Best fish sauce, according to chefs
Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from Jerald Head, Mike Santinover, Paul Carmichael, David Jackman and 6 more. Recommendations come from foodandwine.com, epicurious.com and saveur.com.
International Pantry · The ranking
- 1Top pick
Red Boat 40°N
Chosen by- Paul CarmichaelChef, Kabawa · NYC
- Jerald HeadMắm
- Mike SantinoverAkahoshi Ramen
Chefs’ majority pick. “Clean yet intense flavor, with no added ingredients” (Carmichael).
- 2
Three Crabs (Viet Huong)
Chosen by- Sunny LeeSunn’s
- Erling Wu-BowerChef · Chicago
- David Jackman
Lee’s kimchi fish sauce for over a decade; “light flavor that is really versatile” (Jackman).
- 3
Megachef Premium
Chosen by- Kyle ChristyStreet Disco
Also chosen by- Andrea Nguyen · Author, Vietnamese Food Any Day source ↗
- Leela Punyaratabandhu · Thai cookbook author, Bangkok source ↗
- Matty Bennett · Lucky Bee source ↗
A former Red Boat loyalist: “We now buy it by the case and use nothing else.”
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Questions, answered
- What is the best fish sauce, according to chefs?
- MyTastr’s top pick is Red Boat 40°N, chosen by Paul Carmichael (Kabawa); Jerald Head (Mắm); Mike Santinover (Akahoshi Ramen). Chefs’ majority pick. “Clean yet intense flavor, with no added ingredients” (Carmichael). Source: foodandwine.com ↗
- What are the other top picks for fish sauce?
- No. 2 is Three Crabs (Viet Huong), chosen by Sunny Lee (Sunn’s); Erling Wu-Bower; David Jackman. No. 3 is Megachef Premium, chosen by Kyle Christy (Street Disco). Each card above links to the original source.
- How does MyTastr choose these picks?
- Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.
The tasters behind this ranking
- Jerald Head
- Mike Santinover
- Paul Carmichael
- David Jackman
- Erling Wu-Bower
- Sunny Lee
- Kyle Christy
- Andrea Nguyen
- Leela Punyaratabandhu
- Matty Bennett
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