If You Love Malt Vinegar On Your Fish Sandwiches, Try This Elevated Mayo

Fish sandwich and tartar sauce go together as a packaged deal. You can't have one without the other, or so we think. With a little bit of experimentation, you will discover so many ways to dress your fish sandwich that don't involve tartar sauce. A mayo dressing, when done right, can bring all the vastly different components — deep-fried fish filet, pickled relish, and soft bread buns — together. On its own, the condiment might be borderline boring, but add malt vinegar to the mix and it's a whole other story. Suddenly, there is a dynamic shift in the taste profile that mesmerizes the taste buds the second you bite into the sandwich.

Think about the last time you had the classic British fish and chips and how crucial malt vinegar is to the dish. It draws depth in an otherwise monotonous richness by adding intricate flavor nuances. Malt vinegar mayo is a nod to that greatness, reinvented to fit right into fish sandwiches. The vinegar, gorgeously zingy and robustly sweet, mixes with mayonnaise — a true sandwich staple. The condiment takes that complex sharpness and suspends it in a creamy, tangy base. Far from clashing, these ingredients actually balance each other out, creating a harmony that lends itself to the mildly savory fish. These extra flavors don't weigh down the dish at all. On the contrary, they lift the entire sandwich with a pure, unmistakable brightness that has become quintessential to crispy, battered fish.

Malt vinegar, gradually stirred into the mayo base, followed by a pinch of salt and pepper, and your malt vinegar mayonnaise is all set. Start small, with just one tablespoon, and adjust it to taste as you are stirring. Of course, there are always unexpected ways to upgrade mayonnaise just lurking in the kitchen pantry, even with malt vinegar already in the mix. Strike up an aioli twist by mashing in a few garlic cloves or borrow an aromatic hint from fresh herbs like tarragon, thyme, and dill. As always, you can never go wrong with lemon juice and its acidic twinkles, sparkling in the undertone. Cayenne powder, Old Bay seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and many other spicy varieties would also work if you want to impart a little heat. It pairs especially well with blackened fish for a Cajun-inspired sandwich, or a different take on the fish po'boy sandwich.

It's a given that the malt vinegar mayo dressing would be spread onto the fish, but that's only one way to use it for your sandwich. Consider mixing it into the coleslaw stuffing as well. It's a great way to amp up the textures and weave in even more of the delectable dressing. Alternatively, drizzling it over potato chips before layering them into your sandwich is just as irresistible an idea. Brittle crunches shatter along with the fish's crispy exterior, both are contrasted by the tender flesh inside as you sink your teeth into the sandwich, and it's pure heaven every time.