Does Nam pla phrik go bad?

[tecatefil]

It seems to me because of the salt content of the fish sauce the Thai peppers would pickle. I just got rid of a batch that was 4 months old and was wondering if I was wasting it by throwing it out? It looked, tasted, and smelled great.

[lunchbox]

I have no Idea how or why, but my last (current) jar has crystals forming at the bottom!
I assume they're salt crystals, but the rest of the brine is still quite tasty. Holy cow- as I typed this, a CHOW tip for "does fish sauce go bad?" popped up--->

OK, so I watched the link- apparently, crystals are a 100% sign that my Nam Pla Phrik is too old! I love those Tips!

[klyeoh]

My Thai maternal grandma kept nam pla/chile pickles for up to a year or two in the fridge. I suspected that the potent stuff was indestructible!