Vegan Fish Fillets: A Versatile Vegetarian Fish Alternative

Vegan Fish Fillets: A Versatile Vegetarian Fish Alternative

Do you have a favorite fish dish you’ve been missing since going vegan? If so, we’ve got the answer with this vegetarian fish alternative. With just ten ingredients, we can make some simple and versatile vegan fish fillets that work well in tons of different dishes. With a beautiful black nori “fish skin” on one side, and a savory, flaky, jackfruit and seitan “meat” on the other, this vegan fish substitute will work fantastically in tacos, soups and stews, fried, and more. Make a batch, and keep them in the fridge to use throughout the week- best of all, you’ve kept the oceans safe!

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vegan seafood recipe

Do Vegans Eat Fish?

As both a vegetarian and a vegan, people have asked me if I eat fish- the answer is no, vegans do not eat fish. Vegetarians don’t eat fish either. There is a specific group of people who do eat fish but don’t eat other meats, and they are called pescatarians. Now many types of sea animal are pretty obviously not a vegetable. Sea creatures from dolphins to goldfish have been shown to have cognitive skills and express emotions. But, depending on your view point of veganism and vegetarianism, things can get complicated. Oysters, for example, do not contain a brain or central nervous system, making it so people assume they can’t feel pain. Because of that, some people who avoid meat because they feel compassion about the suffering of others might argue that if oysters can’t feel pain, they also can’t suffer making them okay on a vegan diet. Honestly, where we draw the line between animals and plants is sometimes I bit murkier than I would like and if you want to call yourself vegan and eat oysters I’m not going to say anything. Although, just to clarify, vegans still don’t eat fish. My go to definition to decide if it’s food or not comes down to cell biology- I only eat foods with a cell wall.  Which is a nerdy way of saying plants (and not oysters or fish).

versatile fish substitute

Looking for Vegan Seafood? Try one of these recipes!

Ingredients You Need to Make Vegan Fish Fillets

  • Jackfruit is used to get the flaky, fish texture. Canned jackfruit can be found at many different grocery stores, probably in the international foods aisle. Stores like Trader Joe’s will have it as well. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor on it’s own, but it’s a great option to get a flaky, meat-like texture. Make sure you get green jackfruit (also called unripe jackfruit) in water or brine. Ripe jackfruit, often canned in syrup, is sweet and will not work in this recipe.
  • Vital Wheat Gluten is the glue that holds the fish together. You can get it at many grocery stores, and also online. The strong protein found in gluten is used to make seitan, or wheat meat. As long as it’s not overworked, it’s perfect for vegan fish.
  • Silken Tofu is important to break up the texture of the vital wheat gluten, allowing your fish to be softer and more delicate, and stopping it from becoming too toothsome.
  • Dulse is a variety of red seaweed, that has a great flavor when making a vegetarian fish alternative. I use it to get that fishy flavor in my dough. My dulse is harvested from up in New Brunswick, in the Bay of Fundy. If you cannot find dulse, feel free to substitute it with a different seaweed.
  • Nori is also used in this recipe. We use it to form the “skin” side of the fish fillets. Sushi nori is a better choice than snacking nori, because it’s strong, unflavored or salted, and a good size for our fish.
  • You only need a little bit, but vital wheat gluten has a very specific taste and apple cider vinegar removes a that flavor. Use white vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar.
  • Garlic, miso paste, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce all bring those delicious, savory, salty, umami flavors into the fish.

vegan fish fillet

How to Make Vegetarian Fish Alternative

These vegan fish fillets aren’t too hard to make, but they’re going to take a little time. The biggest tip I have for you is go slow and be gentle- the flaky texture can be ruined from too much processing, and the fillets can get tough if you work the dough too much. Start by processing the silken tofu with all the ingredients aside from the jackfruit, vital wheat gluten, and nori in your food processor. This part you want to be smooth and uniform, and you can’t over process it so just let it go. The next part is when you need to be more careful. In quick, short pulses, add the jackfruit. I found 4 pulses to be just perfect. You wait to keep the texture of the jackfruit, but just break it up, so make sure you’re not making a jackfruit smoothie. Next add the vital wheat gluten, and pulse a few more times- you want to just incorporate most of the flour, and then stop. Transfer to a bowl, and working slowly with clean hands, fold and turn the dough to totally incorporate the vital wheat gluten. Don’t kneed it, or it will be too tough. Just gently bring the dough together. Once your dough is formed, cut two pieces of nori in half. You only need three of these half sheets, so set one half sheet aside for the next time you make fish, or for some other use. Cover the half sheets of nori with the dough in an even layer, making sure to cover the whole surface. Next wrap up the fillets, first in parchment paper to prevent sticking, and then nice and snuggly in aluminum foil. Steam the fillets to cook them- I did mine in my instant pot for an hour, but you could use a traditional steamer. However, you might need to steam them a little longer and you will have to monitor them closely to insure they don’t run out of water. Once they’ve been steamed, open the foil and paper and allow them to cool with the nori-side up, otherwise it can get soggy. After that, they’re ready to be used in your favorite fish-free applications!

vegetarian fish alternative

Vegan Fish Fillets: A Versatile Vegetarian Fish Alternative

Vegan Fish Fillets: A Versatile Vegetarian Fish Alternative

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Yield: 3 Fillets

Vegan Fish Fillets: A Versatile Vegetarian Fish Alternative

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. silken tofu
  • 1 tbsp. white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp. powdered dulse
  • 1 20 oz. can of green jackfruit, drained and rinsed and gently squeezed dry
  • 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
  • 1 ½ sheets of sushi nori

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, combine the silken tofu, miso paste, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and dulse. Blend until smooth. Add the jackfruit, and pulse around 10 times. Be careful not to over process- you still want fairly big bits to give you that flaky texture. Add your vital wheat gluten, and pulse a few more times to mostly combine it. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, and use your hands to delicately fold the ingredients together into a smooth dough. Don’t kneed, as this will make your seitan more tough, and process as little as possible.
  2. Divide the dough into three even sections. Cut two sheets of nori in half, and reserve one half sheet for some future use. Gently and evenly, press one third of the dough across the surface of each half nori sheet. Wrap each fillet in parchment paper, before wrapping in aluminum foil. Add the trivet to your instant pot, and add a little water so it doesn’t cover the trivet. Place the wrapped fillets directly on the trivet and set to steam for 90 minutes. Once cooked, unwrap and let cool with the nori side up. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.
https://veryveganval.com/2021/04/04/vegan-fish-fillets-a-versatile-vegetarian-fish-alternative/

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