10 Best Fish Sauces | UK Nutritionist Reviewed

This popular fish sauce is beloved by Asian cooking experts and appreciators alike. The average Amazon review gives it a five-star rating, and the simple three-ingredient list means it packs a tasty punch with no unnecessary nasties. 

Squid Brand, the brainchild of Thai factory owner Tien Nithipitigan, is a company producing a range of glorious fish sauces which hark back to the good old days when every family made their own fish sauce in the backyard. There is no sugar whatsoever and the salt is low too, yet the flavour can't be denied. Simple and delectable!

Thai Taste's classic fish sauce is good value, tasty and relies only on three pillar ingredients: anchovies, salt and a little sugar. It has five-star reviews from Waitrose customers and is sure to be the star of the show at any BBQ!

The full flavour and dense consistency work brilliantly to enhance ingredients in soups, salads, curries and stir fries alike. Although the salt and sugar levels are both considered 'high' by health-focused standards, they are relatively low in comparison to other bottles we have featured here, and you'll only need to add a dash anyway.

So you think you've knocked up some impressive flavour creations in your time? Just wait 'til you taste this 8-ingredient banger from the Ghana Best range. Targeted at West African cooking, but just as tasty in Caribbean dishes, Asian inspired cuisine or in your own home-made fusion, the simple flavour combo helps your key ingredients sing! 

Who needs sugar or salt really? Especially when you've got the lip-smacking strength of garlic, chilli and ginger livening up the savoury twang of shrimp. Use it on rice, yams, garri dough dishes or as a spread on bread and meat.

Of the best fish-free fish sauces you can buy online in the UK, we love this one the most. That's because it blends seaweed and mushroom for a complex flavour that's sure to delight veggie, vegan and vegan-curious pals!

The Chilli Mash Company started up in Portsmouth in 2016. They grow a colourful range of chillies for their hot sauces and condiments, including this one, which naturally zings with an eye-popping hit of chilli to round out the flavour. Yes, it has a higher sugar content, but the umami-sweet contrast really is worth it, so treat it as a luxury.

This affordable Nam Pla fish sauce is from the Waitrose Cooks' range. Nam Pla is the Thai name for a sauce made from fermented fish, and that's all you'll find inside: anchovy extract, sugar and salt. 

Perfect in curries, on noodles and in fragrant stews, this sauce has plenty of four and five-star reviews praising its mild and mellow flavour. Some reviewers even described it as 'classy' and 'delicious' - a simple sauce with plenty of positive customer feedback, need we say more?

Perhaps you're looking for a vegetarian or vegan version of the classic fish sauce? This fish sauce uses seaweed to recreate that salty seafood flavour for meat-free meals. It's made by Thai Taste, a UK brand that was started 20 years ago to bring the authentic flavours of Thailand to this country for restaurateurs and lovers of home cooking alike. 

The sugars aren't too high in this product, although salt is. You'll notice that our other vegetarian fish sauce alternative has the opposite problem, so choose according to your personal dietary needs and priorities. 

They had us at the packaging to be honest, but this yummy shrimp paste fish sauce alternative from Thai brand Pantainorasingh really does what it says on the pot. It adds a seriously moreish flavour to Thai curries, stir fries and noodle broths, and it's sugar free too!

Perhaps the reason it's so moreish is because this mouthwatering shrimp paste contains the naughtiest of E-numbers, E621, also known as monosodium glutamate. Though harmless, its umami flavour is nigh on impossible to resist, so we'll keep this product low on our list.

One of the top-rated fish sauces from Amazon's grocery aisle, this fish-tastic sauce has lots of glowing reviews from UK folks with family ties to Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian backgrounds. The large quantity is great value for money, making it a good pick if you have a big family and cook up Asian feasts on the regular.

With the three basic ingredients (anchovies, sugar and salt) diluted a little with water, the flavour is not as pronounced as others we love. The salt content is also one of the highest, and the sugars aren't exactly within a healthy range. 

This tasty XO sauce is bursting with the flavour of scallops and shrimps, making it a fantastic cupboard staple to use in base broths, or even as a condiment for fried meat and dumplings. The sweet-salty blend will have you reaching for more, and luckily both the sugar and salt content are relatively low. 

Not your typical fish sauce, it definitely benefits from the addition of soy beans, shallots, chilli and garlic. Sadly, we are ranking this fish sauce lower down our list because it does contain E-number flavouring and extra bulking agents like cornstarch. 

We think this fish sauce is a perfectly satisfactory buy. It's one of the cheapest in our top ten and comes from a trusted brand specialising in yummy, Asian-inspired, time-saving ingredients. You know what you're getting, and can rely on its quality and taste, so add a splash to curries, stir-fries and broths!

However, there are a couple of drawbacks that keep this budget-friendly fish sauce at the bottom of our ranking. Firstly, the salt content is the highest on our list, with the second-highest amount of sugar. Secondly, it has a less complex flavour compared to other fish sauces.