Is Fish Sauce Gluten-Free?

If you love to eat in Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, you must have tasted fish sauce by now. The umami flavor of the magical fish sauce has surely caught your attention. But is fish sauce gluten-free? If you are gluten intolerant, you definitely do not want gluten in your food. 

Whether fish sauce is gluten-free or not depends on the brand and the ingredients it uses. Some brands of fish sauce add wheat as an ingredient. However, you will find gluten-free fish sauce on the market as well. 

In this article, I will talk about gluten in fish sauce and why some brands of fish sauce contain gluten while others do not. Before that, you may like to know how gluten affects your body. So, keep on reading to find out more!

What Is Gluten? How Does It Affect Health?

Gluten is a protein compound present in many grains, especially wheat. Other grains that are high in gluten are barley and rye. Hence, foods like bread, pizza, pasta, and cereals contain gluten. In fact, any food made from wheat contains gluten. Foods like bread rise while baking because of gluten.  

Gluten does not have much nutrient value for the human body. It may even cause serious health issues for gluten-intolerant people. It can cause an allergic reaction like inflammation and itchiness. 

Excessive gluten can also cause bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and fatigue. People who have celiac disease suffer more because of gluten. They may lose weight, suffer from malnutrition, or have intestinal damage. 

Therefore, it is wise to avoid foods containing gluten if your body reacts to it. Otherwise, it is okay to have gluten in food. 

Is Fish Sauce Gluten Free?

Some fish sauces are gluten-free, and others are not. All fish sauces contain glutamate content, which a lot of people mistake for glucose, like gluten. But it is not. Glutamate is an amino acid that gives the umami flavor of fish sauce. 

Fortunately, most Thai and Vietnamese restaurants use gluten-free fish sauce to maintain the taste and texture of their dishes. They use fish sauces made of only fish and salt. However, you will find many brands of fish sauce in the market that contain gluten. It is because they may have wheat in them. 

So, you have to be aware of the wheat in the fish sauce. If gluten is a serious issue for your health, you should definitely learn to understand which fish sauces contain gluten and which do not. Both kinds of fish sauce are available in the market. 

The Ingredients Of Fish Sauce 

Fish sauce is a special South Asian condiment made from fermented fish or shellfish. Modern fish sauce is mostly produced from anchovy and salt. 

The ingredients are mixed and left for fermentation in a container for 12 months to 24 months. Hence, we get the savory fish sauce. 

Now, you may wonder, “Where is wheat in this fermentation process?” Well, to understand that, you have to learn about the types of fish sauce in the market. 

The process of making the fish sauce I explained above is just one way to make fish sauce. However, all fish sauce manufacturers follow the step to produce the first batch of fish sauce. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE2MFS6s7rQ

When Is Wheat (Gluten) Added?

Let me explain in detail. As I mentioned above, fish like anchovy or shellfish are cleaned and mixed with salt in a container to ferment. When the fermentation time is complete, the container is opened to collect the fish sauce. There you will find the fish liquid, fish extracts, and other substances. 

This is the first batch of fish sauces that some brands of fish sauce directly sell in the market. The sauce has a fishy and savory taste which has the umami effect on other dishes when added. Also, these are the types of sauces that are gluten-free. The high-class South Asian restaurants mostly use this gluten-free sauce for its taste and smell. 

On the other hand, many manufacturers re-ferment or boil the fish extract left in the container of the first batch to get more fish sauce. This is the second batch of fish sauce that does not have the same color or taste as the first batch. 

Now, here comes the wheat in the fish sauce. Since the second batch is thin and appears lighter than the first batch, manufacturers use other ingredients to the fish sauce to elevate the taste and color. So, you will see ingredients such as sugar, caramel, molasses, roasted rice, and wheat on the label of some of the fish sauce brands. 

As the amount of fish is less in these fish sauces, the price is low. But the taste is not the same as the fish sauce produced from the first batch of fermentation. Moreover, some of the extra ingredients added to the sauce are not good for our health. 

Some local brands will add wheat to the fish sauce to thicken the texture. Wheat contains gluten, which means fish sauce is not always gluten-free. 

Therefore, people who cannot tolerate gluten should be careful while buying fish sauce or eating food mixed with the sauce. A small amount of gluten from the sauce may not cause a serious problem, but it is better to stay aware of the danger. 

Benefits Of Gluten-Free Fish Sauce

First, gluten-free fish sauce lets gluten intolerant people enjoy the amazing umami taste of the fish sauce. You can mix the sauce in different dishes, fearing no allergic reaction. Besides, cutting gluten from your diet will help you lose extra weight. 

Moreover, wheat dulls the taste of the fish sauce. Wheat, as an ingredient in the sauce, means the sauce is from the second batch of fermentation. That is why fish sauce lovers do not prefer wheat in the sauce. So, no wheat means the quality of the fish sauce is good. 

How To Know Fish Sauce Is Gluten Free?

You can easily find out whether the fish sauce you are buying contains gluten or not. Just check the label of the sauce bottle to see the ingredient list. If you see wheat among them, the fish sauce has gluten as well. Hence, avoid the sauce if you are on a gluten-free diet. 

Also, some brands sell fish sauce free of gluten, and they write it on the packaging. These brands of fish are more trustworthy. Many brands often hide the ingredients used in fish sauce. As a result, you can’t tell if they’re gluten-free or not.

If you worry about gluten in fish sauce, buy fish sauce made with only fish and salt. Fish sauce from Thailand and Vietnam rarely contains wheat. Two of the best gluten-free fish sauces are Squid Brand and Golden Boy. Though they are expensive, they are certainly gluten-free. 

On the other hand, Northern American and European fish sauce brands most likely contain wheat in them. Therefore, make sure to avoid those.

When you are buying fish sauce, it is easy to find information about the ingredients. But how do you know your food does not contain fish sauce with gluten?  Restaurants are now aware of allergic conditions among people. So, you can ask them to give you gluten-free food. 

Gluten Free Substitutes For Fish Sauce

Cannot find a gluten-free fish sauce brand in your local market? You can order the Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce online. If even that is not possible, look for vegan fish sauces.  

These sauces come from South Asian manufacturers and have a pungent taste like fish sauce. Thus, they are quite a great substitute for fish sauce and you can use them in your favorite recipes. You can also make gluten-free fish sauce at home by following a recipe!