This vegan fish and chips recipe is so authentic that you won’t know you aren’t eating the real thing! Thanks to hearts of palm we’re able to mimic the flaky texture of fish that we beer batter and deep fry. Enjoy this classic recipe any night of the week, no pub needed!
Why I Made Vegan Fish and Chips
The classic “when I was growing up” moment here. Except for the complete opposite. I hated fish before I went vegan. I literally never enjoyed it. My parents never really ate. The only time they would is when they ordered fish and chips from a small diner in Chippewa where I grew up but it stunk so bad I always hated it.
A lot of people go pescatarian because they can’t give up fish and this recipe is to show everyone that you can still enjoy all your favorite foods without the need to hurt animals. And yes fish count as animals too.
Much to my surprise without the strong pungent smell of fish I actually very much enjoy vegan fish and chips! Crispy beer batter on the outside and the flaky juicy interior is a delicious combination, especially when you pair it with our vegan tartar sauce
How To Make Vegan Fish and Chips
This recipe is actually relatively easy to make! Ironically it’s the homemade french fries or chips that take the most time. If you’re making them from frozen, which is perfectly acceptable, it would cut down on how much time you need to make this recipe.
In recipe testing, I tried making the batter in several different ways to see how we could get the best and crispiest batter. I unashamedly ran out of beer one time testing the recipe and had to use a grapefruit Bubly. The results were surprisingly not that bad but out of all the beers and bubbly waters I tried red beers (think Rickards Red) gave us the best results.
I’ve seen quite a few people use a food processor to blend the ingredients together but that doesn’t give you the flaky texture that actually fish gives you so I prefer to tear the hearts of palms apart by hand.
Ingredients for Vegan Fish and Chips
Hearts of Palm
Panko
Roasted Seaweed
Vegan Sour Cream
Neutral Cooking Oil
Beer or Bubbly Water (red beer if possible)
Flour
Spices
Kitchen Equipment I used for recipe:
‘Spider’ Ladle Strainer – Don’t worry this has nothing to do with actual spiders but this tool is integral to your success of not burning yourself or your house down!
Wok for Deep Frying – If you have a deep fryer feel free to use that but I don’t and I don’t plan on ever buying one. This wok is great because the few times a year I want to deep fry I can do it in this and for the rest of the year, I can use it for other things!
Instructions for Vegan Fish and Chips
If you’re cooking the fries from frozen follow the instructions on the bag. Start by washing your potatoes and getting rid of all the dirt on them. Place the potatoes on a cutting board and cut them into shoestring pieces. Place the pieces into a large bowl and cover with cold water for 10 minutes. Strain your potatoes and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Prepare your fish fillets. Open the can of hearts of palms and gently squeeze excess water from the sticks. Tear the palm sticks apart by hand shredding them into smaller pieces. Add Panko crumbs, vegan sour cream, old bay spice, and crumbled roasted seaweed and combine. Grab a handful of the mixture and form them into fillets shapes about half an inch thick. The mixture creates between 3-4 fillets depending on how big you make them. Place them on a plate and refrigerate them while you cook the rest.
In a large Wok or deep fryer heat oil on high. Oil is ready when you put one droplet of water in and it begins to sizzle, alternatively, you can use an oil thermometer. Use a spider spatula or tongs to gently lower the fries into the oil cooking for 8 minutes (not cooking them all the way through) work in batches if necessary. Use the spider spatula to remove the fries from the oil and let them rest in a paper towel-lined bowl for 5-10 minutes. Let the oil heat back up and then place the fries back into the oil and cook until crispy about 10 more minutes. Remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
In a large mixing bowl mix, all of the dry ingredients for the beer batter together. Then mix in your beer in a half a cup at a time. Once the batter is ready place your fillets in and cover them completely in batter. Using tongs or the spider spatula lower the vegan fish fillets into the heated oil one at a time. Cooking until golden brown and crispy about 3-5 minutes, flipping if necessary. Repeat this process for all of the fillets.
