Make pasta night special with a bowl of Spaghetti with Fish Sauce. Each forkful combines savoury sauce and tender fish for a light and satisfying meal at home.
This is another one of my mother’s recipes. It is very simple and very tasty. I love the delicate fish taste that develops in the sauce. Yum!
To make it, you need a very bony, cartilaginous fish. Any fish suitable for soup works well. I usually make it with red gurnards, which are not always easy to find here, but their flavour is worth the search.
Since you want the fish to enrich the sauce, it is best to use a small one. This is why I suggest using two small fish rather than one big one, with the innards removed. The smaller size gives the sauce more depth and helps it cook evenly.
Cook the fish with its bones and head, as this is where much of the flavour comes from. You can debone it once cooked and enjoy it with the pasta, or serve it after the meal if you prefer.
Why We Love Fish Sauce Pasta
- Makes good use of small fish often available at local markets for weeknight pasta ideas.
- Offers a seafood option that even children often enjoy with simple sides.
- Feels like a classic Italian seafood pasta you can make on busy weeknights.
Key Ingredients for Spaghetti with Fish Sauce
Red Gurnards
Small red gurnards work well because their bones and cartilage release flavour during slow cooking. Choose fish that feel firm, smell fresh, and have clear eyes. Smaller fish soften more easily and blend well into the sauce.
Tomatoes
Use good-quality diced tinned tomatoes with no added herbs or sugar. Whole peeled tomatoes cut by hand also work well if you prefer fewer seeds.
White Wine
A dry white wine lifts the flavour once the alcohol evaporates. Select a wine you would drink, as the taste becomes more noticeable during simmering.
Find the complete list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Spaghetti with Fish Sauce
Step 1: Put the chopped onion and garlic in a pot with the extra virgin olive oil and sauté for a few minutes over very low heat.
Step 2: When they are soft and transparent, add the diced tomatoes and let them cook for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Rinse the cleaned fish and add it to the sauce over the heat.
Step 4: Pour the white wine on top and increase the heat to burn off the alcohol.
Step 5: Add salt and a couple of tablespoons of water, then cook over very low heat until the fish almost comes apart. Turn the fish occasionally and add a little more water if needed. The sauce should stay slightly runny.
Step 6: When ready, remove the fish from the sauce and keep it aside. Do not add the cooked and cleaned red gurnard back into the sauce, or it will absorb too much and leave you without enough for your pasta. Add it only at the end as a topping or serve it separately.
Step 7: In the meantime, cook the spaghetti following the instructions on How to Cook Pasta al Dente. Drain it and serve with the fish sauce.
Step 8: Finish with freshly ground pepper, chopped parsley, and a few pieces of cleaned red gurnard if you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Any small, bony fish used for soup works well because the bones and cartilage help build flavour. Options include whiting, mullet, or small snapper.
Keep the heat low and turn the fish gently using a wide spatula. Small fish soften quickly, so slow cooking helps maintain structure while still enriching the sauce.
You can prepare the sauce earlier in the day and keep the fish separate. Warm the sauce gently when ready to serve, and cook fresh spaghetti for the best texture.
No. Fish cooked whole becomes fragile once frozen and loses its texture after thawing. Keep leftovers chilled in the fridge and use within two days.
Extra Help from the Kitchen
Rinse the Fish Lightly – Give the cleaned fish a quick rinse under cold water to remove any loose scales or residue that could cloud the sauce.
Lift the Fish with Two Utensils – Use a wide spatula under the body and a spoon on top to move the fish out of the pot without breaking it.
Cover Partially During Simmering – Leave the lid slightly ajar to keep steam inside while still allowing the sauce to reduce slowly.
Check for Bones Before Serving – Once the fish cools enough to handle, run your fingers gently along the flesh to remove any remaining bones before topping the pasta.
Season Towards the End – Taste the sauce after removing the fish and add salt only if needed, as the fish itself contributes seasoning during cooking.
Variations and Twists
Add Mixed Seafood – Include a small amount of mussels, clams, or shrimp to bring an extra seafood twist while keeping the sauce light.
Use a Light Tomato–Seafood Broth – Add a splash of seafood stock in place of some of the liquid for a deeper but still gentle flavour.
Finish with Fresh Herbs or Citrus Zest – Add chopped parsley with a little lemon zest for a brighter finish.
Switch Pasta Shape – Use linguine or tagliolini as alternatives to spaghetti for a similar light, elegant result.
Make a No–Tomato Version – Leave out the tomatoes and cook the fish with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and white wine for a more delicate sauce.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store the leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Keep the cooked and cleaned fish in a separate container so the sauce stays loose and the fish pieces do not break down further.
This pasta with fish sauce does not freeze well, as the texture of the fish changes once thawed. Reheat the sauce over low heat with a small splash of water until warm. Make sure to cook fresh spaghetti when ready to serve.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes to Try Next
Spaghetti with Fish Sauce Recipe
Make pasta night special with a bowl of Spaghetti with Fish Sauce. Each forkful combines savoury sauce and tender fish for a light and satisfying meal at home.
