Six amazing ways malt vinegar can improve your cooking

Whether you’re a pickling pro or just wondering what else you can use a bottle of vinegar for other than seasoning chips, it’s amazing to think just how many different ingredients can be transformed after being steeped in the stuff. Malt vinegar in particular – distilled or otherwise – is quite unique to the UK, so when pickling at home it’s the best option if you’re after something different to what you can buy in the shops.

Of course, jars upon jars of pickles is all well and good, but for the most part they need to be paired with other foods rather than eaten alone (although who hasn’t enjoyed eating gherkins straight from the jar?). Take a look at these recipes – some easy, some more ambitious – to see how malt vinegar can become a key player at your next dinner party.

Apart from the fantastic presentation, Peter Joseph’s simple starter is a delicious way to take the best sea bass fillets you can afford and turn them into a dish which packs a punch. Slightly bashed mustard seeds are pickled overnight in malt vinegar before being used to marinade the fish alongside turmeric and garlic. The warmth of the mustard combined with the sharp vinegar and earthy turmeric contrasts perfectly with the fresh green beans.

Another starter with serious wow factor, this simple combination of prawns and avocado is given a finishing touch with home-pickled jalapeño chillies, which only need a week to take on the flavours of the malt vinegar. The dish might look like something out of a Michelin-starred restaurant, but will take you just one and a half hours to prepare.

If you can get your hands on some purple carrots, be sure to set some aside so you can steep them in distilled malt vinegar, sugar and spices. Pickling carrots amplifies their crunchy texture and earthy, sweet flavour, making them the perfect partner to salty chorizo and meaty pieces of octopus.