Korean tuna sauce, or chamchiaek (참치액), is a liquid seasoning built on smoked tuna extract. Many Korean home cooks reach for it when a broth tastes flat: a spoonful brings the smoky, savory base that would otherwise take an hour of simmering dried fish and kelp. Halla Premium Tuna Sauce (프리미엄 참치액) is made by Halla Food (한라식품) in Sangju, Korea, in a 500 ml bottle.
What is in Halla Premium Tuna Sauce?
| Label item | What it says |
|---|---|
| Smoked tuna extract | 69.3%, made with smoked tuna at 18.5% (tuna from the Philippines) |
| Korean ingredients | Salt, kelp extract and radish extract, all listed as Korean |
| Premium additions | Ginseng extract and honey |
| Also in the recipe | Sugar, shiitake extract, licorice extract, garlic concentrate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotides |
| Size | 500 ml (16.9 fl oz), about 50 servings of 10 ml |
| Per 10 ml | 6 calories, sodium 51% of the daily value |
Ingredients as listed on the bottle's Korean label.
What do ginseng and honey add?
Halla describes its Premium as tuna sauce with Korean ginseng extract, garlic concentrate and honey added for a deeper savory taste. The smoked tuna stays at the center, while kelp, radish and shiitake give it the flavor of a long-simmered stock rather than of salt alone.
How Halla makes its tuna sauce
According to Halla, the tuna is cleaned and cooked, then smoked and dried about 16 times. At the Sangju plant it is steamed, ground and dried again, then extracted together with radish, shiitake, kelp and licorice that the company prepares itself. That smoked tuna base is what gives the sauce its katsuobushi-like aroma.
How much tuna sauce should you use?
- Soup and stew: start with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) per bowl, or 1 tablespoon (15 ml) per 2 L pot of doenjang stew, kimchi stew or radish soup, then taste. Add it before any salt or soy sauce.
- Namul: toss blanched spinach or bean sprouts with 1 teaspoon of tuna sauce, a little sesame oil and garlic.
- Eggs: beat 1 teaspoon into 3 eggs for gyeran-mari (rolled omelet) or steamed eggs.
- Stir-fries and noodles: add a splash to fish cake, japchae or a noodle broth.
Three dishes to start with
- Miyeok-guk (seaweed soup): sauté soaked seaweed in sesame oil, add water, and season with tuna sauce instead of soup soy sauce.
- Beef and radish soup: simmer sliced radish and beef, then finish with a spoonful of tuna sauce for a clear, savory broth.
- Three-color namul: season spinach, bean sprouts and carrots or bracken with tuna sauce, garlic and sesame oil.
Allergens and sodium
The sauce is made from tuna (fish). The US import sticker on the bottles we ship declares Contains: Fish (tuna), Soy, Wheat and lists ginger soy sauce, while the Korean label lists ginseng extract and honey instead; the Korean label also notes a shared facility with soybean, wheat and oyster. Assume it contains fish, soy and wheat, and check the bottle you receive. One 10 ml serving carries 51% of the daily value for sodium, so measure rather than pour.
Quick answers
Is tuna sauce the same as fish sauce?
No. Fish sauce is usually made by fermenting small fish such as anchovies with salt for months, which gives a sharp, pungent aroma. Korean tuna sauce is an extract of smoked tuna with kelp and radish, so it tastes smoky and savory rather than funky.
Can tuna sauce replace soy sauce?
Partly. It is salty and savory, so it can stand in for some of the soy sauce or salt in soups, namul and egg dishes, with a lighter color. Many Korean cooks use the two together.
Does it contain MSG?
MSG (monosodium glutamate) is not on the ingredient list. It lists disodium 5'-ribonucleotides, a flavor enhancer.
How do you store it?
Keep the bottle in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and refrigerate after opening. Salt crystals or sediment can form over time and come from the ingredients.
Shop Halla Premium Tuna Sauce, browse more Korean seasonings, or make broth with no simmering using seafood stock coins. Orders placed by 2 PM ET on business days ship the same day from New Jersey, with free shipping on orders of $60 or more.
