A little touch of fish sauce in the night

One of the side dishes I make frequently (with improvisations) combines sautéed onions with mushrooms and a little Dijon mustard. I’ll use sweet onions, yellow onions, or leeks, vary the type of mushroom, maybe add some sherry or white wine vinegar, and will sometimes sauté in olive oil and sometimes in butter. But the framework remains the same.

The other day while coming home from work, I was listening to A Taste of the Past, a podcast about food history and the topic was garum, a fish sauce that was an essential element of Ancient Greek and especially Roman cuisine. Of course we don’t know exactly what is tasted like but it was probably similar to Thai fish sauce since it was made in a similar way out of similar ingredients.

So while making leeks and mushrooms to accompany my pan-fried boneless pork chop, I got inspired. Instead of using a healthy pinch of salt, I’d use a splash of fish sauce. Frankly, I was amazed at the difference it made and how fabulous that difference was.

The fish sauce not only replaced the saltiness of the salt but seemed to amplify the impact of the mustard while adding a sense of depth to the whole plate. I loved it. I was so enthralled that on a total whim I mixed up a salad dressing of olive oil, white wine, and fish sauce (also inspired by the podcast) and it, too, was great.

Ever since I’ve been playing with fish sauce in places I’d never considered before and the results have ranged from “not bad” to “wow.” I’ve used it in combination with other ingredients in dressings/vinaigrettes, as a light dressing by itself on roasted vegetables, and as an ingredient in marinades. The thing is, I’m not using my fish sauce with other Asian ingredients but mostly in a French or Italian context and I’m consistently impressed with how well it works.

Recipe – Onions/leeks with mushrooms

Ingredients

1 medium onion, halved through the root and thinly sliced

An equal amount of mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tbl olive oil or butter

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Thai fish sauce

Directions

Sauté the onions or leeks until they are soft. Add the mushrooms and stir to mix thoroughly. Cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the mustard and fish sauce, stir until they completely mixed, and serve.