Comments on: Is Expensive Fish Sauce Worth It?

By: sylvan

sylvan — Sun, 04 May 2025 16:41:23 +0000

Super lucky to be able to get the 300 ml bottle of Abalone for 45 THB for at 7-11 here in Bangkok. I started getting it just because it was the most expensive at 7-11 and I liked it straight away. Glad you recommend it and now I'm not tempted to shell out the big bucks to try Red Boat.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 04:12:29 +0000

In reply to Pailin Chongchitnant. SORRY, i disagree...'Tiparos' is the MOST used in Thailand & imo the best in the Kingdom (i'm here 35yrs) regular Squid is rubbish, even my Thai wife & her family will NOT use Squid brand! BTW, Lovely site GREAT info ...ya a BRILLIANT presenter!

By: Don

Don — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 19:37:47 +0000

I agree with your assessment of these sauces. Red Boat is a high quality fish sauce but it is very forward in flavor and is very fishy when used straight. I have not had the pleasure of trying Abalone brand fish sauce. My personal favorite is Flying Lion by Viet Huong fish sauce company and I keep several bottles on hand. It’s becoming harder and harder to find so I buy it when I see it.

I thought I was the only one who found Red Boat to be too strong for some applications. It’s nice to see another person that came to the same conclusion. I take nothing away from them and it is a good sauce but I don’t believe it’s a good fit for every dish that needs fish sauce.

By: Judy T

Judy T — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 07:08:48 +0000

I purchased a 300ml bottle of Squid brand premium fish sauce the same as in your photo. It was $4.50 at Woolworths Toowoomba on 12/02/2024. Hope this is helpful

By: Fred

Fred — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:34:15 +0000

To answer your question: The Royal Squid Brand Premium Fish Sauce (first extract) is online available where I live for € 3.10 per 300 ml (excl. delivery costs of € 6.95).

By: Pailin Chongchitnant

Pailin Chongchitnant — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 22:43:26 +0000

In reply to Daniel.

I think Thai Kitchen and Tiparos are gonna be on par with each other, so I wouldn't go out of your way to look for Tiparos. I do have a curry paste blog: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/curry-paste-review/ Enjoy!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 17:21:30 +0000

In reply to Pailin Chongchitnant. Hi Thanks for the response. Would you recommend sticking with Thai KItchen (my only gripe is that it only comes in 1 size) or tyring Tiparos or one of the brands you recommend? It seems they should be similar if all things being equal (same ingredients) but that 40N ... like i said pla ra is to me less fishy of course I have only tried the Pantai brand you showed and only several tablespoons. I have jarred mudfish cream (special by Dragonfly) and pantai's gouramy cream style so maybe after using them (which I am still a little scared to) I might have a different thought ... On a different note Thai Kitchen's curry paste is ok but too garlicky ito me and unlike most recipes I don't use it in som tam because it's so powerful. I've tried maesri and that's a good brand .. I've heard a lot of people like Adobo brand and MaePloy ... do you have a curry paste blog like the premium fish sauce? Of course homemade is absolutely the best. Have a very happy holiday ... btw living in the UP of Michigan it is soooo difficult to get ingredients that I go broke with shipping so I relate to being in Canada ... :).

By: Pailin Chongchitnant

Pailin Chongchitnant — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 21:03:33 +0000

In reply to Daniel. Haha, Thai Kitchen fish sauce is actually quite nice! Tiparos is good, on par with regular Squid, but they are not available to me in Canada.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 20:59:32 +0000

Hi ... first time posting. I'm a novice but I really cant use the RB 40N ... I thought it would be premium tasting but I was disappointed.... I like padaek but even that was less fishy to my tastebuds lol. I've been using Thai Kitchen (I know the groans) but it does the job ...doesn't overpower and is very versatile. Want to try Tiparos soon.... any thoughts on Tiparos?

By: JIHAD BILAL

JIHAD BILAL — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 19:56:04 +0000

Most of us use a few drops in cooking to hardly justify the more exotic and expensive brands. I you "drink" fish sauce, by all means buy the expensive brands, otherwise the cheaper brands are good enough. I used cheap and expensive fish sauces and I could not tell the difference. For years I have purchased fish sauces that are in the middle of the range and been extremely satisfied.

By: Jonathan King

Jonathan King — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 01:51:57 +0000

Thank you for this truly useful taste test and buying guide. I appreciate how you articulate the changes in your impressions about this sauce or that depending on its application.