My diet:

Fish sauce

No E-numberFlavor enhancersOrigin: Animal
Get a personal answer

Pick your family’s diets in the bar above.

Every diet

VeganNo

Fish sauce is fermented fish.

Gluten-freeDepends

Traditional fish sauce is fish and salt. Some brands add wheat.

HalalYes

Fish is halal. A brand that adds alcohol or a non-halal flavor is the exception.

KosherDepends

Anchovy can be a kosher fish, but the sauce needs certification.

KetoYes

A seasoning pour of fish sauce has negligible carbohydrate.

Low-FODMAPYes

Fish sauce used as a seasoning is low FODMAP.

The short answer
Fish sauce is fermented fish. It is not vegan. It is gluten-free unless a brand adds wheat. It is keto in the amounts used as a seasoning. Halal fish sauce exists. An uncertified bottle is just fish and salt.
Use in moderation

Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.

E-numberNone
Comes fromAnimal
What it doesFlavor enhancers
Glycemic index—
Daily limitNot set
Also calledFish sauce, Nam pla

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDANot evaluated as an additive
🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive
🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive
CaliforniaNo extra rules

Fish sauce is a food, not an E-number. It is a fish allergen. Kosher status is possible only for a certified sauce made from a kosher species. The sodium is the nutrition issue.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

The traditional vat is fish and sea salt, aged until the liquid runs clear, then filtered. Some budget sauces add water, sugar or hydrolyzed protein. The ingredient line shows that shortcut.

Where it comes from: Fish sauce is salted anchovies, or other small fish, left to ferment until the flesh breaks down into a clear, salty liquid. Southeast Asian kitchens use it the way other kitchens use soy sauce. It is not a suspension of pieces of fish.

Why it’s in food

  • Salts a curry
  • Builds a dipping sauce
  • Seasons a dressing
  • Replaces anchovy in a pinch

Often found in

Thai curriesVietnamese dipping sauceStir-friesDressingsMarinadesKimchi variations

Also listed as: Fish sauce, Nam pla, Nuoc mam, Anchovy sauce

Health & gut impact

SodiumConcern

Fish sauce is saltier than it tastes, because the fermented protein softens the sharpness. A tablespoon is a serious sodium dose.

Typical sodium content of fish sauce

Fish allergenConcern

The sauce is fish, even when a recipe calls it a seasoning. People with a fish allergy cannot treat it as a condiment that does not count.

Allergen identity of fish sauce

What can I use instead?

Soy sauce

Ratio: A plant seasoning with a different allergen

Best for: Stir-fries

Salt

Ratio: When the recipe only needed salt

Best for: Any dish

Related

More flavor enhancers:

Artificial flavors (Artificial flavoring)Artificial flavor means the aroma was synthesized, not extracted from the food it tastes like. The category is allowed. Vegan, halal and kosher status still depends on the carrier.Use in moderationBrewer's yeastBrewer's yeast is yeast left over from making beer. It is bitter, it may contain barley gluten, and it is not the cheesy flake called nutritional yeast.Use in moderationCalcium inosinate E633Calcium inosinate (E633) is a savory flavor booster related to disodium inosinate, used alongside MSG in snacks and stock products. It is gluten-free, but vegan, halal and kosher status depends on whether it was made by fermentation or from animal tissue.Generally safeDiacetyl (Butanedione)Diacetyl is the buttery flavor molecule. The FDA lists it as a GRAS flavor. Breathing the vapor at work has harmed lungs. Eating the trace in a food is the exposure the GRAS rule is about.Use in moderation

Common questions

Is fish sauce vegan?

No. It is fermented fish. Soy sauce and seaweed seasonings are the plant stand-ins.

Does fish sauce contain gluten?

The basic recipe is fish and salt. Some brands add wheat. Read the bottle.

Is Fish sauce safe?

Use in moderation (70/100). Fish sauce is a food, not an E-number. It is a fish allergen. Kosher status is possible only for a certified sauce made from a kosher species. The sodium is the nutrition issue.

Is Fish sauce vegan?

No. Fish sauce is fermented fish.

Is Fish sauce gluten-free?

Depends. Traditional fish sauce is fish and salt. Some brands add wheat.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • Typical sodium content of fish sauce
  • Allergen identity of fish sauce