The question we’ve all been asking ourselves, what are the best vegan fish and seafood recipes that we can make at home? After many of you watched the amazing documentary on Netflix, Seaspiracy, we wanted to share the most delicious recipes that emulate vegan fish and seafood.
Vegan Fish Recipes to Start a Healthy Day
It is surprising how easily fish-based recipes can be reproduced. So whether you’re craving the textures found in a smoked salmon bagel, the comfort of a melted tuna sandwich, or some good old-fashioned fish and chips, these vegan fish recipes will be like a day at the beach for you.
#1. Avocado, Mango and Kimchi Sushi Rolls
If you’re looking to add a little jazz to your standard sushi recipe, give this a try. Avocado and mango work incredibly well together and add a creamy sweetness, while kimchi cuts that off with its spiciness. These sushi bites are such an explosion of flavor that you will get addicted.
#2. Vegan Crab Cakes with Horseradish Dill Tartar Sauce
These crab cakes are a delight. You could even use them in a burger if you want. But one thing is for sure, and that is that these will be a treat at the dinner table. The magic ingredient in fishy texture? Artichokes!
#3. Fish-style parsnip fillets
How could the humble parsnip take something like fish, right? Well, when you think of fried fish fillets, you probably taste more of the crumb layer than the fish, and it’s the same thing here. The parsnips are topped with breadcrumbs, lemon pepper, lemon juice, and dill. They are then served on rye bread with tartar sauce. Add some peas, and you have a memory of your fishy childhood roots.
#4. Vegan Smoked Salmon Bagel with Cream Cheese
This recipe is revolutionary for vegans or anyone who fears they will miss salmon too much to break up. This recipe looks and feels exactly like a salmon and cream cheese bagel, but everything in this dish is vegan-friendly. The lox salmon is made with nothing less than tomato carpaccio.
#5. New England clam chowder
Once again, mushrooms take clams due to their shared texture, and the chopped Nori gives this soup a true taste of the sea. It’s thick and creamy, but if you like your soup super hearty, add a little crumb on top, you’ll think you’re eating a real seaside meal. Congratulations on also having a YouTube video for you to follow.
What Are the VEGAN FISH ALTERNATIVES?
So you might be wondering what vegan plant-based foods you can use to replace ‘fish’ in seafood recipes. There are so many. Let’s have a look:
Tofu – Many people love the texture of tofu, particularly in a fish’ n chip batter!
Banana Flowers – These are available, usually canned, in the canned vegetable aisle. They are also incredibly battered.
- Palm hearts – These are hearts from the palm plant. They come canned on sticks. They are perfect to substitute for lobster or crab-like in Vegan Lobster Roll.
- Artichoke hearts: they are another great imitation of the texture of seafood. Try them in the batter!
- Chickpeas: These dense little balls of goodness are perfect on vegan chickpea and tuna sandwiches!
- Carrots – Their orange color makes carrots a perfect substitute for salmon in smoked salmon / smoked salmon.
VEGAN FISH FLAVOR
All of those products are great, texture-wise, but what about the fishy taste in the dishes? If you haven’t had meat for a long time, the fishy flavor won’t be lost, so you don’t need to add it. However, if you’re cutting back on meat/fish, flexitarian, or freshly vegan, then you might want to replicate that sea flavor. That is how!
Nori seaweed
In some dishes, like vegan tuna, most people prefer to add nori seaweed. You can find it in ethnic stores, larger supermarkets, and Trader Joe’s. They are the sheets of seaweed that are used in sushi to wrap rice rolls. Try adding a little shredded in vegan dishes without fish.
Other algae
Like Nori, seaweed, dulse, and other seaweed bring a true salty flavor to the seashore, but without harming any fish! Just crumble a bit and add it in place of salt. Plus, it’s good for you too!
Vegan fish sauce
Many recipes call for fish sauce to give them a lot of flavors. You can skip it or try making your vegan fish sauce based on a cooled, concentrated broth of mushroom powder, soy sauce, seaweed, and garlic.
Old Bay Seasoning
Old Bay is a tasty seasoning mix often used in fish dishes. It’s vegan, so it’s a great way to add flavorful flavor. Get the easy Old Bay Seasoning recipe.
Looking for other healthy alternatives check out our blog on healthy lunch ideas.
