Have you ever tried Italian fish sauce?
Fish sauce is a delicious umami bomb that instantly adds flavor to your dish. Italians are also big fans of fish sauce, but they have their own version: colatura di alici. How is this fish sauce different from the Asian version?
Colatura di alici literally means ‘the dripping of anchovies’. The origin of this fish sauce can be traced back to the Italian fishing village of Cetara. It’s a true Italian delicacy, as it is produced in small quantities. It can hardly be any other way: you need no less than eight kilos of anchovies for one liter of fish sauce.
How it’s made
They make the fish sauce by removing the anchovies’ heads, taking out the backbone and salting the fish. The fish is stacked in barrels and fermented for a long time. The salt draws the moisture out of the fish, which then drips down into the barrel and is collected. The sauce can vary in color and sharpness; the longer the anchovies are kept in the barrel, the stronger the sauce and the deeper the color.
Quality
According to Great Italian Chefs, a good colatura should have a sharp fish flavor, but shouldn’t be overwhelmingly salty, with sweet notes running through it. According to serious eats, Italian fish sauce offers a very different taste experience from Asian fish sauce. This is probably due to the difference in the anchovies caught (one from the Amalfi Coast and the other from Vietnam) and the salt. It’s also sometimes compared to whisky: both fish sauces are delicious and made from the same ingredients, yet they taste completely different. The reviews on Amazon also show that people love this sauce: ‘this stuff is amazing’ and ‘a little pricey, but worth it’.
How to use it
Because the Italian version is considerably more expensive and a true Italian delicacy, it’s best not to simply throw it into a marinade or sauce. You can use it as a real flavor enhancer over, for example, grilled vegetables, steak or fish. A traditional recipe is this simple spaghetti with fish sauce. Buy a bottle here.
