Nuoc Mam / fish sauce

"Fish Handling, Preservation and Processing in the Tropics: Part 2 Fish Handling, Preservation and Processing in the Tropics: Part 2"
This report addresses a few of the key elements of wet-fish preservation in the tropics, and includes helpful images like the ones I've copied here. I want to make fish sauce once things warm up a bit and was glad I found this!

Rusty,
This is a really interesting diagram. Have you actually tried to use fish sauce using this diagram? I am interested in fish sauce as a culinary ingredient, but also for its medicinal benefits. I also like the protein preservation aspect of it. It could combine with aquaculture to help provide protein for a community.
Let us know how it works. I am interested.
Thanks,
John S
PDX OR

I haven't yet, though I plan to make some garum once the weather stays warm here in VA ( an unusually cool April it's been...)
The vat depicted is no five gallon bucket. Images of nuoc mam....distilleries? ...fermenteries? ...factorys?... whatever they're called, show that these barrels are large - 100 gallons or more - and sit out in the open to be warmed by the sun. I wasn't able to find a smaller version. I do recall that a high school teacher who *ahem*... "toured" Vietnam... described a fish sauce being made from an open-air mesh bag of fish with the drippings being collected underneath, rather than a fermentation vessel. I haven't seen anything to corroborate this account though. I've got to pick up the fish the next time I visit the ethnic grocery... I'll post an update, but will be using info from Christianne Muuser's page: http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/garum.htm

Rusty, I'd be really interested to hear about any results if you go ahead with making fish sauce.
I love the stuff, and I'd be chuffed to douse things in my own nuoc mam
I'd especially like to know:
what species of fish
How many you use
how long you ferment it
what you ferment it in
how much does it pong? (I have sensitive neighbours...)

I'm making garum fish sauce. Mackerel, salt, corriander, bay leaves, black pepper, and garlic.

Fish to salt ratio is 5.5:3. I expect to use the salt that stays solid as an umami salt for seasoning.

Ryan, super interested in your results. I have heard you can make it from freshwater fish as well, which we have in abundance.

I'm basing it on this recipe at 3:1 fish to salt. I am using Sea-90 for the salt.

My setup is a five gallon food grade bucket with a spigot installed on the bottom. I haven't gotten any fish yet this year, so I am thinking about the lid situation. I'm thinking Omega lid with a hardwood circle for the weights underneath. I'm going to use river rocks as weights. Unfortunately you don't get a result for a year, but it is worth trying at least once. Hopefully my wife doesn't see the bucket back there, some other "experiments" turned out a little pungent!

Tj Jefferson wrote:Ryan, super interested in your results. I have heard you can make it from freshwater fish as well, which we have in abundance.

I'm basing it on this recipe at 3:1 fish to salt. I am using Sea-90 for the salt.

My setup is a five gallon food grade bucket with a spigot installed on the bottom. I haven't gotten any fish yet this year, so I am thinking about the lid situation. I'm thinking Omega lid with a hardwood circle for the weights underneath. I'm going to use river rocks as weights. Unfortunately you don't get a result for a year, but it is worth trying at least once. Hopefully my wife doesn't see the bucket back there, some other "experiments" turned out a little pungent!

The fat in the fish is rising to the surface as a umm, pungent?, oil. I plan to skim it off and try using it for cooking. I heard fermented fish oil is a common cooking oil in the Yukon.

Ryan,

I am not too sure on that. Using mackerel may mean you have much more oil. I know sardines are used in some places to make fish sauce, but I am not sure what to do with excess oil. I do know that periodically it should be exposed to air, and a thick layer of oil may prevent oxygen from getting below the surface.

I may just collect it for fishing bait. Mixing it with some wonderbread and making dough balls of the stuff is bound to attract some big catfish.