Next Time You Make Pizza, Add This Condiment Right To The Sauce (It's So Tasty)

Exactly as it is, pizza sauce already seems complete. Rarely do we ever consider adding anything else to those simmered tomatoes, or altering their familiar tangy complexity, because why fix what isn't broken? And yet, with a dash of fish sauce, you will suddenly wonder why you've been missing out all along. Unconventional as it may sound, when making your own pizza sauce, a Southeast Asian staple, fish sauce, might just be your secret gateway to one-of-a-kind pizzas.

Fish sauce's funky scent might have your olfactory nerve in a tizzy, but on the taste buds, it's an entirely different story. It is savory and briny in the way you'd expect anything made from fermented fish to be, accompanied by a subtle caramelized edge that somehow feels both sharp and soothing. In a splash, these flavor waves deepen the pizza sauce's tomato base, bringing forth the pre-existing umami richness hidden underneath all that simmering acidity. What's even better is that the fish sauce, bold and different as it is, won't disrupt the sauce's own taste profile. Rest assured that you won't detect any overt "fishiness" in your pizza, only the signature brininess that intensifies the sauce and gives the dish a unique, memorable aftertaste.

There are many versions of fish sauces around the world. In Thai cuisine, where it's known as nam pla, fish sauce is all about the extreme potency of anchovies. You can use fish sauce as an anchovy paste substitute if your pizza sauce typically calls for the fish's signature umami funk. Don't swap them out following a one-to-one ratio right away, but taste as you go along to be mindful of the saltiness. Vietnamese fish sauce, often called nước mắm, is a little lighter than the Thai version. It's perfect for punctuating the pizza sauce without further intensifying the taste. Head over to East Asia, and you can also try Korean fish sauce (aekjeot) for a stronger umami tone.

With a bottle of Thai fish sauce, you can make a tom yum pizza, in which the tomato sauce also features ingredients from the traditional dish, like lemongrass, galangal, lime juice, and, of course, fish sauce. Vietnamese pizza is made with rice paper for extra crunchy bites, and even though fish sauce isn't part of the original line-up, you can always mix it with hot sauce, chili crisp, and soy sauce. Alternatively, just stick to the doughy pizza you've always known and loved, but top it off with toppings from classic Vietnamese dishes, such as the grilled pork patties from the infamous bún chả, spread atop a fish-sauce-based sauce. In a more familiar approach, fish sauce is just as good when stirred with tomato paste and red wine vinegar — the perfect finishing touch for your favorite Chicago tavern pizza or margherita pizza.