Vegan Fish Tacos
Meet one of my favorites – Vegan Fish Tacos! Featuring tender hearts of palm that are seasoned, coated, and fried to golden perfection then loaded into warm tortillas and topped with crunchy cabbage and the most delicious chipotle crema!
Ingredients
Chipotle Crema:
- • ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- • ½ cup chipotles in adobo sauce plus 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce
- • ¼ cup vegan sour cream
- • 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- • 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- • ¼ - ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- • Kosher salt to taste
‘Fish’ Tacos:
- • Vegetable oil for frying
- • 1 15-ounce can of hearts of palm, drained, patted dry, and cut into 1”-inch rounds (*see recipe notes 1)
- • ½ cup all-purpose flour
- • 1 teaspoon salt
- • 1 teaspoon pepper
- • ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- • 2 prepared vegan eggs *see recipe notes 2
- • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning *see recipe notes 3
- • Zest of 1 lime
- • 8 6-inch warmed flour tortillas
- • 1 ½ cups purple cabbage finely shredded
- • 2 avocados thinly sliced
- • Chopped fresh cilantro
- • Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Place the chipotle crema ingredients into a small blender or food processor along with ¼ cup of the non-dairy milk and pulse until smooth. If the consistency is too thick, add a few more tablespoons of non-dairy milk until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt if necessary. Set aside.
- To prepare the “fish,” pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a sauté pan over medium heat. While the oil heats, set up the dredging station (*see recipe notes 4). In one shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk and prepared vegan egg. In a third, combine the panko breadcrumbs, Old Bay seasoning.
- Working in batches, coat each of the hearts of palm with the seasoned flour. Tap off the excess flour and carefully dip the hearts of palm in the milk mixture, turning and tossing to coat all sides. Then, using a slotted spoon or tongs, place the hearts of palm into the panko breadcrumbs, tossing to coat. Gently drop the coated hearts of palm pieces into the hot oil and fry until golden and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and repeat until all the hearts of palm are coated and fried (*see recipe notes 5).
- To assemble the tacos, Fill each tortilla with some cabbage, a couple pieces of fried “fish,” avocado slices, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!
Notes
1. Hearts of palm is wonderful ingredient to use in place of seafood. If possible, try to find hearts of palm that are sustainably grown and produced. Hearts of palm usually come canned or jarred, and you can typically find them in the same aisle as the canned vegetables—typically next to the artichoke hearts. I also have luck finding them in many Asian markets.
2. In this recipe, the vegan egg is used to help create a thick batter for the panko breadcrumbs to stick to. I use the packaged egg replacer from Bob’s Red Mill for convenience. You can typically find it at most health food stores and some bigger chains such as Target and Walmart. Simply follow the instructions on the back of the package for preparing the number of vegan eggs needed for the recipe. If you’re unable to access strou-bought vegan egg, you can make a chia or flax egg instead.To make a chia or flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed meal with 21⁄2 tablespoons of water (this is equivalent to 1 “egg”). Set aside to coagulate for about 5 minutes before adding to any recipe that calls for vegan eggs.
3. Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company, and originally created in Baltimore, Maryland. The seasoning is a mix of celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, and many others. Somme of the other spices that may be used are laurel leaves, mustard, salt, cardamom, cloves, and ginger as listed in the original product in the Baltimore Museum of Industry. It’s come to my attention that Old Bay isn’t easily accessible in some parts of world. If you’re unable to access it, you can simply make your own! I’ve linked a couple recipes within the blog post that I personally enjoy.
4. For dredging, I like to use shallow containers with lids (as you can see in the recipe video within this post). I find this makes dredging much easier and faster!
5. If you prefer to air fry the hearts of palm, place the coated hearts of palm into your air fryer basket (you may have to do this in batches), spray with some cooking oil, and air fry at 400°F until golden and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
2. In this recipe, the vegan egg is used to help create a thick batter for the panko breadcrumbs to stick to. I use the packaged egg replacer from Bob’s Red Mill for convenience. You can typically find it at most health food stores and some bigger chains such as Target and Walmart. Simply follow the instructions on the back of the package for preparing the number of vegan eggs needed for the recipe. If you’re unable to access strou-bought vegan egg, you can make a chia or flax egg instead.To make a chia or flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed meal with 21⁄2 tablespoons of water (this is equivalent to 1 “egg”). Set aside to coagulate for about 5 minutes before adding to any recipe that calls for vegan eggs.
3. Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company, and originally created in Baltimore, Maryland. The seasoning is a mix of celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, and many others. Somme of the other spices that may be used are laurel leaves, mustard, salt, cardamom, cloves, and ginger as listed in the original product in the Baltimore Museum of Industry. It’s come to my attention that Old Bay isn’t easily accessible in some parts of world. If you’re unable to access it, you can simply make your own! I’ve linked a couple recipes within the blog post that I personally enjoy.
4. For dredging, I like to use shallow containers with lids (as you can see in the recipe video within this post). I find this makes dredging much easier and faster!
5. If you prefer to air fry the hearts of palm, place the coated hearts of palm into your air fryer basket (you may have to do this in batches), spray with some cooking oil, and air fry at 400°F until golden and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!