I (Tara) never thought I'd begin a column with these words, but here goes.

I'd like to thank Long John Silver's.

Say what you will about the place (I had a friend in high school whose part-time Long John's job included cleaning the fryer at the end of the week, and believe me, she said plenty). But I ask you: How else are the un-British masses to be exposed to the perfection that is malt vinegar?

(Specifically, malt vinegar on batter-fried fish and chips: Probably the world's best argument for intelligent design.)

I do remember, at about age 4, practically grabbing the wheel and forcing my mother to pull into the Fairlea Long John's and beg the surprised clerk to sell her a whole bottle of malt vinegar off the condiment rack. I needed it at home for fish-stick purposes.

Ordinarily, only the British are that crazy about malt vinegar. They shake it all over their fish and chips, of course, and they also make a traditional mint sauce for lamb: Half finely chopped fresh mint, half malt vinegar, and a little sugar to taste. Awesome.

Alton Brown says, "Malt vinegar is made from unhopped beer." And, basically, that's true. Malt is a grain (usually barley) that's been soaked until it sprouts, then dried and ground into a powder. Mix it with ice cream and you've got a chocolate malt. Ferment it with water and you're on your way to beer, whiskey - or vinegar. In fact, medieval Brits called malt vinegar "alegar," as in made of ale. If you taste a spoonful of malt vinegar with this in mind, you can finally put your finger on what makes it taste so different - it's that beery tang.

Here in the U.S., except for Long John's, you'll probably only find malt vinegar with your boardwalk fries in Ocean City ... or Steak Escape.

But it's worth keeping a bottle on hand at home. You can use malt vinegar just like regular vinegar: in a vinaigrette for chopped salads or greens, stirred into a lentil soup at the end of cooking, or sprinkled over clams.

Or, you know. Fish sticks.

To contact staff writers Robert J. Byers or Tara Tuckwiller, use e-mail or call 348-1236 or 348-5189.

Beer-Battered Fish and Chips

If you don't have a deep fryer, you can fry the fish in a heavy, deep pot filled with about 3 inches of peanut oil. Use a clip-on thermometer to determine the temperature of the oil. 

  Peanut oil for frying

 2 pounds haddock (about 6 fillets)

  Kosher salt

  Freshly ground black pepper

 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For the batter:

 1 cup all-purpose flour

 1 cup beer

I (Tara) never thought I'd begin a column with these words, but here goes.

I'd like to thank Long John Silver's.

Say what you will about the place (I had a friend in high school whose part-time Long John's job included cleaning the fryer at the end of the week, and believe me, she said plenty). But I ask you: How else are the un-British masses to be exposed to the perfection that is malt vinegar?

(Specifically, malt vinegar on batter-fried fish and chips: Probably the world's best argument for intelligent design.)

I do remember, at about age 4, practically grabbing the wheel and forcing my mother to pull into the Fairlea Long John's and beg the surprised clerk to sell her a whole bottle of malt vinegar off the condiment rack. I needed it at home for fish-stick purposes.

Ordinarily, only the British are that crazy about malt vinegar. They shake it all over their fish and chips, of course, and they also make a traditional mint sauce for lamb: Half finely chopped fresh mint, half malt vinegar, and a little sugar to taste. Awesome.

Alton Brown says, "Malt vinegar is made from unhopped beer." And, basically, that's true. Malt is a grain (usually barley) that's been soaked until it sprouts, then dried and ground into a powder. Mix it with ice cream and you've got a chocolate malt. Ferment it with water and you're on your way to beer, whiskey - or vinegar. In fact, medieval Brits called malt vinegar "alegar," as in made of ale. If you taste a spoonful of malt vinegar with this in mind, you can finally put your finger on what makes it taste so different - it's that beery tang.

Here in the U.S., except for Long John's, you'll probably only find malt vinegar with your boardwalk fries in Ocean City ... or Steak Escape.

But it's worth keeping a bottle on hand at home. You can use malt vinegar just like regular vinegar: in a vinaigrette for chopped salads or greens, stirred into a lentil soup at the end of cooking, or sprinkled over clams.

Or, you know. Fish sticks.

To contact staff writers Robert J. Byers or Tara Tuckwiller, use e-mail or call 348-1236 or 348-5189.

Beer-Battered Fish and Chips

If you don't have a deep fryer, you can fry the fish in a heavy, deep pot filled with about 3 inches of peanut oil. Use a clip-on thermometer to determine the temperature of the oil. 

  Peanut oil for frying

 2 pounds haddock (about 6 fillets)

  Kosher salt

  Freshly ground black pepper

 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For the batter:

 1 cup all-purpose flour

 1 cup beer

 1/4 cup vegetable oil

 1 teaspoon baking powder

 1 teaspoon salt

 1 egg

  Pinch ground cayenne pepper

  French fries

  Malt vinegar, for serving

Heat peanut oil in deep fryer to 375°.

Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

Combine batter ingredients and whisk until smooth.

Dip fish in batter, two fillets at a time (or more depending on the size of your deep fryer) and fry until golden brown and crisp, anywhere from 4 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Drain fillets on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Serve with fries and malt vinegar.

Allow oil in fryer to return to 375° before adding next batch of fish. Serves 6.

Nutrition information (per fillet): 308 calories, 103 calories from fat, 11 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 122 milligrams cholesterol, 564 milligrams sodium, 16 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams sugar, 1 gram fiber.

The Main Tip

Fried foods won't turn out greasy if the oil is hot enough - but not smoking. To test, drop in a little piece of what you're cooking (like a spoonful of batter). It should sizzle and fry happily. If it splutters and doesn't fry immediately, the oil isn't ready.

Beer list

Gazz beer blogger Rich Ireland (thegazz.com/gblogs/beerstoyou/) offers these suggestions:

There are two ways you can go here.

I am careful not to douse the fish with too much vinegar or it will overpower the fish and the beer!