Can Vegetarians Eat Fish Sauce?

Fish sauce tastes great, thus, most vegetarians do not want to deprive themselves of the joy of eating fish sauce. Thus, can vegetarians eat fish sauce is a common question that most vegetarians have. While some vegetarians tend to include fish in their diets, some of them don’t. As a result, it is quite confusing whether vegetarians can eat fish sauce or not. 

Vegetarians cannot eat fish sauce. It contains protein and elements of fish. Since vegetarians do not eat animals and fish, they also do not consume anything made of animals and fish. Fish sauce is prepared from fish that have been fermented for almost 2-3 years. So, it is not edible for vegetarians.

Many vegetarians are unaware of the ingredients that go into making fish Sauce. Upon going through this article, you will know in detail whether vegetarians can eat Fish Sauce or not. I’ll go over everything in detail, so make sure you read the entire article.

Ingredients That Goes Into Making Fish Sauce

The fish sauce mainly consists of basic ingredients. It is a liquid product that is obtained after storing and fermenting fish. Ingredients such as salt, enzymes, etc. are used to get these liquid products for the fish sauce. The inner parts of the fish are used to make fish sauce.

The primary elements are fish and salt. Some fish sauces also have other ingredients such as rice, caramel, anchovies, and other herbs, etc. These ingredients help enhance the flavor of the fish sauce. 

Fermentation plays a massive role in fish sauce extraction. It is a time-consuming process. Almost 2-3 years are necessary. Furthermore, the longer the fish is fermented, the less its taste will resemble fish. Then the flavor will be more savory. It will also give off a nutty vibe.

Why Should Vegetarians Avoid Fish Sauce?

Vegetarians should avoid fish sauce as it contains elements of fish. You have to kill fish in order to ferment them and produce fish sauce. Vegetarians do not support killing living beings for food. On the other hand, people who eat fish but claim to be vegetarians are known as pescatarians. 

Vegetarians avoid products that contain meat or fish. Although they do drink milk and eat eggs for nutritional purposes. Thus, vegetarians tend to eat these foods frequently, even though they come from animals.

Fish sauce is not essential for the human body. It adds a savory taste to the mouth, enhancing the flavor. Vegetarians are against the idea of killing any animals. Fish sauce is prepared by catching fish and fermenting them. As a result, this goes against the concept of vegetarians, who cannot stand the concept of killing animals.

Furthermore, consuming fish will mean that vegetarians will not remain vegetarians. Instead, they will be classified as pescatarians. This group of people are against killing animals, but they assume that fish do not fall under this category. The reason behind this is that they think that fish do not experience pain when they are killed.

This is an entirely wrong idea. Humans consume mostly bony fish. All of these fish have a nervous system, a spinal cord, etc. As a result, they can experience pain and other sensations. That is, they are no different from other animals and human beings.

Fish sauce is made by killing fish and fermenting them. This goes against the motives of vegetarians. So, I would suggest vegetarians avoid fish sauce out of moral obligation.

Alternatives of Fish Sauce for Vegetarians

It is better for Vegetarians to avoid Fish Sauce. But what can you do when a recipe demands you use it? Well, there are many alternatives to fish Sauce that do not involve fish or animal killing. 

For example, Soy Sauce, Vegetarian Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Seaweed, etc. You can also check out the given link below. This is another suitable alternative if you want to avoid fish sauce.

Soy Sauce

One of the best alternatives to fish sauce is Soya Sauce. It contains all the important ingredients that are necessary for the human body. Soy Sauce is made using salt, wheat. water and soybeans. It also has a strong umami flavor. This flavor is similar to that of fish sauce. Moreover, it does not contain any elements of fish and meat. So, it is a perfect choice for Vegetarians.

Almost all of the Amino Acids can be found in enough proportion in plants. Soy sauce has a lot of elements that contain a huge amount of Amino Acids. These Amino Acids are crucial for various functions of the human body. 

Vegetarian Fish Sauce

Vegetarians tend to avoid elements that contain meat and fish. For this reason, the perfect sauce made for them is Vegetarian Fish Sauce. This fish sauce almost has a similar taste to the original fish sauce. However, there is no use of fish here.

The ingredients are all vegetables. There is the use of Soy Sauce for the Umami Flavor. Furthermore, there is also the use of shiitake mushrooms in this sauce. Apart from that, liquid amino acids are also present in decent proportions.

Oyster Sauce

The main ingredient is in the name. That is, the Oyster is the prime element. Salt, water, and oyster extracts are also other elements that Oyster Sauce contains. 

Oyster Sauce is also a good replacement for Fish Sauce. However, there are some downfalls here. It is slightly thicker. Oyster Sauce works the best for dishes that are stir-fry. It also has a similar savory taste to that of the fish sauce.

There are many dishes that need fish sauce. Although the oyster sauce is a good replacement, the thickness of the sauce is an issue. As a result, if the dish needs a sauce that has less thickness, then Oyster Sauce will not act as a good replacement for Fish Sauce.

Seaweed

This is a very interesting replacement for Fish Sauce. Not many think of it as food. Many people tend to avoid Seaweed. But it is highly nutritional and good for the human body. It basically grows underwater.

Now, Seaweed contains a lot of important amino acids. It has a high amount of glutamate. As a result, Seaweed has a good amount of Umami taste. Many dishes around Japan and Korea use Seaweed.

Kombu Seaweed is the best option if you want a strong Umami flavor. But on the other hand, if you are not looking for a strong Umami flavor, I suggest wakame seaweed. It has a lesser amount of glutamate.

Worcestershire Sauce

The name of this sauce is quite difficult to pronounce. However, it is not unpopular. It is a delicious replacement for a fish sauce. The main ingredients that Worcestershire Sauce consists of are Onion, Vinegar, Tamarind, Cloves, etc.

Fish Sauce also has anchovies. As a result, there is a similarity in taste here. However, this sauce does not have any fish or meat content. As a result, it is a good alternative to fish sauce for Vegetarians. It also has a good balance of ingredients that provides essential nutritional value to the human body.

Mushroom and Soy Sauce Broth

Usually, people use fish sauce in broths and soups if they want a savory taste. As vegetarians cannot add fish sauce to their broths, mushroom and soy sauce broth are viable alternatives. The Umami flavor comes from both the Soy Sauce and Mushroom infusion. As a result, it is the perfect replacement for fish sauce for broths.

It is perfect for Vegetarians, as Shiitake Mushrooms, Water, and Soy Sauce are only present in this sauce. There is no meat and fish content in this sauce. Furthermore, it is highly nutritious.