just use a quarter or less than a recipe and add later if needed. Made apple/pear butter last night with no added sugar as the fruit is so sweet on its own.

Probably why i like finishing salts so much. I would rather have a couple of nice lightly salty bites of mashed potatoes rather than the whole mound be salty throughout. We end up using so much less that way.

Get a good one like FishBoat that packs a big punch and use less.

Did you mean Red Boat? That's the one I use.

haha, yup, RedBoat. I just caught that when i pulled it out and had a tsp...yum.

Ok, thanks - I will look for it and see what Whole Foods has as well.

Just know a reduced sodium version exists and any/most brands will be adequate for home cook

Thank you - I think that was the brand I saw - but no low sodium version, or no other brands at the store I was looking, so I will hunt a bit more!

Red Boat all the way. So much better than any other brand.

I agree, the amount used in a recipe is pretty small. If you really must limit sodium, I'd use less Red Boat (or whatever is the best quality fish sauce you can find) rather than the full amount of a reduced sodium brand.

Found Red Boat at Whole Foods; Ka-Me at another store. Each store I checked sold 1 kind - not low sodium. I couldn't bring myself to buy it, thanks for the suggestions.

One more question while were on the fish sauce subject...do you refrigerate after opening?

A small bottle goes a long way, so I wondered if there is a shelf life?

Since most recipes call for 1-2 tbsp it lasts a long time in the fridge. I used to skip fish sauce cause I'd get cheap and not want to spend $ when it only called for 1-2 tbsp. But when I finally bought it and used it when recipes called for it, my Asian dishes seemed less amateur and more like restaurant food. So now I never skip it.

That's interesting. I may pick up a bottle some day when my curiosity gets the best of me. I never had trouble with high blood pressure (knock on wood), but too much sodium makes my feet swell and hurt, and I gain weight, so I do try to watch it.