Plate the vegan fish fillets with french fries.
Serve with a slice of lemon and vegan tartar sauce.
Full Measurements & Instructions Below!
Commonly Asked Vegan Fish and Chips Questions
Can you make vegan fish and chips ahead of time?
This meal is best enjoyed fresh right after cooking them. You can prepare certain aspects of this meal ahead of time. The inside of the vegan fish can be refrigerated for 24 hours before use.
How to store vegan fish and chips?
It’s best to enjoy vegan fish and chips freshly cooked as with many deep-fried foods they tend to lose their crispiness the longer they sit out. They can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours after cooking and reheated in the oven.
Vegan Fish and Chips
Vegan Fish & Chips
John Rush
This vegan fish and chips recipe is so authentic that you won’t know you aren’t eating the real thing! Thanks to hearts of palm we’re able to mimic the flaky texture of fish that we beer batter and deep fry. Enjoy this classic recipe any night of the week, no pub needed!
Equipment
Wok
Air Fryer
Mixing Bowl
Tongs
“Spider” Ladle Strainer
Ingredients
1x
2x
3x
Vegan Fish
2 cans Hearts of Palm
½ cup Panko Crumbs
2 tablespoon Vegan Sour Cream
2 teaspoon Old Bay Spice
1 tablespoon Seaweed crumbled
Beer Batter
1.5 cups Beer
1 cup Flour
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon Paprika
Chips
4 large Russet Potatoes
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
Or
1 bag Frozen French Fries optional
Instructions
Chips
If you’re cooking the fries from frozen follow the instructions on the bag. Start by washing your potatoes and getting rid of all the dirt on them. Place the potatoes on a cutting board and cut them into shoestring pieces. Place the pieces into a large bowl and cover with cold water for 10 minutes. Strain your potatoes and pat them dry with a paper towel.
In a large Wok or deep fryer heat oil on high. Oil is ready when you put one droplet of water in and it begins to sizzle, alternatively, you can use an oil thermometer.
Use a spider spatula or tongs to gently lower the fries into the oil cooking for 8 minutes (not cooking them all the way through) work in batches if necessary. Use the spider spatula to remove the fries from the oil and let them rest in a paper towel-lined bowl for 5-10 minutes. Let the oil heat back up and then place the fries back into the oil and cook until crispy about 10 more minutes. Remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Vegan Fish
Prepare your fish fillets. Open the can of hearts of palms and gently squeeze excess water from the sticks. Tear the palm sticks apart by hand shredding them into smaller pieces. Add Panko crumbs, vegan sour cream, old bay spice, and crumbled roasted seaweed and combine. Grab a handful of the mixture and form them into fillets shapes about half an inch thick. The mixture creates between 3-4 fillets depending on how big you make them. Place them on a plate and refrigerate them while you cook the rest.
In a large mixing bowl mix, all of the dry ingredients for the beer batter together. Then mix in your beer in a half a cup at a time.
Once the batter is ready place your fillets in and cover them completely in batter. Using tongs or the spider spatula lower the vegan fish fillets into the heated oil one at a time. Cooking until golden brown and crispy about 3-5 minutes, flipping if necessary. Repeat this process for all of the fillets.
Plate the vegan fish fillets with french fries.
Serve with a slice of lemon and vegan tartar sauce.
Pups Notes
Any carbonated drink would work instead of beer but through recipe testing I found that red beers worked best!
I’ve seen quite a few people use a food processor to blend the ingredients together but that doesn’t give you the flaky texture that actually fish gives you so I prefer to tear the hearts of palms apart by hand.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving
Calories: 578kcal
Carbohydrates: 111g
Protein: 17g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
Sodium: 703mg
Potassium: 1678mg
Fiber: 10g
Sugar: 4g
Vitamin A: 97IU
Vitamin C: 33mg
Calcium: 171mg
Iron: 10mg