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Ah, the Bloody Mary. She’s the queen of day drinking, and she takes her job seriously. The Bloody Mary is the versatile cocktail that most often accompanies brunch, and nearly always takes the stage when a hangover is involved. There are so many ways to make a Bloody Mary and loads of iterations that involve creative ingredients and alcohol options. The tried and true Bloody Mary is still the classic combination of some type of tomato-based juice, vodka, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. From there, anything goes. But what if you’re missing one of these key ingredients, namely Worcestershire sauce? There are various sauces you can use as a substitute, but only one will deliver the same punch of unami that Worcestershire brings to the table and that’s fish sauce.
If you cook Asian dishes, you’ll likely have fish sauce on hand, and in fact, this Asian staple has enjoyed increased global popularity as a sauce that’s used in a variety of cuisines. The reason may be the rich, salty, and very distinctive flavor that adds depth to food without being too viscous. The sauce itself is light and usually clear, but the flavors, when mixed with other ingredients, create a similar piquancy to Worcestershire for a reason. Both sauces are fermented, and both contain some form of anchovy paste. Fish sauce may be slightly less sweet, as Worcestershire contains tamarind and molasses, but both bring the pungency and umami that are befitting of a good Bloody Mary.
There’s nothing fishy going on with this substitution
The first rule to remember with fish sauce is similar to the kimchi rule: Don’t smell it too much. Because it’s composed mostly of anchovy paste (or sometimes other fish), it definitely gives off an initial fishy odor. But the sauce, when combined with other ingredients, really doesn’t do more than act as a powerful flavor enhancer. When swapping Worcestershire with fish sauce, you can start with a 1:1 ratio. You may want to start with half the fish sauce, then add to taste. We first experienced this in a Bloody Thai, and the bartender used what we thought looked like a lot of fish sauce. Maybe it was also the addition of a pretty powerful Thai chili oil, but there was no fishy taste detected.
With the exception of anchovies, Worcestershire and fish sauce do have some differences to take into consideration if you’re preparing a Bloody Mary. If you’re not entirely going for savory, you might try adding a sweetener to make up for the higher sugar content in Worcestershire. If you have a favorite Bloody Mary mix, consider the amount of sugar it contains. As a substitute for Worcestershire, fish sauce does the job it’s supposed to do by delivering depth of flavor, and it plays really well with tomato juice. And if you like Clamato juice in your Bloodies, fish sauce is the perfect pairing, and could be the secret ingredient to your best Bloody Mary.
