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Fermented shrimp paste

Fermented shrimp paste is a pungent salty condiment used in curries, dipping sauces, relishes, and other Southeast Asian dishes.

Fermented shrimp paste — illustrative ingredient image

About Fermented shrimp paste

Fermented shrimp paste is a dense condiment made from small shrimp or krill that have been salted and allowed to ferment. It is used in curry pastes, dipping sauces, relishes, stir-fries, soups, and other Southeast Asian preparations.

It has a powerful marine aroma, pronounced saltiness, and savory depth. Strength, moisture, flavour, and texture vary substantially between regional products and batches, with forms ranging from smooth to coarse.

The paste is typically brown, gray, pink, or purplish, depending on the raw material and processing. It may be sold as a smooth paste, coarse mash, or firmer block; a block is loosened before use.

Ingredient type
paste

Forms & related ingredients

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Where fermented shrimp paste appears

2 linked foods

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Dips

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for fermented shrimp paste

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Fermented shrimp paste

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Fermented shrimp paste nutrition & diet

Fermented shrimp paste nutritional value

Reference: Paste, shrimp

Per 100 g of the edible portion of the stated reference food.

Calories
94.2kcal
Protein
21.0g
Carbs
0.0g
Fat
1.0g

Reference example for the named food and preparation, per 100 g edible portion. This is not a universal value for every recipe or brand; packaged products should be compared with their own label. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand. AFCD Release 3, food F006476. Available carbohydrate excludes sugar alcohols; energy converted from kJ to kcal (÷4.184). Australian data may not be appropriate for use in other countries. There are limitations associated with food composition databases. Food composition data used in the database or databases may represent an average of the nutrient content of a particular sample of foods and ingredients, determined at a particular time. The nutrient composition of foods and ingredients can vary substantially between batches and brands because of a number of factors, including changes in season, processing practices and ingredient source, and methods of calculation. Data licensed under the FSANZ Data User Licence Agreement, based on CC BY-SA 3.0 AU: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/monitoringnutrients/afcd/datauserlicenceagreement.

Portions & preparation

Use the paste portion actually added or served, distinguishing concentrated paste from diluted sauce. Match the reference to the shrimp species or mixture, salt and seasoning ingredients, fermentation state, and whether shells or solids remain. Cooking in curry, relish, or dipping sauce can add substantial non-paste ingredients to the consumed preparation.

Compare the right form: Match the reference to fermented shrimp paste by species or blend, solids content, processing, recipe or brand, and edible portion.

Diet considerations

This is an animal-derived seafood ingredient. Compatibility changes when it is combined with fish sauce, meat, dairy, cereal thickeners, sugar, or other seasonings. A shrimp paste condiment may be used in a mixed dish where the surrounding curry, sauce, or relish contributes additional animal or plant ingredients and determines the overall dietary pattern.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically incompatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically incompatible
  • Pescatarian
    May be compatible
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Typically incompatible
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically incompatible
The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative.
Vegetarian · Typically incompatible
The profile identifies animal flesh, seafood or a derivative excluded by a vegetarian diet.
Pescatarian · May be compatible
The recorded ingredients may fit this pattern. This is not a complete recipe or manufacturing specification; check additions and preparation.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Typically incompatible
Recorded common ingredients: Shrimp. This profile identifies shellfish, which does not meet the kosher fish criteria. Recipes and products can differ.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Australian Food Composition Database, Release 3, 2025 — Paste, shrimp ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .