The One Ingredient Marcus Samuelsson Uses For Everything He Makes

Food Network star Marcus Samuelsson is practically an icon in the food world. He's an eight-time James Beard award-winning chef who has 13 restaurants, multiple cookbooks and a heart for philanthropy (via USA Today). He has a sophisticated palette and his food is coveted the world over. What could a man with that kind of pedigree say is the one ingredient he uses in everything? It is doubtful you would guess it in a million tries.

He told his audible original "Seat at the Table" audience that he uses this ingredient in everything (via YouTube). He adds it when sautéing mushrooms. He adds it to his omelet when making breakfast. He slips it into whatever he spreads on his son's toast (though mum's the word — he doesn't tell the 7-year-old that he's doing it). The way Samuelsson describes his go-to ingredient might give you a hint. He says it's bold. It's salty. It's "funky."

Funky as in peculiar but awesome? We can assume so. He may also be alluding to the fact that it is fermented, a final hint that likely drops the curtain and reveals an obvious ingredient. That would be good news to Samuelsson because he would like everyone to be familiar enough to try this ingredient that, by his estimation, has such an effect on food that it transforms whatever it touches into one word: "craveable."

Marcus Samuelsson gave his "Seat at the Table" audience advice when it comes to using fish sauce, saying, "Don't be afraid of it!" Yes, you need to balance fish sauce with the right ingredients, just as Samuelsson's fish sauce mentor, celebrated chef Charles Phan, is practiced at doing. With the right blend of flavors, like mango for sweetness or Fresno chiles for heat, Samuelsson says Phan taught him that fish sauce will add that salty zip and complex vitality so delicious that it elevates a dish like nothing else can.

In fact, a mainstream fervor for fish sauce has gained a lot of traction over the past decade. South China Morning Post reports that fish sauce, specifically the Vietnamese condiment nuoc mam, which likely originated as far back 100 B.C., began its recent ascent in popularity thanks to the Vietnamese noodle soup, pho. Fish sauce is a traditional ingredient in pho. Pho became so trendy that pho restaurants popped up all over the country. That's great news for nuoc mam manufacturers, like the makers of Son Fish Sauce, but they would like to see fish sauce catch on as a staple ingredient-add for a lot more, pitching the idea via in-store events and promoting fish sauce for everything from salsa to spaghetti (via Los Angeles Times).

That sounds right up Marcus Samuelsson's alley. "If you want funky craveable food," he said, "use fish sauce." Simple as that.