Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

I'm trying to find a decent Paleo fish sauce. There's a brand called Red Boat Fish Sauce but it retails for $15 online + $10 shipping and handling...is there any Paleo substitutes out there? Or other less expensive brands? My Thai food needs it!

flag	asked Aug 22 2011 at 22:08 Dre 11●2

1

great question - i was going to splurge and buy the red boat sauce; but no shipping to canada :( – Thumper Aug 22 2011 at 22:18

1

Oh, man, Red Boat is the jam (err...sauce?). I offset the cost of mine by asking for it from my brother as a birthday gift. Free fish sauce for me, and he reaps the benefit of the foods that I prepare with it. :) – familygrokumentarian Aug 22 2011 at 22:27

If it helps that pricing is for a bottle of 2. Still pricey though I know. – Shari Bambino Aug 23 2011 at 0:41

jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com · Answer 1 · 2011-08-22 22:35:43Z UTC

I researched this pretty big and there aren't any others outside of Red Boat - all it is is anchovy and sea salt, all others that I was interested in had other junk added in. Literally tromped through most of the Asian groceries here in NY, including specialty stores, and no luck getting anything close.

I order it direct from Red Boat so I'm not sure who is charging you that price as a 2pk is about $12 and shipping was around $5 which breaks down to around $8.50 a bottle. You don't need a ton to season your food so I say go for it if you can.

Truly, it's such delicious funk - do it! :)

Alex · Answer 2 · 2011-08-23 02:12:09Z UTC

2

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but can someone tell me what one actually does with fish sauce? I see it mentioned all the time, but not it's actual use. Is it used as a condiment? What kind of meals does it accompany?

answered Aug 23 2011 at 2:12

Alex
1,241●3●16

	It adds umami (a savory flavor, kind of a fermented kick) - but good fish sauce like Red Boat is particularly pungent/strong, so you only need trace amounts to enhance the overall flavor of a sauce. See the Everyday Paleo Thai No-Peanut sauce here: everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/30/… – familygrokumentarian Aug 23 2011 at 2:16
	Hey Alex - the below will be helpful :) You don't always have to use fish sauce in Asian dishes, even a small hit can add depth and complexity to food items that need that something extra. It's salty as hell and stinks beyond belief but is pretty much heaven in a bottle. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_sauce and also: thaifood.about.com/od/introtothaicooking/p/… – jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com Aug 23 2011 at 3:40

invisible ink · Answer 3 · 2011-08-22 22:40:26Z UTC

I haven't made it yet but Cheeseslave put up an amazing looking recipe for fish sauce if you're interested in making your own: Homemade Thai Fish Sauce

Homemade Thai Fish Sauce

Makes about 2 cups Ingredients

Fish, small, including heads (1 1/2 pounds)

Sea salt (3 TBS) — where to buy sea salt

Filtered water (2 cups)

Garlic (2 cloves)

Bay leaves (2)

Peppercorns, whole (1 teaspoon)

Lemon rind, organic if possible (from 1/2 lemon)

Whey, or Caldwell’s vegetable starter mixed with water (2 TBS) — where to buy culture starters Equipment

Mason jar

Wooden pounder or meat hammer

Mesh strainer

Directions

Cut up fish into small pieces and place in wide-mouth mason jar.
Cut up the lemon rind into small pieces.
Add sea salt and press down with a wooden pounder or meat hammer.
Add remaining ingredients to jar and stir together.
Add additional water to cover fish if needed — water should cover fish but be sure to leave at least an inch from the top of the jar.
Cover and leave at room temperature for about 3 days.
Transfer to refrigerator and let sit for several weeks.
Strain liquid through a strainer (you may use cheesecloth if you like) and bottle the liquid (old soy sauce bottles are great for this). Discard the solids.
Store fish sauce in the fridge. It will keep for several months.

Shari Bambino · Answer 4 · 2011-08-23 00:52:35Z UTC

1

Tra Chang, Squid and Golden Boy brands are paleo if you're o.k. with a little sugar. No hydrolyzed wheat so not gluten anyway. Just anchovies, water, salt, and sugar. I'd pick Tra Chang and Golden Boy over Squid.

answered Aug 23 2011 at 0:52

Shari Bambino
22.5k●1●13●95

	Hey Shari - i just recently found squid brand at an asian grocery store, but the bottle is completely in thai. Can you tell me what the storage recommendation is after opening? thanks!! – Thumper Aug 29 2011 at 0:54
	I don't think there are instructions on the bottle but I refrigerate mine since tamari and coconut aminos and the like are all supposed to be refrigerated after opening. – Shari Bambino Aug 29 2011 at 1:14
	Shari, how would you compare Tra Change to Golden Boy? I'm just about to finish my first bottle of Golden Boy and I thought it was quite good. The place I shop carries Tra Chang and I wanted to know if it was worth trying. Both of them are about 1.99 for a large bottle. I wish they carried Red Boat but they don't. – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Feb 9 2012 at 3:25
	I have to say I never tasted any of them straight out of the bottle so i honestly don't see much difference in them. I definitely think you should try the Tra Change though just to say you did. Live a little Richard! :) – Shari Bambino Feb 9 2012 at 3:31
	Ok, thanks for your input Shari. – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Feb 9 2012 at 4:47

Jamie · Answer 5 · 2011-08-22 22:51:04Z UTC

0

Make your own: http://www.easysaucerecipes.com/seafood-sauce-recipe/authentic-fish-sauce-recipe.php

answered Aug 22 2011 at 22:51

Jamie
31●2

Paleo Fish Sauce?

5 Answers