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Maldive Fish substitute

Best substitute

Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi), Crushed

Use 1 ½ tbsp flakes for every 1 tbsp Maldive fish, plus a pinch of salt

Best for pol sambol (coconut sambol)

Different texture

Bonito flakes (katsuobushi) are the honest nearest thing, since both are smoked dried skipjack tuna: use about one and a half times the volume, crushed fine, plus a pinch of salt. Toasted and ground dried anchovies are the best supermarket-adjacent option at 1:1. Half a teaspoon of dashi powder per tablespoon works for flavour but dissolves, so a coconut sambol loses its dry, grainy bite.

Other maldive fish substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Maldive Fish with ratios

  1. 2Dried Anchovies, Toasted and Ground

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by volume

    Small whole dried salted anchovies, dry-toasted then blitzed to a coarse powder.

    What changes
    Best for
    sambols, curries, tempered dishes, dhal

    The most practical option if you already shop at an Asian grocer, and it does the job properly: it is salty, dried and grinds down to exactly the right coarse texture. It tastes fishier and a little more bitter than tuna, so start with slightly less and taste. Toast it in a dry pan for a minute first to wake it up and take the raw edge off.

  2. 3Dashi Powder or Instant Dashi Granules

    Different texture

    Use ½ tsp for every 1 tbsp Maldive fish

    Powdered bonito and kombu stock base.

    What changes
    Best for
    curries, dhal, soups, gravies

    Same flavour source in soluble form, so it is excellent in anything wet and useless where the flakes are meant to stay as flakes. A coconut sambol made with it will be looser and will lack the dry, slightly gritty chew that is half the pleasure of the dish. It contains added salt and often MSG, so cut back the salt in the recipe.

  3. 4Dried Shrimp, Toasted and Ground

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by volume

    Small dried salted shrimp, dry-toasted then pounded coarse.

    What changes
    Best for
    sambols, curries, stir-fried greens

    Grinds to the same coarse powder and brings the same concentrated savoury punch, but it is distinctly sweeter and more shellfish-forward, and it tints the sambol pink. A pol sambol made with dried shrimp tastes sweeter and less smoky, which is pleasant in its own right rather than a copy of the original.

  4. 5Shrimp Paste (Belacan) or Anchovy Paste

    Taste and texture differ

    Use ½ tsp for every 1 tbsp Maldive fish

    Fermented shrimp or cured anchovy in wet paste form.

    What changes
    Best for
    curries, wet sambols, sauces

    Delivers the salt and the deep savoury base, but as a wet paste, so the sambol turns darker and pastier instead of staying dry and fluffy. Toast belacan in foil or a dry pan for a minute first to knock off the raw ammoniac edge. Use a light hand; both are far more pungent by volume than dried flakes.

  5. 6Toasted Nori or Kombu Powder With Salt

    Different taste

    Use 1 tbsp crumbled toasted nori plus ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp mushroom powder for every 1 tbsp of maldive fish

    A fish-free mix covering salt, marine aroma and savoury depth.

    What changes
    Best for
    vegetarian sambols, dhal, vegetable curries

    The vegetarian option, and worth being straight about: it gives you saltiness, a clear marine aroma and real umami from the seaweed and mushroom, but it tastes of the sea rather than of cured fish, and it is nowhere near as pungent. Toast the nori over a flame or in a dry pan until it crisps, then crumble it fine.

What is Maldive Fish?

Maldive Fish is rock-hard chips or coarse flakes of skipjack tuna that has been boiled, smoked and sun-dried until bone dry, known in Sri Lanka as umbalakada and essential to sambols, curries and tempered dishes.

Cooking tips

  • It is genuinely rock hard, so break it down before it goes anywhere near a dish. A mortar and pestle or a few pulses in a spice grinder is all it takes, and the grind should match the dish: coarse and flaky for a coconut sambol, fine for a curry or a dhal.
  • For pol sambol, pound it with the chilli, onion and lime rather than stirring it in at the end. Working it into the coconut is what lets it soak up the lime juice and swell slightly, which is the texture the dish is built on.
  • In a wet curry, add it early with the onions and spices so it has time to soften and release its savouriness into the sauce. Thrown in at the end it stays hard and tastes like grit.
  • Salt the dish last. Maldive fish is heavily salted and a tablespoon of it will season a whole curry on its own, which is why recipes that use it often call for very little added salt.
  • A tablespoon in a lentil dhal, a potato curry or a plate of tempered green beans adds real savoury depth without making the dish taste fishy, which is the main reason it is worth keeping in the cupboard. Store it airtight in the dark and it will keep for a year; left open it goes stale and starts to smell rancid.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maldive fish?

Skipjack tuna that has been boiled, smoked and dried in the sun until it is as hard as wood, then broken into chips or flakes. It is called umbalakada in Sri Lanka, where it is a cupboard staple, and it is used as a concentrated savoury seasoning rather than as a piece of fish to eat.

Can I use bonito flakes instead of Maldive fish?

Yes, and it is the closest swap there is, because katsuobushi is also smoked dried skipjack tuna. Use about one and a half times the volume since the flakes are lighter and milder, crush them fine so they blend in rather than sitting on top, and add a pinch of salt, because Maldive fish is much saltier.

Can I just leave it out of pol sambol?

You can, and the sambol will still be edible, but it will taste noticeably flat and sweet, because the Maldive fish is supplying almost all of the salt and savoury depth against the coconut, chilli and lime. If you leave it out, add extra salt and a squeeze more lime, or half a teaspoon of ground dried anchovy or crushed bonito flakes, which does most of the same work.

Is Maldive fish the same as dried fish?

It is a specific kind. Plenty of cuisines use salted dried fish, but Maldive fish is always skipjack tuna, and it is boiled and smoked before drying, which is why it tastes smoky and concentrated rather than simply salty. Ordinary salted dried fish is a rougher substitute than bonito flakes are.

How do I grind it fine enough?

Break the chips into smaller pieces with the flat of a heavy knife or the side of a pestle first, then either pound them in a mortar or pulse them in a clean spice or coffee grinder. Do it in short bursts, and stop while there is still some texture left if the dish is a sambol; only a curry wants it powdery.

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