FOOD NEWS
Fish Sauce Is The Secret Ingredient For Abundant Flavor In French Onion Soup
BY SYLVIA TOMCZAK
French onion soup is full of flavor from sweetly caramelized onions, savory beef broth, and a cheesy toasted topping. To make this soup even bolder and tastier, add fish sauce.
Packed with umami, Asian-style fish sauce can amplify the soup's savoriness. A small amount of the fermented sauce imparts layers of nuanced flavor without adding a fishy taste.
Fish sauce is salty and meaty with an undertone of sweetness, so it compliments and contrasts with the meaty broth, earthy onions, funky cheese, and sweet onions.
Each type and brand of fish sauce is made differently and has a unique profile, from intensely briny to delicately nutty or honeyed, so choose one that matches your preference.
Adding one teaspoon of the sauce to a single pot of soup is ideal for enhancing and balancing the flavors, without the sauce overwhelming the palate.
Add the sauce towards the end of cooking to preserve the soup's classic French onion flavors and allow the sauce to integrate into the recipe more subtly.