Fish sauce delivers intense umami and saltiness. Here's what provides the same depth — including vegan options.
Fish sauce is produced by layering fish — typically small, oily fish like anchovies — with salt and allowing the mixture to ferment for 12–24 months. The fermentation breaks down the fish proteins into free amino acids, particularly glutamic acid, which is one of the primary carriers of umami flavour. The resulting liquid is pressed out, filtered, and bottled.
Good fish sauce has an intensely savoury, salty, deeply umami character with a pungent aroma that mellows significantly when cooked. It is used in small amounts as a seasoning — much like salt but with far more flavour complexity.
Soy sauce provides umami and saltiness without the fish note. It is less pungent and has a different flavour character but serves the same functional role as a savoury seasoning. Use less than a 1:1 ratio as soy sauce is typically saltier.
Coconut aminos is soy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. Milder and slightly sweeter than soy sauce or fish sauce. May need a larger quantity to match the intensity. The best all-in-one substitute for those avoiding both fish and soy.
Miso paste is fermented and rich in glutamates — the same umami compounds as fish sauce. Thin it with water to create a liquid seasoning. Red miso is more intense and saltier; white miso is milder.
Traditional Worcestershire sauce contains fermented anchovies and has a complex, deep umami character. It is sweeter and more complex than fish sauce. Not vegan (contains anchovies and sometimes other animal products). Vegan Worcestershire is available.
Kombu (dried kelp) steeped in soy sauce or tamari provides marine umami without fish. Let a small piece of kombu soak in the soy sauce for 30 minutes before using. Replicates some of the oceanic quality of fish sauce.
Vegan: Coconut aminos, miso + water, kombu + soy sauce, and vegan fish sauce (made from seaweed, mushrooms, and fermented ingredients — commercially available) are all vegan. Gluten-free: Coconut aminos, tamari (check label), and most fish sauces are GF. Regular soy sauce contains wheat. Low-sodium: All substitutes listed are high in sodium. Coconut aminos is lowest in sodium of the common substitutes.