For starters, oyster sauce is believed to have been invented totally by accident. In 1888 Chinese food stall operator Lee Kum Sheung left a pot of oyster soup on to simmer for so long that it cooked down into a thick brown paste. Sheung took a cheeky taste, not wanting to waste a full pot of food, and realized his caramelized concoction was rich, super savory, and perfectly delicious. So he called it “oyster sauce” and started serving it to his customers as a seasoning before going on to package and sell it under the now iconic Lee Kum Kee Asian sauce empire.
WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?
Unlike fish sauce, which is decidedly fishy, lick a dollop of oyster sauce off your finger and you won’t think, Wow, oysters! But it is “absolutely loaded with flavor,” according to food director Chris Morocco. It’s sweet. And salty. But the flavors run deeper than that. The sweetness isn’t one-note or cloying; it’s dark and developed, like caramel. The saltiness is less like table salt and more like ocean water. And, similar to anchovies, all that oyster flavor lends tons of umami and rich savoriness to the sauce.
HOW DO I USE IT?
“It confers tons of flavor to sauces, stir-fries, and dressings without overwhelming the other ingredients,” Morocco says. A versatile condiment for Asian cooking and beyond, oyster sauce can happily stand alone or blend into the crowd. Whisk it into a marinade for steak or any meat; drizzle it on steamed greens; spoon it into meaty braises or soups; or add it to your dumpling fillings and stir-fries.
