50°N Phamily Reserve Classic is the most concentrated classic fish sauce in the Red Boat range. It is produced on Phú Quốc Island from wild-caught black anchovies and sea salt. The anchovies are salted immediately after being caught before they reach the production facility. The mixture of fish and salt then undergoes natural fermentation in large traditional wooden barrels. As with the producer’s other premium sauces only the undiluted first press is used for bottling. The 50°N designation indicates approximately 50 grams of total nitrogen per liter and reflects an exceptionally high natural concentration of fish proteins and amino acids. This makes it more concentrated than the standard Red Boat 40°N fish sauce. This grade was originally reserved for the Phạm family which inspired the name Phamily Reserve. It has a full and intense umami flavor with pronounced depth and a long finish. Its only ingredients are anchovies and sea salt with no added water, sugar or preservatives.
Producer
Red Boat is a family-owned Vietnamese-American producer of traditional fish sauce with production facilities on Phú Quốc Island in Vietnam. The company was founded in 2011 by Cường Phạm who grew up in Saigon and later worked as an engineer in the United States. He established the brand because he could not find a fish sauce on the American market that resembled the traditional Vietnamese sauce he remembered from childhood. Production follows the method traditionally used by fish sauce barrel houses on Phú Quốc Island. The principal raw material is wild-caught black anchovies harvested from the waters surrounding the island. The fish are mixed with sea salt immediately after being caught to preserve their freshness. Anchovies and salt are combined in an approximate ratio of three to one. The mixture then undergoes natural fermentation for about one year in large wooden barrels. Red Boat has gained international recognition among chefs and consumers and is regarded as one of the best-known contemporary producers of premium fish sauce from Phú Quốc Island.