This vegan fried fish is the best beer battered fish I’ve ever had! It’s made with celeriac and seaweed and deep-fried in a delicious beer batter. Serve it with vegan tartar sauce and fries for the full vegan fish and chips experience!.
Putting ingredients to new and interesting use is one of my favorite parts of testing recipes for this blog. In this vegan fish recipe, celeriac is used as the “fish.” And we were blown away by how good it was.
Celeriac is a root vegetable in the same family as celery and parsnips. It looks a bit like an odd looking cabbage (or maybe that’s just me).
It’s definitely not what you would think of first when you think of making homemade vegan fish. But we just didn’t feel like using tofu (even though we love tofu). Last week, we used King oyster mushrooms in our “seafood” recipes, like our vegan shrimp and scallops. For our vegan crab cakes, we used heart of palm.
We thought it was a great time to try something new, so celeriac had its chance to shine, and shine it did!
This vegan fish is crispy, flaky and so divine. The texture is really spot on too. Additionally, it’s simple to make. Maybe not so simple that you’ll make it every other day, but it’s great for when you want a tasty vegan version of crispy battered fish and chips.
For any vegan or vegetarian who misses the taste of fish, making vegan fish at home is a great option. With the right ingredients and techniques, you can create vegan fish fillets, tacos, sandwiches and more that have an amazingly similar flaky texture and taste. Read on to learn all the tips and tricks for making irresistible vegan fish recipes.
Why Make Vegan Fish?
There are a few key reasons why making vegan versions of fish is worthwhile
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It allows vegetarians, vegans, and pescatarians to enjoy the familiar flavors and textures of fish dishes, without harming any animals.
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It’s better for the environment, since commercial fishing practices are often unsustainable and lead to overfishing.
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Vegan fish can be much healthier than real fish, since you control exactly what goes into it. It cuts out concerns like mercury, microplastics and other contaminants found in some fish.
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Homemade vegan fish fillets crab cakes shrimp and more cost just a fraction of what you’d pay for real seafood. It’s budget friendly!
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You can customize vegan seafood recipes to suit your tastes perfectly. Tweak flavors, textures and spice levels to your liking.
Choosing the Right Base Ingredient
The foundation of any vegan fish recipe is choosing an ingredient that can mimic the flaky texture of real fish. There are a few options to consider:
Tofu – Extra firm or super firm tofu can work when pressed to remove excess moisture. It doesn’t mimic fish as closely as other options though.
Seitan – With wheat gluten and seasonings, seitan can take on a stringy, meaty texture similar to fish.
Mushrooms – Sliced king oyster mushrooms are popular since they naturally have a fishy flavor.
Celeriac – This root vegetable can be sliced into filets and battered/fried for a flaky texture.
Hearts of Palm – The firm, white slices of hearts of palm work well for vegan crab cakes or fish sticks.
TVP (textured vegetable protein) – When rehydrated, TVP has a flaky, meaty texture that mimics fish perfectly.
For true-to-life vegan fish fillets, TVP is the best choice, since it shreds into delicate, tuna-like flakes when cooked. Celeriac and king oyster mushrooms also produce great results.
Vegan Fish Fillets from TVP
TVP stands for textured vegetable protein. It’s made from defatted soy flour and comes dried in a range of shapes and sizes. To use it for vegan fish, you want flat, wide slices or strips of TVP.
Here’s an overview of the method:
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Soak TVP slices in hot water for 30 minutes until fully softened. Some brands may take longer.
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Drain and squeeze out all excess moisture. The TVP should feel moist but not soaked.
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Chop TVP into shreds or pulse in a food processor into flaked “tuna” texture.
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Mix with seasonings like onion powder, garlic powder, vegan fish sauce, pepper and dill.
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For fillets, shape seasoned TVP into a rectangle and wrap in nori sheets. Or shape into a roll.
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Pan fry fillets or rolls until lightly browned on both sides.
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Serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, on bread for a sandwich, over salad or rice, etc.
The hydrated TVP gets an amazingly flaky, “meaty” texture, while nori sheets mimic the flavor of fish skin. Sprinkle on some dill or chives, and the vegan fish tastes incredibly realistic!
Beer Battered Veg Fish & Chips
For delicious vegan fish and chips, slices of celeriac work perfectly paired with a crisp beer batter coating. Here’s how to make this favorite pub food at home:
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Peel a large celeriac and slice into 1/2″ rounds. Boil for 10 minutes until just tender but not mushy.
