What is Oyster Sauce, Where to Buy It, Recipes to Make with It (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for oyster sauce in a recipe? ›

To make it a suitable substitute for oyster sauce, mix Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce and sugar and use it in small amounts. If you're making a stir-fry or marinade, start with mostly soy sauce, mix in a little sugar, then add a few drops of Worcestershire to finish it off.

ingredients. WATER, SUGAR, SALT, OYSTER JUICE CONCENTRATE (OYSTER [MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH], WATER, SALT), MODIFIED CORN STARCH, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, CARAMEL COLOR, YEAST EXTRACT, OYSTER EXTRACT (MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH).

Oyster sauce can be found in the ethnic aisle of most major grocery stores.

Oyster sauce is commonly used in stir-fries like our Beef Stir-Fry with Bell Peppers and Black Pepper Sauce. It is also a key ingredient in Kung Pao Shrimp, Spicy Sichuan Noodles, and other Asian-style dishes. The bottled sauce, also known as oyster-flavored sauce, is made from a reduction of boiled oysters.

Vitamins and Minerals

The main mineral found in oyster sauce is iron—0.36 milligrams per serving, considered two percent of your RDA. Other vitamins and minerals include calcium, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B12.

Flavor Profile: Oyster Sauce offers a sweet and salty flavor with an earthy undertone, while Fish Sauce is known for its prominent salty and nutty taste with a fishy aroma. The sweet flavor of Oyster Sauce is due to the caramelization process, contrasting with the salty flavor and fishy notes of Fish Sauce.

Asia Specialities Oyster & Spring Onion Stir Fry Sauce 120g | ALDI.

Gently salty and briny, with a velvety smooth, thick texture, oyster sauce is in a number of Asian dishes. The condiment brings rich, savory flavor to whatever you pour it over or into – from Chinese broccoli to stir-fry marinades – and it's a mainstay in many Asian and Asian American kitchens.

Cromwell Palicte, a chef of over fifteen years, says the difference will be obvious. “Hoisin sauce is made from soybeans, whereas oyster sauce is made from oysters,” Cromwell explained. “It's two totally different flavors, and I wouldn't recommend swapping them in for each other.”

Can you eat oyster sauce directly? ›

You can use oyster sauce on its own as a dipping sauce, as an addition to soups, or as a marinade for meats or vegetables. One of the most common ways to use oyster sauce is as the base for a stir fry sauce.

It is made from oyster extract, but despite the name, it doesn't taste like fish at all. Instead, oyster sauce has an earthy, slightly sweet, and salty taste. It is a mixture of boiled down oyster juices (which have caramelized), along with salt and sugar; some versions include soy sauce thickened with cornstarch.

Along with a jolt of flavor, oyster sauce adds a dark caramel color to any dish, which, according to assistant food editor Jessie YuChen, is referred to as “the sauce color” in Mandarin. It's a shade you'll notice in many Chinese dishes like stir-fried broccoli, Cantonese beef chow fun, and lo mein.

Made from oyster extract, sugar, salt, and cornstarch for thickness, oyster sauce can be a nice, slightly sweeter substitute for Worcestershire sauce. Use it in the same ratio and, if the recipe calls for added sugar (including agave or honey), halve the amount to avoid over-sweetening your dish.

Teriyaki sauce is oyster sauce's sweeter and tangier cousin, which means it delivers a little less umami (and your recipe might require a touch more salt, to taste). Nevertheless, it's a totally fish-free way to flavor most any stir-fry, and works particularly well with veggies and rice dishes.

The presence of magnesium and potassium also help to lower blood pressure and iron helps carry oxygen to blood cells. Oysters are also high in potassium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids which help reduce the overall risk of stroke and heart attack. They are also effective at lowering blood pressure.

There is a wide range in the sugars content among the oyster sauce samples surveyed. While 1 sample was found to be totally sugar-free, the sample richest in sugars-content was found to contain 26.2g of sugars per 100g, equivalent to one fourth of the ingredient contents in terms of weight.

Soy sauce or tamari: Soy sauce is a decent alternative for oyster sauce as well, but it's much saltier and thinner. Add sugar or sweetener to taste and thicken it with cornstarch by slowly whisking it in until the mixture is the same consistency as oyster sauce.

Often used as a cooking ingredient, oyster sauce has a richer and more intense taste than hoisin but it does not have the sweetness. If you want to cook with an oyster sauce substitute, hoisin sauce works fine if you like a sweet, tangy flavor.

Why cook with oyster sauce? ›

Oyster sauce is a thick glossy brown sauce with a syrupy consistency and is most often used in Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. Rich and deeply savoury, it adds so much umami to meat and vegetable dishes… although I'm a big fan of adding it to fusion pasta recipes, too!

Oyster sauce is a thick brown sauce that is popular in Southern China. It has a sweet and salty flavor that compliments quite a variety of Asian dishes in Cantonese, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisines. Although it is made from caramelized oyster broth it really doesn't taste much like oysters.