Thai Seafood Sauces Explained
The sauce is where Thai seafood cooking gets interesting. Here is a guide to the most common sauces you will encounter in Ao Nang.
Sauce Is Everything in Thai Seafood
Walk into any Thai seafood kitchen and you will find a row of bottles and jars: fish sauce, oyster sauce, tamarind concentrate, palm sugar, chili paste. These are the fundamental flavour components that transform fresh seafood into complex, layered dishes.
The Key Sauces
Nam Prik — Chili Dipping Sauce
The universal Thai condiment. Fresh chili, garlic, lime juice and fish sauce — blended and served on the side of grilled seafood. You control how much you add. Some versions are intensely spicy; others are mild and tangy.
Garlic Butter Sauce
The Western influence in Thai seafood cooking. Butter, garlic, fresh herbs and a little oyster sauce. This is the sauce on our steamed mud crab — rich, aromatic and not spicy at all.
Oyster Sauce Glaze
Used extensively in stir-fried dishes. Thick, dark and savoury — it coats noodles and seafood with an umami-forward glaze that is deeply satisfying.
Tamarind Sauce
Sweet and sour in equal measure. Used in Pad Thai and as a dipping sauce for grilled fish. Tamarind gives Thai food its distinctive tangy backbone.
Pairing Tips
- Grilled fish pairs best with nam prik or garlic butter
- Crab pairs with garlic butter or yellow curry sauce
- Prawns take well to tamarind or garlic chili
Taste them all — explore the full menu and book your table.
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