Is fish sauce supposed to smell like stinkbait? I was picking out some new things to try from the international food section and grabbed some fish sauce. When I got home I noticed that the bottle was not sealed in any way, besides the drip top, and it smelt like stinkbait. Is it normal for Thai kitchen fish sauce to be unsealed and smell like stinkbait?

I read on net that it is supposed to smell like the ocean, and in another place that it is supposed to stink.

Is Fish sauce made out of fish? Or are you supposed to put it on fish? Or both?

I guess it depends on how strong it is....
is it fishy or RANK?

I called the store where I purchased it and they said that it is supposed to be sealed, and to bring it back. I guess it is pretty rank smelling. It smells very close to stink bait, but not quite as bad as some stink bait I have smelt. It is made from fish and I assume that it probably supposed to sort of stink, I was just uncertain of the degree of stinkiness. I guess it can be difficult to convey smells with words, but stink bait is pretty close.

I did not know how it was made until I started researching it on the net once I got home and noticed it was unsealed and stinky.

I came across and article where a person who was working at plant where they made fish sauce in giant vats was overcome by the smell and fainted, and something like three of his coworkers who attempted to save him also passed out by the strong fumes. The first person could not be revived, but the others recovered.

damn, that is strong.

I work with seafood...and if something smells close to stinkbait, get rid of it, no questions asked, lol....