November 5, 2023

Lion’s Mane Vegetarian Fish and Chips

Despite common lure, you actually can be vegan and eat fish. And no, it’s not the same as being a pescatarian. You just have to make sure the fish you’re eating isn’t actually fish. Okay, admittedly that was a stupid introduction, but after writing nearly 500 of them you have to expect the odd bit of stupidity, if only just to shake things up. This vegetarian fish and chips is 0ne of those fish recipes that isn’t using real fish- it’s made of lion’s mane mushrooms instead. The mushrooms have that ocean flavor, after a quick boil in a seaweed broth, and are flaky and delicious (although I believe a bit less tender than actual fish). They are coated in a beer batter and fried until golden and crispy. Paired with a simple oven-baked seasoned chip (or fry, in American), this delightful vegan dupe will leave y0u full and satisfied and the fish happily in the ocean.

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The Evolution of the Gourmet Mushroom

Humans have been eating wild mushrooms for a long time- likely since there were humans. Wild mushrooms have been used for sustenance, medicine, and even as a ritual and recreational psychedelic. Given the long history of mushroom consumption, commercial mushroom farming is a fairly new phenomenon.

China first domesticated shiitake mushrooms about 800 years ago (much later than the cultivation of barley and wheat, over 10,000 years ago). Mushrooms weren’t cultivated in Europe until the 1600’s, when the French started growing Agaricus bisporus in caves. The same mushroom, also called the button mushroom, was the first to be farmed in the Americas as well, starting in 1865 (just one year after the invention of rollerblades). And for a long time the button mushroom was all that Americans (and Europeans) knew.

And a few mushrooms trickled into the market- cremini and Portabella first, as they are simply more mature button mushrooms. Shiitake and sometimes oysters slowly found their way into grocery store shelves as well, but it wasn’t until around 2010 that gourmet mushrooms really took off. Suddenly there was a demand for new and exciting mushroom varieties, and producers worked to grow and sell different cultivated mushrooms. Now adays you can find the usual button, cremini, portobella, and shiitakes and oysters in every color, but also loin’s mane, beech, enoki, king oyster, maitake, wood year, and even chantarelles.

Looking for Lion’s Mane Recipes? Try one of these!

Looking for Vegan Fish Recipes? Try one of these!

How to Make Our Vegetarian Fish and Chips

Since we made our own chips with this recipe, we’re going to start there. We made some seasoned wedge-style potatoes and baked them. Please feel free to improvise here and do your own methods of favorite chip recipe, because whilst our wedge potatoes are delicious the magic in this recipe is all in the lion’s mane fish. We kept our potatoes simple- slice them up, toss in a mixture of spices and oil, and throw them in the oven for 40 minutes, flipping once at the half-way mark.

Now on to the star of the show, our fish. The sneaky little secret trick we’re going to be implementing here is to boil our mushrooms before frying them. That will do a few things- firstly soften the mushrooms and make them more tender. Secondly, making them easier to shape and handle. And finally, we are going to add flavors to the boiling water so that the lion’s mane itself takes on a more fish-like taste. To add flavor to the mushroom, we’re going to add some seaweed (strands of dulse, in this case), salt, and old bay seasoning. After a quick boil, remove the mushrooms from the broth and let them cool a little. You want them to be cooled enough so that when you gently squeeze out the moisture your hands are not scalded by boiling water- and keep in mind the water inside is going to be hotter than the outside. Once you’ve reached that handleable point, squeeze to remove the excess liquid and form the mushrooms into a flatter and more even shape, so it fries nicely.

After that, make a quick beer batter and fry the vegetarian fish until nicely golden. Grab your chips from the oven, and whip up your favorite dipping sauce. Something akin to a vegan tartar sauce would be perfect.

Lion’s Mane Vegetarian Fish and Chips

Ingredients

For the “Fish”

1 quart (4 cups) lions mane mushrooms
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup dried whole dulse
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. old bay seasoning (divided)
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup corn starch
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ cup light beer
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the Chips

1 ½ lb. russet potatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. parsley stems, finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Zest of one lemon

Instructions

Start on your chips. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking tray with a silicone mat or baking paper. Cut the potatoes in half down the length, and then into half-moon wedges. Combine them with the remaining ingredients for the chips in a large mixing bowl, and toss to coat all the potatoes in oil and spices. Spread them in a single layer on your baking sheet (use another sheet if needed), and bake for 40 minutes, flipping them once halfway through until they are golden and crispy.
While the potatoes cook, move on the “fish”. Start by breaking the lion’s mane mushrooms into pieces of the desired size- I found that for the most part their
natural size worked well, but for a couple really large ones I broke them in half. Make a brine by combining 4 cups of water, the soy sauce, dulse, one teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of the old bay seasoning in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, and add the mushrooms. Cook for around 5 minutes before draining the liquid and allowing to cool enough to touch. Once cooled, press gently between your palms to create a flatter shape and remove excess liquid.
Heat some oil in a skillet with tall sides- you’ll need enough oil to cover at least half of the lions mane mushrooms once pressed and battered. Combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and remaining old bay and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the beer and stir to incorporate and remove lumps. Once the oil is hot (about 375 degrees), dip the lion’s mane mushrooms in the beer batter and then place in the hot skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes until golden brown, flip, cook another minute or two, and remove from the oil onto a cooling rack. Repeat, working in batches so as not to over-crowd the pan. Serve your fish and chips warm, with the dipping sauce of your choice.