01
Soy Sauce
3.31 tsp : 1/4 tsp
Adds umami and color; reduce other liquids slightly
3.3
salt substitute
for frying.
Frying at 350-400°F is hostile to salt substitutes: water in liquid stand-ins flashes to steam and triggers oil spatter, sugars in soy and miso scorch above 320°F, and brining-style salts will not adhere to a finished crust dry enough to stay crisp. Use these as marinades or dredge soaks before the oil, not surface seasoning after. Salt pulled into a 30-minute pre-soak penetrates 2-3 mm; flavors land deep instead of burning on contact.
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adjustment for frying
Soy sauce belongs in a pre-fry marinade, not a sprinkle after. Use 1 tsp per 0.25 tsp salt in a 30-minute soak; the sodium drives 2 mm into the protein and the sugars caramelize during fry. Pat the surface fully dry before oil contact, or sugars scorch black in under 90 seconds at 375°F.
02
Fish Sauce
3.31 tsp : 1/4 tsp
Very salty and savory, best in Asian dishes
3.3
adjustment for frying
Brine the protein in 1 tsp fish sauce per 0.25 tsp salt of equivalent for 20-30 minutes before frying, then dry it thoroughly. The pre-soak penetration leaves the surface clean enough that oil holds a 350°F crust without spatter. Fish-sauce esters cook off — only umami remains.
03
Tamari
3.31 tsp : 1 tsp
Liquid salt plus umami; gluten-free soy sauce
3.3
adjustment for frying
Tamari at 1 tsp per 1 tsp salt in a marinade outperforms soy here because it has no wheat — fewer free starches mean less surface scorching at 375°F. Soak 20-40 minutes, dry the surface, then dredge. Color comes out a shade darker than untreated meat but stops short of bitter.
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04
Coconut Aminos
3.32 tsp : 1 tsp
Much milder; use double for salt equivalent
3.3
05
Anchovy Paste
3.31/2 tsp : 1 tsp
Salty and savory; melts into sauces invisibly
3.3
adjustment for this dish
Mash 0.5 tsp anchovy paste into the dredge flour or batter at 1:1 with salt-equivalent — direct surface application would flame at 350°F oil and burn black in seconds. Inside a wet batter the paste stays at 212°F until water flashes off, then carries umami into the crust.
06
Worcestershire Sauce
3.31 tsp : 1 tsp
Salty-umami depth; use in marinades or stews to boost savor without using salt directly
3.3
adjustment for this dish
Add 1 tsp Worcestershire per 1 tsp salt to a wet batter or pre-fry brine. Skip surface seasoning at 375°F — the vinegar will hiss and burn the malt sugars almost on contact. In a 30-minute brine the acid tenderizes muscle protein 5-8% and the umami carries into the finished crust.
07
Dijon Mustard
3.31/2 tsp : 1 tsp
Adds salt plus tang; works in dressings or rubs but leaves a mustard note
3.3
adjustment for this dish
Whisk 0.5 tsp Dijon per 1 tsp salt into a buttermilk dredge for fried chicken — its allyl isothiocyanate breaks down at frying temperatures, leaving acid that tenderizes for 4 hours of soak time. Skip post-fry sprinkle: surface mustard browns black, not gold, in under 30 seconds at 375°F.
08
Miso
3.31 tsp : 1/4 tsp
Adds salt plus deep umami flavor
3.3
adjustment for this dish
Stir 1 tsp white miso per 0.25 tsp salt into a wet marinade, never a dry rub. Miso sugars caramelize fast — at 350°F oil contact the proteins darken in 45 seconds and turn acrid past 60. Inside a marinade or batter shell, miso depth carries through without the surface burn risk.
09
Seaweed
3.31 tsp : 1 tsp
Dried kelp flakes ground; mineral saltiness
3.3
10
Capers
3.31 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Briny and salty; chop fine to distribute
3.3