Fish And Chips… Hold The Fish
Fish and chips are iconic, but finding a good fish-free version? That’s a whole other story. When I was visiting the UK, I stumbled upon a place promoting “vegan fish and chips,” and to say I was excited is an understatement. Turns out, their rendition was just soggy, fried eggplant. Major letdown! So, I decided to put on my food scientist hat and make a recipe that actually has the taste and texture of fish. Enter hearts of palm! This ingredient is the secret to creating that flaky, fish-like texture and mild, buttery flavor. Other than that, all you need are some simple pantry items (you might need to grab some hearts of palm, but trust me, they’ll become a staple after you take your first bite!).
Here’s The Ingredient Low-Down
When testing this vegan fried fish recipe, I only used ingredients that would help maintain that classic flaky fish texture and oceanic flavor. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements—this is a quick overview!
Hearts of Palm: Their color and mild flavor resemble white fish typically used in fried fish. When roughly chopped, they also have a texture similar to flaked fish. You can find them canned in most grocery stores! Panko: These Japanese-style breadcrumbs have an extra-light, crispy texture (thanks to the use of crustless white bread), giving this vegan fish the perfect texture. Nori: Yup, seaweed comes from the sea, so it gives us a hint of the ocean! Look for nori sheets in the international aisle of the grocery store. Capers: These little salty gems are often associated with fish, tricking your brain into thinking this vegetarian recipe is actually fish. Old Bay: What else would we season a “seafood” dish with? Vegan Mayonnaise: We’ll use vegan mayo to help glue everything together (just like in crab or salmon cakes). Batter: We’ll dip our vegan fish into a classic beer batter consisting of flour, Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ale-style beer!
Making Vegan Fish And Chips Is Easy
This vegan fish recipe comes together quickly—just blitz, shape, batter, and fry! (You can jump to the recipe card for the full printable instructions). Step 1: Blitz The FillingAdd all the fish ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Use the pulse button to chop things up just a little. Step 2: Shape The FishPress a scoop of the filling between your palms to make a flattish log. Once they’re all shaped, freeze them for no more than 15 minutes before frying. Step 3: Beer Batter Up!Whisk up the beer batter ingredients in a bowl until smooth and combined. Step 4: Heat The OilHeat oil in a large pot. You need just enough to cover the fish, so you don’t need it too deep. Step 5: Assemble And FryUse a fork to carefully dunk each piece of “fish” into the batter. Fry for about 5 minutes until perfectly golden and heated through. Serve immediately!
Recipe tips
Serve it up Hot: These are best served fresh and hot! Leftover vegan fried fish doesn’t taste great, but if you have some, you can reheat them in the air fryer. Manual Labor: No food processor? No problem! Chop the hearts of palm with a knife and mash everything together with a fork. You won’t get the exact same texture, but it does the trick in a pinch! Dip of Choice: Tartar sauce is the classic pairing, but you can also reach for malt vinegar or ketchup.
Here, Fishy Fishy!
Vegan fish and chips go together like peanut butter and jelly, but there’s always room for more!
Neeps And Tatties: Instead of chips, lighten your vegan fish up with this lower-carb side dish. Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Wedges: For a sweet twist, swap regular potato fries for some sweet potatoes. Parsley Salad: Add some healthy, refreshing greens to the fried food.
Of course, don’t forget a pint to wash everything down!
