I will post more about wedding stuff soon, blah blah blah.
BUT my life was drastically changed tonight when I discovered something magical on the internet.
MAGICAL.
This blog boasted the best umami flavor in a grilled hamburger ever. Umami is that crazy smack of flavor that wakes up your taste buds and has you saying, “What was that?” (more about umami here).
The White on Rice Couple said their secret to the best umami burgers ever was fish sauce. That’s right, the Vietnamese sauce that seems to go well with all Vietnamese dishes…but in an American burger. As soon as I read that, I smacked my forehead. Of course you should put fish sauce in a burger. D’oh!
Three Crabs is the brand we use. (Click on image to be redirected to photo source)
Fish sauce is filled with glutamates, which are those nummy little amino acids that give umami flavor to soy sauce, worcestershire, meats, and anything delicious.
I followed their recipe to a T, and I can honestly say it was the best burger of my life. I’ve never been able to grill anything remotely close to that awesome flavor.
Ignore my freckled skin and peach fuzzed arms.
I topped my burger with feta cheese, caramelized onions, basil, and Trader Joe’s Red Pepper Sauce.
p.s. This is awesome…as if you ever doubted the awesome power of a Trader Joe’s sauce.
I was literally hooting and hollering on my patio.
Life=changed forever.
Please try this. Even if you have to buy a jar of fish sauce, you can always use the rest of the bottle for stir fries (frys?), fried rice, AND ALL THE BURGERS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
Thank you for your time,
Mads
La Petite Pancake 
Okay, I admit….I never saw that coming. I keep fish sauce in my pantry for every Asian dish under the sun, but I never in a million years thought about putting it in a burger. Now I’m intrigued. And laughing at the mental image of you dancing and hooting and hollering on your patio. 🙂
Just a quick splash and you’re good to go! Might as well try it on your next grilling adventure, right? Let me know if you like it 🙂
Fish sauce in a burger? Really? Who knew?! That’s one for the Make This Now column. Cracked up at the thought of you cheering on the patio–now that’s a good burger.