30%, and sealed in a closed container for from
one month (for pastes) to 24 months (for
sauces). Fish pastes tend to have relatively
strong fish and cheese notes, while the more
thoroughly transformed fish sauces are more
meaty and savory. The most prized fish sauces
come from the first tapping of the mass; after
boiling, flavoring, and/or aging, they play the
lead role in dipping sauces. Second-quality
sauces from re-extraction of the mass may be
supplemented with caramel, molasses, or
roasted rice, and are used in cooking to add
depth to the flavor of a complex dish.
Sour Fish: The Original Sushi and Gravlax
There are remarkable parallel traditions in
Asia and Scandinavia in which fish are stored
with carbohydrate-rich foods that bacteria
ferment to produce acids that preserve the
fish. These traditions have given birth to more
widely popular but unfermented preparations:
sushi and gravlax.