Chunky unfiltered fermented fish, the backbone of Lao seasoning. Mekong fish are salted with rice bran in jars for a year; padaek is coarser and stronger than Thai nam pla, and it goes into almost every Lao dish.
It is a year-long anaerobic ferment of raw freshwater fish, kept safe only by a salt ratio measured against fish weight — and Mekong fish additionally carry liver fluke, which is why traditional practice cooks padaek before eating it.
What goes into it
- freshwater Mekong fish
- coarse salt
- rice bran or roasted rice powder
How it is made
Fish are gutted, mixed with a heavy proportion of salt and rice bran, and packed into large earthenware jars, weighted and sealed. Over a year the flesh breaks down into a thick, chunky, pungent mass and a liquor. Unlike nam pla the solids are kept and used, not just the drained liquid.
How long it takes: a year or more in the jar
How it is eaten
A spoonful into som tam, laap and jaew, or simmered into soups; almost never eaten raw.
History
Mekong fish are salted with rice bran in jars for a year; padaek is coarser and stronger than Thai nam pla and used in almost every Lao dish.
Frequently asked questions
What is Padaek?
Padaek is a fermented & pickled from Laos: chunky unfiltered fermented fish, the backbone of Lao seasoning. Mekong fish are salted with rice bran in jars for a year; padaek is coarser and stronger than Thai nam pla and used in almost every Lao dish.
How is Padaek made?
Fish are gutted, mixed with a heavy proportion of salt and rice bran, and packed into large earthenware jars, weighted and sealed. Over a year the flesh breaks down into a thick, chunky, pungent mass and a liquor. Unlike nam pla the solids are kept and used, not just the drained liquid. It takes a year or more in the jar.
Can I make Padaek at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a year-long anaerobic ferment of raw freshwater fish, kept safe only by a salt ratio measured against fish weight — and Mekong fish additionally carry liver fluke, which is why traditional practice cooks padaek before eating it.
What goes into Padaek?
Freshwater Mekong fish, coarse salt, rice bran or roasted rice powder.
How is Padaek eaten?
A spoonful into som tam, laap and jaew, or simmered into soups; almost never eaten raw.
