Can only olive oil be extra virgin?

The enormous aging barrels

- nước mắm nhi - 

Vietnamese fish sauce

For hundreds of years, fish sauce was a simple concoction extracted from the salting, fermenting

and aging of fresh anchovies. As time passed and commercial interest expanded, fish sauce became an industrial brew of hydrolyzed wheat proteins, soy, MSG and any number of other ingredients that could mimic the umami flavors of fish sauce. When Cuong Pham realized that these products couldn't hold a candle to the fish sauce he enjoyed in Saigon, he took it upon himself to bring the authentic fish sauce of Phu Quoc to the U.S..  

NEW! Red Boat Fish Sauce 

Phu Quoc is an island in Vietnam where the things they do best are fish for anchovies, produce fish sauce and grow black pepper (sounds like paradise!). The production of fish sauce is really quite simple and relies on a few basic principles - get the best fish (the tiny black anchovy is known as cá com), salt them as soon after catching as possible and then be patient. Red Boat ferments and ages their fish sauce for at least one year. Once the aging is complete, the bottom of the barrels are tapped and the pure fish sauce is filtered and bottled.  

This is where "extra virgin" comes in - most producers press a second or third time, further extracting liquid from the barrels to be blended with water, sugar, MSG and proteins. Red Boat's fish sauce is only the first pressing, pure and simple.  

What you get is an incredibly versatile and intoxicating elixir with the fresh, pungent flavor of the sea and the irrepressible umami flavor that makes fish sauce so unique.   

Order a bottle of Red Boat Fish Sauce now for $7.00 

One of the many advantages to having an item like fish sauce is your pantry is that you'll find uses for it in some of the least expected dishes. Even if you only dabble in Asian cookery, you'll find yourself reaching for this bottle when you're making Caesar dressing, BBQ sauces, marinades, mayonnaise and even pasta sauces like Puttanesca. 

And of course, it really shines if you're cooking Vietnamese or Thai food. We've come up with a quick and impossible-to-forget recipe for a sauce that can serve many duties in the kitchen - dipping sauce, marinade or dressing for a stir-fry or noodle dish. It has 5 ingredients and however many mouths you're feeding, the recipe stays the same! 

In a bowl, whisk together equal parts fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, lime juice and sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce will do).  

• Dip spring rolls, crudite or poached shrimp into this for a flavorful dipping sauce.  
• Toss cubed chicken breast or pork loin in seasoned corn starch and pan-fry until browned. Remove to a plate and saute veggies (onions, carrots, bell peppers, snow peas) in a little more oil. Return the meat to the pan, deglaze with chicken stock, add the sauce and cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Serve over rice.
• Slice eggplant and zucchini into 1 inch thick slices. Toss with kosher salt and place on paper towels for 15 minutes. Pat dry and grill over high heat until slightly charred and tender. Remove and toss with the sauce and chopped mint and parsley. Serve room temperature.
• Skewer shrimp and marinate in the sauce for 30 minutes. Grill or roast until done and set aside. Dress chopped cucumbers with a little sauce. Place a few shrimp and a spoonful of cucumbers into leaves of butter lettuce, fold and enjoy!

California citrus

preserved in salt

Yes, it may sound a little strange, but they've been doing it in Morocco for thousands of years, so who are we to argue? Robert Lambert preserves the best of the California citrus season in salt and fresh bay leaves for about 30 days. At the end of the curing period, two whole pieces of fruit are hand-packed into jars, where they continue to get better and better as the months pass.

We haven't made hummus WITHOUT a bit of preserved Meyer lemon stirred in since we first added it at Robert's suggestion years ago. Compound butters are a great way to use these too - fold diced Meyer lemon into softened butter with herbs and a little garlic. Serve a dollop over a chicken breast or a piece of fish.   

The Rangpur lime, which is actually a rare variety of sour orange, has a gorgeous, floral aroma from the lavender he adds to the curing process. This flavor is a perfect match for seafood - try a few slices stuffed inside the cavity of a whole roasted trout. We also love the way it brightens up a farro salad...think cucumbers, radishes, snow peas and a zippy dressing livened up with Rangpur lime.

Order a jar now for $13.00 or both for $25.00