Filipino fish sauce — a thin, amber, intensely savory liquid made from fermented fish, used to season soups, noodles, and dipping sauces.
Patis is pressed and strained from fish that's been salted and left to ferment, similar in concept to Vietnamese nước mắm or Thai nam pla, but with its own distinct flavor. It's less about a fishy taste and more about a rounded, savory depth — the same role MSG or a good stock plays in other cuisines.
It shows up in two main ways: cooked into soups like sinigang and tinola for a savory backbone, and used raw at the table as a finishing seasoning, often with a squeeze of calamansi and chili on the side (a combination sometimes called patismansi).
In noodle dishes like pancit, a splash of patis late in cooking adds a savory lift that soy sauce alone doesn't quite deliver.
Recipes on Pancit.com that call for patis.
Pork simmered in a savory, vinegar-tinged pork blood stew with chilies.
Savory rice noodles with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables — the everyday pancit every household knows.
Wheat egg noodles stir-fried with chicken and vegetables in a savory, glossy soy-oyster sauce.
Batangas-style thick fresh egg noodle soup in a cornstarch-thickened pork broth with liver and kikiam.
Thick rice noodles in a bold shrimp sauce, piled high with squid, mussels, and seafood.
Rice noodles topped with a rich shrimp-and-annatto sauce, boiled egg, and crushed chicharrón.
Tamarind-soured Filipino pork soup with vegetables — a comfort-food classic.
Chicken simmered in a clear ginger broth with green papaya and chili leaves.
