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ImportFood Thai Supermarket
Complete source of authentic Thai recipes, ingredients & cookware

Thai Fish Sauce, Tra Chang - Tiparos - Squid - Three Crabs - Flying Lion - Golden Boy



Fish sauce is the single, most important flavoring ingredient in Thai cooking (also well-loved in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and the Philippines). Used like salt in western cooking and soy sauce in Chinese cooking, good-quality fish sauce imparts a distinct aroma and flavor all its own.

If you look through our Thai recipe section, you will find that every dish requires this most important element of Thai food cooking. Simply put: if it doesn't have fish sauce, it can't be considered Thai.

We are proud to offer a few different brands, all made by Thailand's premier food companies, First Grade export quality. See below, or click the image of each brand below to see a detailed description.

 

 

Tra Chang Label

Cock Brand from Aroy-D. This has been aged two years in the finest conditions, unlike standard high quality fish sauce which is aged 8-12 months. We are certain that this is the finest fish sauce you'll find anywhere.

Enjoy the relatively mild aroma, beautiful amber color, rich taste and total absence of any sediment in the bottle. See our photo tour of Tra Chang's facility, and learn how fish sauce is made.

All Natural. It has beautiful light golden color and it's crystal clear. Ingredients: anchovy fish, salt, sugar.

Product of Thailand.

Add to Cart Cock - 7 oz Glass Bottle - $5.89

 

 


 

Tiparos Brand

Tiparos is back after a fairly long period of not shipping to the US due to various reasons, and we are very happy to offer it again.  We sold the famous plastic Tiparos bottle for 15 years.  This was one of the top selling Thai fish sauces in America and was widely used in restaurants. Tiparos has a street appeal, being the familiar fish sauce served throughout Thailand as an everyday pedestrian favorite. Premium quality, familiar taste, and the best value price. You can see Tiparos in many of our Thai street vendor videos.

Ingredients: water, anchovy extract, salt, sugar.

Product of Thailand.

Add to Cart Tiparos - 25 oz Plastic Bottle - $9.65

 


 

Squid Brand

Squid brand is well-known in Thailand as a "premium", more expensive and more delicious fish sauce. Some people like a more "bold" fish flavor, the characteristic of this brand. The difference is subtle and might not be detected by the average American consumer, but Squid brand has a slightly stronger flavor, with a muted fish smell. If you look through our Thai recipe section, you will find that every dish requires this most important element of Thai food cooking.

Ingredients: water, anchovy extract, salt, sugar.

Product of Thailand.

Click to see how fish sauce is made, our photo tour!

Add to Cart Squid Brand - 24 oz Glass Bottle - $11.95

 


 

Three Crabs

Three Crabs brand fish sauce has achieved a kind of cult status in the American market, being mentioned in various culinary circles as "the" premium brand. This is reflected in the market price which is relatively high. There are also a myriad of copycat brands that have a similar name and label, such as Three Shells, Three Fish, etc. What you see here is the real thing.

Bon Appetit magazine highlighted Three Crabs as a "Chef's Secret Ingredient" and ImportFood was mentioned as the recommended supplier. We agree that the taste is certainly excellent, but whether or not the average consumer would notice a difference between 3 Crabs and other brands is somewhat unlikely.

Packed in a nice 24 oz glass bottle. Three Crabs is a product of Thailand and processed in Hong Kong. Ingredients: anchovy extract, water, salt, fructose & hydrolyzed wheat protein. Typically fish sauce does not have fructose and hydrolyzed wheat protein, and we believe those ingredients give the sauce a subtle sweet flavor. The fish sauce smell is somewhat muted compared to other brands.

 

Add to Cart Three Crabs Brand - 24 oz Glass Bottle - $11.89

 



 

Flying Lion

Flying Lion is the ultra-premium fish sauce manufactured by Three Crabs. It's expensive and many people swear it's worth the high cost. You won't find restaurants spending this much on fish sauce. We aren't sure what the difference is, but it does seem to have a nicer flavor than Three Crabs. According to the manufacturer, it has a smooth flavor and pleasant sweetness. It's definitely a superior product that you can use with the confidence of knowing you paid for and received the best.

This is a Vietnamese style fish sauce with "Phú Quốc" on the label, suggesting that the fish come from the legendary island known for the finest fish sauce in Vietnam.

Packed in a modest 7 oz glass bottle. Flying Lion is made in Hong Kong. Ingredients: anchovy extract, salt, water, fructose & hydrolyzed wheat protein. See our Flying Lion fish sauce here.

 

Add to Cart Flying Lion - 7 oz Glass Bottle - $7.29

 


 

Golden Boy

Golden Boy brand fish sauce has a nice overall flavor and very attractive light golden color. The quality is very good, it's made in a traditional process and is considered a "gourmet" fish sauce. Golden Boy fish sauce is not strong-smelling and it's slightly sweet, a little bitter. Aficionados will appreciate the subtle differences (most notably the muted aroma). 

Author Jon Fasman wrote about fish sauce in The Economist magazine's Intelligent Life section, referring to ImportFood.com: "I’m partial to the Tiparos brand, which is tea-coloured and rather strong, and Golden Boy, which is lighter and milder (and has a chubby, happy baby on the label)."

Ingredients: anchovy extract, salt, sugar.

Product of Thailand.

Add to Cart Golden Boy Brand - 24 oz Glass Bottle - Temporarily Out of Stock

 


 

Find fish sauce in the following ImportFood.com recommended Thai recipes

 


 

Thai Green Curry Chicken, 'Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai'

This is a simple and authentic Thai recipe that we enjoy preparing with chicken and just a bit of fresh seasonal greens (in this recipe we used green beans). Our basic recipe a delicious green curry with nice flavors that a Thai purist would enjoy. The dish is also made with Thai eggplant or Tiny eggplant.

You might also be interested in our similar recipe for a red curry (Gaeng phed gai). We also have a slightly more complicated recipe for Green Curry with Fresh Chile, Chicken, Eggplant & Kaffir Lime, Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai.


 


 

 

 

 

Fish Sauce on Video
Street Vendor Prepares Classic Pad Thai
Click Image to Watch

Tra Chang Label

 


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