Vegan Fish and Chips
Truth be told, I have never been a fish person. I haven’t eaten meat or fish for 37 years, so in all fairness, I have no idea what it’s supposed to taste like! I dislike fishiness so much that I can’t even handle the nori wrap on sushi.
Have you made my vegan lobster rolls ? How about my vegan tuna for my nicoise salad? You may’ve noticed there is nothing fishy about them. The same can be expected from this vegan fish and chips plate.
So why bother making vegan fish plates? For the lobster rolls, I did it for the old bay flavor! Same for the nicoise, I just love the textures of that salad and the flavor of the dressing. For the vegan fish and chips, it’s about the beer batter and malt vinegar and vegan tartar. As much as I dislike fish, I love a good condiment.
Ingredients for Vegan Fish and Chips
Heart of Palm
This is what gives the vegan fish it’s flakiness. There isn’t really a good substitute for it. If you made my vegan lobster rolls you know the flaky texture I am talking about. As I mentioned, you aren’t going to get a total flaky fish texture from this recipe, but it’s good to have decent chunks of heart of palm to mimic it a bit.
Vegan Worcestershire
It’s not typical that Worcestershire is vegan, as it usually has anchovy paste in it, but they do have vegan versions! I would check online and at your local health food shop. This is my favorite one. Whenever I see it, I stock up on it.
Vegan Tartar Sauce
I wouldn’t skip this, it’s such a great addition and really makes the dish. All you have to do is mix the following and let it set in the fridge while you make the vegan fish.
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo
- 1/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dill
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Malt Vinegar
I just really love a condiment, so if you have access to malt vinegar, grab a bottle because it brightens the fish and chips!
Old Bae Seasoning
You can easily make your own or easily find at the market! This is the real flavor profile of the dish, so don’t skimp!
Making Vegan Fish and Chips
This mixture is the “fish”. It’s a combination of heart of palm and seasonings. It’s consistency is a bit chunky (to get as much of that flakiness as possible) and not too processed. When my husband ate it he said it wound up having the consistence of more of a beer battered crab cake than a fillet of fish, which I am totally fine with.
After that it’s batter time! The batter is beer based and seasoned with my homemade Old Bae. In addition to all the seasonings from the fish mixture and the tartar sauce and the malt vinegar, it’s important to still season the beer batter. You won’t really taste the beer, as it’s job is to make a lot of bubbles in the batter for it’s unique fry texture, so the Old Bae gives it a flavor that’s consistent with the recipe.
First you are going to shape your fish fillets and then dip them in the batter and then fry! That’s really all there is to it! For the chips I just thinly cut potatoes and fry them in the same oil and sprinkle with Old Bae.
Serving Vegan Fish and Chips
Serving fish and chips is pretty casual. If you have ever been to a pub where they this is served, it’s usually in a paper lined basket. So casual is the game here!
Adding lemon slices adds some extra flavor and that “brightness” I love so much in a dish. I also sprinkle a bit of dill for a finishing touch.
Enjoy!
Vegan Fish and Chips
Very simple fish and chips! The perfect excuse to whip out the malt vinegar and tartar sauce.
Ingredients
- 500 g heart of palm, chopped chunky
- 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dark miso
- 1 tbsp Old Bay
- 1 tbsp dry sill
- 1 tbsp malt vinegar
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup filtered water
Batter
- 1 can of beer
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 tbsp Old Bay
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Gently mix all ingredients in a medium bowl
- In a seperate bowl, mix together the batter until completely mixed
- Heat a shallow fry pan with desired cooking oil on medium/high heat
- Shape the heart of mixture into 2 inch by 4 inch patties about 1/2 inch thick and place on a plate to keep there shape while you work through the mixture. See image above for example.
- Dip one "fillet" at a time into the beer batter mixture and place in the fry pan and fry on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes each side. Don't crowd the pan with too many fillets.
- Place fried fillet on paper towl to drain.
- If you are making chips from scratch, simply wash desired amount of potatoes and slice into super thin shoe strings and fry in same oil as fillets.
- Drain fries before plating on paper towl or clean kitchen towel.
- Plate with sliced lemones and sprinkle of Old Bay along side your chips.
- Enjoy!
If enjoyed this meal let me know what you think by leaving a ★★★★★ star rating and comment below with any questions or feedback. These are two small things that add up to a ton of support, which I really appreciate. Also show off your pics to me on instagram by tagging @theveganholidayblog and #veganholidaypic – I am excited to see your meals!
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