All You Need Is Fish Sauce To Make A Rich, Unforgettable Butter

If you've been curious about experimenting with butter boards and savory spreads, then it's time to amp up the flavor with rich compound butters. There are plenty of ways to add different tastes to your butter for a variety of uses, whether added to a soup, smeared on a piece of toast, or accompanying a perfectly cooked steak. If you really want to give your next compound butter a boost of umami, use fish sauce for a uniquely special treat.

In an exclusive interview with Irena Macri, Tasting Table learned why this is one of the most creative ways to use fish sauce. Macri noted the versatility of a fish sauce-boosted compound butter that could be spread on almost anything including, "steak, fish, baked potatoes, cooked vegetables, or spread on sourdough with some fresh radishes on top." It's as simple as combining just softened butter and fish sauce or adding in other complementary ingredients such as minced garlic, soy sauce, and Worcestershire for even more complexity.

Between breads and boards, there is so much you can do with a fish sauce-flavored compound butter. For example, if fish sauce is the secret ingredient for umami-packed butter noodles, then using the compound butter rolls all of this great taste into one easy condiment. With so many different styles of fish sauce, there is a lot of room to experiment with varied flavors.

There are a number of fish sauces around the world to choose from, but keep in mind that, with any of them, a little bit goes a long way. Additionally, these sauces are known to be particularly salty, meaning that you won't have to add any extra salt to your compound butter. Always taste your fish sauce first and go slowly when combining it with softened butter, noting that you can easily add more as needed, but it would be more difficult to remove. Cut some of the saltiness with other spices and seasonings such as dried herbs, garlic powder, or spicy sauces.

Once your fish sauce-infused butter has properly set, you can use it in just about any way imaginable. It would make an excellent addition to a butter board flight alongside a few other compound butters as the centerpiece of your next gathering. Set crusty bread, crackers, or other dippers out to allow your guests to sample their favorite flavors.

Though fish-forward, this compound butter can be used with beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, and more. Try using it as a marinade for broiled or grilled vegetables such as zucchini and other squash, asparagus, or brussels sprouts. You'll be surprised and delighted by the umami punch this butter packs, and wonder why you haven't been flavoring everything with a hint of fish sauce this whole time.