fish sauce

Can fish sauce go bad?

fiveandspice
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9 Comments

Merrill S. August 1, 2011
Sorry for the spam, everyone! We're still working to resolve this.
 
fiveandspice July 31, 2011
Thanks guys! I used it. Tasted fine. I'm really not quite sure how old it is at this point - definitely a sign I need to do more Eastern Asian cooking. :)
 
Sam1148 July 31, 2011
You might want to thin it if it's aged as the biggest thing is the taste will be strong. Still, food safety wise--it's safe to use. Taste is another issue.
 
Greenstuff July 31, 2011
Okay, after viewing merrill's video and re-reviewing Kasma's site, I'll revise my answer to "Yes, it can age, and you should replace your bottle(s), now and then, especially if they are dark, and you can't, for the life of you, remember when you bought them. But don't worry about using an old bottle if that's all you have, and going shopping would be enormously inconvenient." Have a nice dinner, fiveandspice.
 
Sam1148 July 31, 2011
I think so. I had some I tossed after about a 2 years at room temp. It was just way to salty and far too 'fishy'. It was very, very pungent smelling.

Was it 'bad' probably not, in the still okay to use...but the flavor was way off.

In a similar note..I found some soy sauce in the back of the cabinets that had been perking for a couple of years. It was 'still good'...but very strong and had a alcohol overtone.
 
Greenstuff July 31, 2011
fiveand spice had marked her question as urgent, so I answered her before I went to check my favorite guru of Thai cooking, Kasma Loha-unchit. She confirms that it keeps indefinitely.

http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/ingredients/fishsauce.html
 
Merrill S. July 31, 2011
Here's a helpful video: http://www.chow.com/food-news/55288/does-fish-sauce-go-bad/
 
sdebrango July 31, 2011
According to this website the shelf life is 2-3 years
http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17193
 
Greenstuff July 31, 2011
No, I really do not think so. It's certainly not meant to--the salt is a great preservative. Personally, I've kept bottles for years and nevert detected anything off.
 
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