Revolverlbc [he/him,comrade/them]

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Great questions. I've used garlic in a fish sauce to try and approximate a cambodian fish sauce I tried once and fell in love with. It came out pretty well. I love experimenting with flavors once I get a good recipe down. The only draw back is a 6 month investment of time is a lot to gamble on anything too crazy. There are ways to speed up the process using koji (aspergillus oryzae), an edible mold, but that's another whole can of worms.

Most fermentation benefits from steady temps in the mid to low 70s but I don't fret too much about it. I just put it in a closet. I do have a fermentation chamber I've built for more temperamental ferments (beer, tempeh, growing koji spores) but I didn't need it for years. Most ferments are pretty forgiving.

My current fish sauce is in the fridge in a glass condiment bottle who's origin I've long forgotten.

Sorry for the long winded response. I've been drinking and I geek out hard on this stuff. Good luck! Hit me up if you have any more questions.

One time I was at a reggae festival and Steven Segal came out on stage wearing a kimono and bowed to the audience. It didn't feel right but it didn't exactly feel wrong either.

I posted one from Sandor Katz's Art of Fermentation in this thread. It's a long wait letting nature take its course. It's worth the struggle to get your hands on some.

I'm sure it can be done with cleaned and processed fish too. I have a buddy that did it with ground beef. They said, and I quote, "it was disgusting but I couldn't stop eating it."

-ANIMAL BUTCHERY WARNING

Fermentation is all about ratios of salt to organic material.

Rough chop 4 or 5 small fish. I use fresh caught mackerel. Use the whole fish- bones, guts, and all. The digestive enzymes in it's stomach helps break it down.

Mix with 25% salt by weight of the fish.

Put in a vessel.

Put weight on top of chopped fish. I have thick glass discs but you can use whatever handy. I've used cleaned pebbles before. The idea is to push the solids down below the liquid line when the salt expresses the fish's moisture.

Loosely put a lid on the vessel. It will need to slowly express gas. There is special equipment available but I hardly ever use it. You can also "burp" the vessel every once in a while.

It actually doesn't smell as bad as you'd think.

Let sit for 6 months to a year. The longer the more depth of flavor. Filter out the remaining solids using a coffee filter or clean old sock. Enjoy your fish sauce.

Never had it. Is that a branded thing or made at home? I have used the brine from making umeboshi which I've heard is a common substitute.

I am really fortunate to live in a place with a lot of access to Korean Markets. I'm not particularly brand loyal and always looking to try something new. My last batch of kimchi turned out better than usual using Lucky Fish Sauce - from Thailand.

I'm really into fishing, hunting, and foraging so I have some experience making my own fish sauce. I'll dig around for the recipe I used and post it below. I remember it being fairly simple and straight forward.

I love the communal metaphor of it all. Sharing fermented foods is literally sharing culture. I love thinking of the history of things like kefir grains, which all came from a single mother and have spread across the world. Sure, some people sell their grains but most people are happy and excited to share them for free. Same applies to kombucha scobys, beer yeasts, some sourdough mothers, etc

As I posted above YouTube Maangchi is a great resource for beginning fermentation. Also check out Sandor Katz from your local library.

Be warned though, 6 years ago I was a special ed instructor with a fermented foods curiosity. Today I am an under paid fermentation chef. It's a slippery slope.

Love Brad Leone. I use his half sour pickle recipe at the restaurant.

I would recommend Maangchi from YouTube for a great intro to kimchi:

https://youtu.be/0sX_wDCbeuU

Vegan comrades can switch out fish sauce for equal amounts of soy sauce.

I'm a chef at a vegetarian restaurant that focuses on fermented food. I'm happy to answer any questions about how to make your own farting lettuce at home.

I eat meat in my civilian life so I can also answer questions for any brave souls curious about fermenting meat product.

I think there's a lot to do about geography too. I'm out west with a ton of public land. I hear it's quite the opposite back east.

You'd be surprised. A lot of hunters (myself included) are very passionate about the idea of public land and this can be a good gateway to radicalization. As a person of color I was a little nervous getting into hunting and firearms a few years ago but I've found most people to be pretty friendly and as apolitical and sound-bite brained as most Americans.

Parchment paper is your friend on the transfer if you haven't solidified your peel skills yet.

Lots of malarkey in that clip.

Breht is good.