Shrimp paste substitutes

No shrimp paste? The closest substitute is fish sauce - start with about double the amount. Red miso works for a vegan dish, and anchovies work too. Shrimp paste is made from shellfish, so check allergies before cooking for others.

At a glance

• Shrimp paste: tiny shrimp ground, salted and fermented into a strong, salty paste (Chinese 蝦醬, haa1 zoeng3; Filipino bagoong alamang; Indonesian terasi; Malaysian belacan).
• It is pungent raw but turns mellow and savoury when cooked.
• Allergy note: shrimp paste contains shellfish. Fish sauce contains fish. Neither is a safe swap for the other when someone has an allergy - check the full label.

Best substitutes

• Fish sauce: the closest flavour. It is milder, so start with about twice the amount of shrimp paste the recipe asks for.
• Anchovies: mash with a little water and use in equal amounts.
• Dried shrimp: soak 30 minutes, blend to a paste, and use about double. (See our dried shrimp page.)
• Red (dark) miso: the vegan option - rich and savoury; start with about double.
• Korean saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp): blend before using, a little more than the recipe amount.

What not to use

• Shrimp sauce (the pourable kind in a jar) is thinner and milder than shrimp paste - use more if it is all you have.
• Oyster sauce is a different flavour: sweet and glossy, not funky. It will not give the same result.

Where to find the real thing in Hong Kong

• Wet-market grocery stalls and supermarkets, in jars; see our shrimp paste page for what to look for.

Sources

Facts on this page come from these pages. We have summarised them in our own words.

• Kitchen Substitute: alternatives for shrimp paste
• Panlasang Pinoy: what is bagoong alamang (Filipino shrimp paste)
• Our pantry page: shrimp paste