Salted fish substitutes

Small whole dried anchovies from the same shelf of the same shops, used the same way.

Best for

salted fish fried rice, stir-fried greens, sambal, kangkung belacan, fried rice noodles

The closest swap in spirit, since both are salt-cured dried fish used for savoury punch and crunch. Ikan bilis is milder and less pungent per gram and it stays crisp rather than turning chewy, which is actually an advantage in fried rice, so add a pinch more salt or a splash of fish sauce to match the intensity. Fry them in a little oil until pale gold before anything else goes in the wok.

The supermarket answer, and a genuinely effective one for the flavour if not the texture.

Best for

stir-fried greens, braises, sambal, pasta-style sauces, marinades

Salt-cured anchovies deliver a very similar salt-and-umami hit and melt into hot oil in seconds, so the savoury base of the dish lands close to right. What changes is dry funk and bite: there are no crisp salty shards, and the flavour is rounder, oilier and slightly more Mediterranean than the sharp sun-dried pungency of ikan masin. Add them early so they dissolve, and skip the recipe's salt entirely.

Fermented shrimp paste, the other great salty-funky building block of Malay cooking.

Best for

sambal, stir-fried water spinach, vegetable dishes, rice dishes

Deeper and more pungent than salted fish and probably already in your kitchen if you cook Malay food. The change is which animal you can taste: the dish becomes shrimpy and fermented rather than fishy and sun-dried, which is wonderful in a sambal and slightly off in a dish where crisp fish pieces are the point. Toast it in a dry pan or wrapped in foil for a minute first to take the raw edge off.

The European salt-cured fish, which is closer in form than anything else on this list.

Best for

stir-fries, rice dishes, fritters, braises with vegetables

The texture match is genuinely good, since soaked salt cod flakes into firm savoury pieces much like rehydrated ikan masin, and it fries up nicely. What is missing is the funk: salt cod is cured and dried but not sun-fermented in the same way, so it tastes clean and salty rather than pungent. Soak it as the package directs, and add a few drops of fish sauce to restore some of the depth.

Pure liquid salt and fermented fish umami, with nothing to chew on.

Best for

stir-fries, fried rice, soups, dressings, when speed matters

This gets the savoury note broadly right and takes no preparation, which makes it the practical weeknight answer. The whole texture contribution disappears though, so a salted fish fried rice made with fish sauce tastes correct but has no crisp salty shards running through it, and it seasons the dish evenly rather than in bursts. Add it near the end of cooking and use no other salt at all.

The honest least-good option, for when there is no cured fish of any kind in the house.

Best for

emergencies, soups, simple stir-fries

It supplies salinity and a general savouriness and that is the limit of what it can do. In a dish where salted fish is one salty note among many, such as a mixed vegetable stir-fry, you will get an acceptable result. In salted fish fried rice you will get fried rice, because the crisp pungent fish is the dish rather than a seasoning in it, so consider making a different fried rice instead.