HOW TO USE NOYSTER SAUCE
What Is Oyster Sauce?
Traditional oyster sauce is made from oyster extract, thickened and sweetened, usually with soya and wheat alongside preservatives, colourings and sometimes MSG. It's dark, glossy and intensely savoury, and it's a staple across Cantonese and Southeast Asian cooking.
It's also, between the oysters, the soya and the wheat, one of the most restrictive condiments on the shelf — out of reach for vegans, vegetarians, and anyone with a shellfish, soya or gluten allergy.
What NOYSTER Is
NOYSTER is brewed from wild Scottish seaweed instead of oysters. Water, coconut nectar, vinegar, sea salt, tapioca starch, yeast extract and seaweed carry the same briny, savoury depth without a single oyster.
It's certified organic, vegan, and free from all 14 major allergens, with no preservatives. NOYSTER has been awarded three stars at the Great Taste Awards, and Sozyë was named Great Taste Startisan of the Year 2022.
What It Tastes Like
Sweet, salty and savoury, with a clear taste of the sea. On the nose there's something of Marmite about it — dark and yeasty — but on the tongue it's rounder and brinier, closer to the sea than to anything fermented.
It's the most assertive of the three Sozyë sauces, and the one that most obviously tastes of where it comes from. Use it one for one wherever a recipe calls for oyster sauce.
How to Use NOYSTER
- Finishing — the best use. Drizzled over a finished dish and left to run down, rather than cooked in from the start.
- Stir-fries — added near the end, where it coats rather than evaporates.
- Greens and vegetables — tossed through sautéed greens, pak choi or broccoli.
- Glazing — brushed onto roasting vegetables or tofu in the last few minutes.
- Dipping — on its own, or thinned with lime and chilli for a nuoc cham-style dip.
- Marinades — with garlic and ginger, on mushrooms, aubergine or tofu.
- Dressings and vinaigrettes — a small amount goes a long way.
- Gravies and umami spreads — stirred in for depth.
Because it's the strongest of the three, start with less than you think and build up.
Common Questions
Is it a like-for-like substitute? Yes. Use the same quantity your recipe calls for.
Does it contain any shellfish? None. No oysters, no shellfish of any kind, and it's free from all 14 major allergens.
Is it vegan? Yes, and certified organic.
Does it taste of seaweed? There's a clear taste of the sea — that's the point of an oyster sauce. It's briny rather than fishy.
Does it need refrigerating? Not until opened. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and use within six months.
What's in it? Water, coconut nectar, vinegar, sea salt, tapioca starch, yeast extract and seaweed, with no preservatives.
Why Seaweed
Seaweed needs no farmland, no fresh water, no fertiliser and no feed. It grows on the tide. Ours is harvested by hand off the north coast of Scotland, cut so the holdfast stays intact and the plant regrows within weeks.
Seaweed has been a source of savoury flavour for centuries — see our guide to edible seaweed, or what umami is, for more.