Korean Tuna Sauce | Halla Premium · Chamchiaek | 16.9 fl oz
Korean tuna sauce (chamchiaek, 참치액) is a 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) bottle of liquid seasoning made from smoked tuna extract with Korean kelp and radish, used a spoonful at a time in Korean soups, stews and seasoned vegetables.
What is Korean tuna sauce?
Chamchiaek is what many Korean home cooks reach for when a broth tastes flat: a teaspoon gives the smoky, savory base of an hour-long fish-and-kelp stock. This one is sold in Korea as Halla Food 프리미엄 참치액 (Premium Tuna Sauce).
The label states the core of the recipe: smoked tuna extract at 69.3%, made with smoked tuna at 18.5%. Halla Food says the tuna is skipjack smoked more than ten times, hence the strong smoky aroma. Kelp, radish, shiitake and ginseng extracts and a little honey round it out.
Made in Korea by Halla Food
Halla Food extracts and blends this sauce in its own HACCP-certified plant in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, not through an OEM maker, and says it has made Korean liquid seasonings for over 30 years. Product of Korea; the smoked tuna is imported from the Philippines and Thailand, while the salt, kelp and radish are Korean.
Key facts
- Product name on label
- Premium Tuna Sauce (프리미엄 참치액), Halla Food
- Origin
- Product of Korea — smoked tuna from the Philippines and Thailand
- Net volume
- 500 ml (16.9 fl oz); the US sticker prints 16.5 fl oz
- Food type
- Sauce, heat-sterilized, in a PET bottle
- Ingredients
- Smoked tuna extract 69.3% [refined salt (Korea), smoked tuna 18.5% (Philippines, Thailand)], refined salt (Korea), kelp extract (kelp: Korea), sugar, radish extract, ginseng extract, shiitake mushroom extract, disodium 5'-ribonucleotide, licorice extract, garlic concentrate, honey
- Label note
- This list follows the Korean label and Halla Food's own listing. The English importer sticker instead lists ginger soy sauce (ginger, soybean, wheat, salt, fructose, water) and omits ginseng extract and honey. If you avoid any of these, check your bottle.
- Allergens
- Contains fish (tuna). The US sticker also declares soy and wheat; the Korean label notes the plant also processes soybean, wheat and shellfish (oyster).
- Additives
- No preservatives or colorings are listed among the ingredients
- Per 10 ml serving (US sticker)
- 6 calories, 0 g fat, sodium 51% DV, 1.1 g carbohydrate, 0.9 g total sugars (0.8 g added), 0.3 g protein; about 50 servings. The Korean label lists 275 kcal per 500 ml.
- Storage
- Cool place away from direct sunlight; refrigerate after opening
How to use Korean tuna sauce
Use 1 tablespoon (15 ml) for a 2 L pot of doenjang stew, kimchi stew or radish soup, adding it before any salt. Toss blanched spinach or bean sprouts with 1 teaspoon, sesame oil and garlic for quick namul, or beat 1 teaspoon into 3 eggs for gyeran-mari (rolled omelet).
Before you use it
Contains fish (tuna); see the soy, wheat and shellfish notes above. One 10 ml serving carries 51% of the daily value for sodium, so measure rather than pour.
Frequently asked questions
What is Korean tuna sauce (chamchiaek)?
Korean tuna sauce, or chamchiaek (참치액), is a liquid seasoning built on smoked tuna extract. This Halla Food bottle holds 500 ml and lists smoked tuna extract at 69.3% on its label, with Korean kelp and radish extracts. Korean cooks use a spoonful at a time in soups, stews and seasoned vegetables.
How do you use and store tuna sauce?
Start with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) per bowl of soup or 1 tablespoon (15 ml) per 2 L pot of stew, then taste before adding salt. Store the bottle in a cool place away from direct sunlight and refrigerate after opening. Halla Food notes that chilling also softens the smoky aroma.
Tuna sauce vs fish sauce — what's the difference?
Fish sauce is usually made by fermenting small fish such as anchovies with salt for months, which gives it a sharp, pungent aroma. Korean tuna sauce is an extract of smoked skipjack tuna blended with kelp and radish extracts, so it tastes smoky and savory rather than funky.
Can tuna sauce replace soy sauce?
Partly. Tuna sauce is salty and savory, so it can stand in for some of the soy sauce or salt in soups, namul and egg dishes. Soy sauce is brewed from soybeans and wheat and adds color and a fermented depth; tuna sauce adds smoky fish savoriness with lighter color. Many Korean cooks use the two together.
Why are there crystals or foam in the bottle?
Halla Food says both are normal. The sauce is about as salty as traditional Korean soup soy sauce and no preservatives or colorings are listed, so salt crystals can form when the temperature changes. Foam comes from the protein in the tuna extract because no antifoaming agent is used. Neither is an impurity.
Shipping, returns and storage
Ships from New Jersey, usually within one business day; free shipping on orders of $60 or more. Unopened food items can be returned in original condition — just contact us.
More seasonings: Spice & Seasoning. For broth without simmering, see Korean Seafood Stock Coins and Korean Vegetable Stock Coins.
