North America’s first-ever fish sauce comes from the shores of a Great Lake, with a little help from the Pacific Northwest. Third Coast’s smooth, subtly funky offering is made with Lake Superior herring and Jacobsen’s hand-harvested sea salt, making it sweeter, cleaner and more delicate than the anchovies (or mackerel) and briny salts used in most recipes. Their fermentation process also differs from the usual methods: Third Coast uses a blend of koji and natural botanicals for even more aromatic dimension, then ferments the fish sauce in French barriques—aka oak wine barrels. The results are briny and funky (but not pungent), with a hint of oaky sweetness from the barrels and plenty of complexity from the botanicals. It adds savory depth to stews, sauces, vinaigrettes and marinades without overpowering the other ingredients, yet is punchy enough to stand out in recipes where fish sauce is the star.