Despite living in New York, where any food seems less than a train stop away, I have an incredibly difficult time sourcing this quintessential fish and chips condiment. Outside of specialty shops, it’s just not available.
Made from germinated and fermented barley, malt vinegar has a very toasty and particular flavor that seems impossible to recreate. “Seems” being the operative word: For fish and chips, use lemon slices for seasoning. For something even closer to the real thing, apple cider or red wine vinegar will work.
Most often used in Chinese cooking (like inthis addictive cucumber salad), funky black vinegar is rice wine that’s been fermented for 3—6 months. Balsamic vinegar, grape must that's aged for a much longer time period, shares a similar sweetness and fruitiness.
To get the best substitute, you're going to need to cocktail it. Use one part balsamic vinegar (for sweetness and color) to one part distilled white vinegar (the bite provides balance).
Sherries from Spain range from thenutty Amontilladoto the molasses-likePedro Ximenez.Aged for at least six months and sometimes up to ten years or more, sherry vinegar’s flavor falls on the nutty and caramelized side, making it great fora quick sauce for decadent scallopsorin a tapenade with luscious figs.
It won’t have quite the same nutty and briny character, but apple cider vinegar will work as a substitute. If you happen to have sherry wine on hand, just a splash with the vinegar will take care of the missing flavors. Red wine vinegar works, as well.
Like the bubbly wine, Champagne vinegar comes from Champagne grapes. And like the wine, the vinegar is delicate. It’s suitable inlight salad dressingsandoyster mignonettes(because oysters and Champagne, duh).
One place you might try looking for vinegar substitutes is the bar cart.White vermouth like Dolin Dryreplicates that subtle sweetness of Champagne vin. Rice vinegar's fruitiness and delicacy can do the trick, and for a little more acidity, white wine vinegar also works.