Ingredients
- 2 small red gurnards – cleaned, I used one for 2 people
- 1 small onion – thinly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – chopped
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 to 8 tbsp diced tinned tomatoes
- ½ glass white wine
- salt
- pepper
- parsley – chopped
Instructions
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Put the chopped onion and garlic in a pot with the extra virgin olive oil and sauté for a few minutes over very low heat.
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When they are soft and transparent, add the diced tomatoes and let them cook for 3 minutes.
-
Rinse the cleaned fish and add it to the sauce over the heat.
-
Pour the white wine on top and increase the heat to burn off the alcohol.
-
Add salt and a couple of tablespoons of water, then cook over very low heat until the fish almost comes apart. Turn the fish occasionally and add a little more water if needed. The sauce should stay slightly runny.
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When ready, remove the fish from the sauce and keep it aside. Do not add the cooked and cleaned red gurnard back into the sauce, or it will absorb too much and leave you without enough for your pasta. Add it only at the end as a topping or serve it separately.
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In the meantime, cook the spaghetti following the instructions on How to Cook Pasta al Dente. Drain it and serve with the fish sauce.
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Finish with freshly ground pepper, chopped parsley, and a few pieces of cleaned red gurnard if you like.
Your mom must be an AMAZING cook! And congrats on winning the recipe challenge!
manu, ur snaps r lot’s of help full for making ur dishes. spaghetti is just yummmmm……..I love the presentation..it is so elegant .
I’m sorry you got a terrible customer service. They can’t do such a simple thing for the valuable customers, then forget it. But I know it is really annoying experience though. When I saw this title on subscription email from my phone, I was so eager to see your post on the computer (sorry I’ve been sick and haven’t been online much). I love fish in pasta, and your step-by-step pictures gradually killed me. I want to eat this so badly! This is why I check authentic Italian recipe (here). I would rather eat this than any other pasta!
Manu! This looks so wonderful. It would be a huge hit in our home. I wonder if I can find that fish here…I will have to look in the shuk. Congrats on your win 🙂
Gurnards are beautiful fish to eat and we usually steam them. For a while I thought you meant the Vietnamese / Thai fish sauce with your pasta! 🙂
I have actually never thought of making a fish pasta sauce, but this has convinced me! I love that you cook the fish in the sauce then remove it and add it back in at the end. Sounds absolutely delicious.
That pasta looks great, Manu! I love fish in pasta. Thanks for sharing this recipe…. How rude were those people! I’m so glad you went back and told them off… And congrats on the win! 🙂 You deserve it! 🙂
What an intriguing recipe Manu! But that is terrible beahviour on that fish shop’s part. As if anyone would want to go back. Who knows whether you might buy a whole salmon one day or not? On a lighter note, congraulations on your macarons 🙂
Fantastic sea first course! I love fish sauce (although I prefer fish “alone”), and this one looks very tasty!
What happened to you at the fish shop is simply unbelievable O___O
Hi Manu! Congrats on your winning at Food Frenzy! Moreover it’s just your 2nd try! Well done! 😀
Love this special fish sauce spaghetti! I’ll definitely try this coz I’m a fish fanatic loving all kinda fish cooked in any methods! 😀
This is mouth watering Manu. The way you prepare the fish is amazing and it totally makes me miss holidays in Italy. I have to make a fishy dish this weekend otherwise I would dream your dish every night.:-)
Oh Manu what a unique sauce and in general whole dish!!! I really really like it!!!
Beautiful moughwatering photography and lovely presentation!!!!
I’m usually not a fan of seafood in my pasta, however this looks delicious! I will be giving this a try!
I am thrilled you won, Manu. The macarons looked divine and worthy of a food frenzy championship.
Another lovely recipe (and oh the cheeky things at that shop! – so what if it was a small fish that day. Because it had what you wanted, you probably would have gone back and bought other things).
What a yummy looking pasta! I have never tried cooking pasta with a fish before (or a whole fish!). That sucks that you got poor customer service, its sad thats going down the drain at so many places now.
Fantastic dish! Before I moved here, whole fish were always shiver inducing but after you start cooking with them…the flavor is so much better! I haven’t looked back 🙂
Now I know what to do with those small bony fish you find in Asian market and that aren’t good for regular fish recipes! Thank you!
YOU GO GIRL! How rude of them. The pasta however looked lovely, I could almost taste that sauce.
Congratulations on winning the competition.
I need to step up and be brave – never made my own fish stock before. At least now I know what to look in the right fish for that (and the right fishmonger, for all that matters).
What a gorgeous pasta dish, Manu! I know it’s delicious, too…but sorry about the poor customer service. I would not go back either. And BIG congratulations on the Food Frenzy win…and to win making such a tricky dessert makes it even MORE impressive 🙂