Clam Juice Is A Terrible Fish Sauce Substitute. Here's What To Use Instead

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It never fails: You have a dish in mind that is calling your name, but when you start to put it together, you realize you forgot the key component that brings it all together at the grocery store. That means it's time to pivot and consider alternatives, like substituting lentils for beans in soup. Thankfully, there are typically ingredients lying around the kitchen that will work in a pinch, but some ingredients, like fish sauce, have a special nuance that is hard to simulate. You may think clam juice would work — after all, it's fishy too, right? Wrong. According to an authority on Vietnamese cuisine we spoke with, tossing clam juice into a Vietnamese dish is the best way to ruin your meal.

Bryan Quoc Le is a Vietnamese American food scientist who authored "150 Food Science Questions Answered" and is the founder and principal food consultant at Mendocino Food Consulting, and he harbors some strong opinions about using clam juice as a fish sauce alternative. "No, please do not do this," he said. "If you do not have fish sauce, do not use clam juice."

Quoc Le is practically begging folks to skip clam juice if fish sauce is nowhere in sight, even going as far as to suggest just forgoing that component altogether if you don't have a proper substitute. "It is better to simply exclude it or add MSG and salt to compensate if available," he said. MSG is a valuable kitchen staple that can add an important savory element to a host of dishes, and therein lies the reason it is a far superior substitution.

Why clam juice is a poor substitute for fish sauce

It's not uncommon for vegans to substitute soy for fish sauce, and given the similar savory qualities of the two items, this makes a whole lot more sense than trying to force clam juice into the mix. Like fish sauce, soy has salty, umami notes, much like the monosodium glutamate alternative Bryan Quoc Le recommended. Clam juice doesn't have as much going on in the umami department, boasting more of a light marine essence that doesn't carry much punch to it. Fish sauce is bold and jumps out at the palate with fervor, whereas clam sauce is a weaker, more timid ingredient that won't mimic the flavor of the former.

Simply put, "We do not use clam juice in Vietnamese cuisine," Quoc Le said. "It is the wrong flavor profile and cannot be used to substitute fish sauce, shrimp sauce, or other fermented sauces often used in Vietnamese recipes." On a technical level, if you swap fish sauce for clam juice, you're no longer making Vietnamese fare but a Franken-meal that will probably just taste off.

That's not to say Vietnamese food doesn't occasionally feature clams, but when it does, they are accompanied by other flavorful ingredients that accent their taste. Quoc Le said, "Usually clams are used directly if the flavor profile is desired; otherwise the dish will lack body that clam juice cannot provide." When you are out of fish sauce and Vietnamese fare is on the menu, reach for the MSG. Clam juice will simply destroy the spirit of what the food should represent — save it for your next clamato.

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