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Let cool slightly. Stick a sheet of nori to each side to mimic fish skin.
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Make batter: whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, chopped nori sheets and cold beer. It should be thick, but pourable.
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Dip celeriac pieces in batter to fully coat, then fry in hot oil for 3-4 minutes per side.
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Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges, malt vinegar, vegan tartar sauce and chips.
The batter gets ultra crispy in the hot oil, surrounding the mild celeriac “fish” inside. With the nori’s ocean-like flavor, it’s a dead ringer for fried cod or other white fish. Batter up!
Quick & Easy Vegan Fish Tacos
For fast weeknight dinners, quick vegan fish tacos can’t be beat. Here’s one easy method:
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Use storebought vegan fish fillets or sticks, or quickly pan fry DIY TVP or heart of palm fillets.
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Warm corn tortillas in the microwave or oven so they’re pliable.
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Fill tortillas with fish pieces, shredded cabbage, avocado, salsa, vegan crema, cilantro or other desired taco toppings.
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Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over top.
The fish, creamy avocado, crisp cabbage and bright citrus and herbs are a winning flavor combination. You can also make vegan battered fish tacos by breading the fillets in cornmeal before frying.
Troubleshooting Vegan Fish Recipes
When venturing into vegan seafood territory for the first time, there can be a learning curve. Here are some common issues and how to avoid them:
Problem: Vegan fish too dense and rubbery, not flaky.
Solution: Use TVP, hearts of palm or mushrooms. Do not press tofu too long. Watch cooking times.
Problem: Fillet doesn’t hold shape, falls apart.
Solution: Drain TVP very well. Use less liquid when processing. Add cornstarch or breadcrumbs if needed.
Problem: Batter too thick, bready or won’t adhere.
Solution: Add more beer or water to thin. Use 50/50 AP flour & rice flour. Make sure food is dry before coating.
Problem: Fried coating greasy or soggy.
Solution: Use very hot oil. Don’t overfill pot. Drain on paper towels.
Problem: Fish taste too bland.
Solution: Amp up flavors with seaweed, vegan fish sauce, Old Bay seasoning, smoked paprika, sauces.
With a few attempts, you’ll discover the perfect way to make your favorite vegan fish recipes. The delicious results are well worth it!
Healthy Homemade Vegan Seafood Recipes to Try
Once you get the basics down, there are endless possibilities for vegan seafood dishes! Here are healthy recipe ideas to inspire you:
- Coconut Curry Vegan Shrimp
- Crispy Air Fryer Vegan Fish Sticks
- Baked Vegan Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli
- Southwestern Vegan Fish Tacos with Chipotle Mayo
- Mediterranean Grilled Vegan Salmon with Tzatziki
- Spicy Buffalo Vegan Calamari with Blue Cheese Dip
- Vegan Lobster Rolls with Herbed Mayo
- Poke Bowls with Marinated Tofu or Jackfruit
- Cajun Blackened Vegan Fish Po’ Boys
- Breaded Vegan Scallops & Chips with Malt Vinegar
- Grilled Vegan Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers
With the right techniques and seasonings, the possibilities are truly endless. Let your creativity run wild coming up with your own signature vegan fish dishes!
Make the Switch to Cruelty-Free Fish
If you love seafood but want to move to a more compassionate plant-based diet, then giving vegan fish recipes a try is a must. The variety of plant-based ingredients that amazingly mimic the taste and texture of finned-fish continue to expand.
From hearty fish and chips to tacos, sandwiches, ceviche and more, you can find a vegan version of just about any fish dish out there. Try out a few different vegan fish preparations until you discover your favorites. Then stock up on the ingredients and supplies you need to recreate those tasty recipes anytime.
In no time, you’ll forget all about real fish once you realize how delicious, affordable and accessible vegan fish options can be. So venture out of your comfort zone, grab some TVP and celeriac, and get ready to be hooked on kinder, greener vegan fish recipes. Your taste buds (and the fish) will thank you.
Ingredients You’ll Need For Beer Battered Vegan Fish:
- Celeriac: One big celeriac root, at least 1 and ½ pounds (680g), but it’s okay if it’s a bit bigger. You don’t want it to be too small, or you won’t be able to get enough “fish” out of it to make it worth it.
- Cold beer—the beer needs to be cold for the batter to be cold. So, when the cold batter hits the hot oil, it gets really crispy. You won’t be able to taste the beer, and the alcohol will also be cooked off. You can use any beer brand you have on hand or like, but a light-colored beer works best. Darker beers, like stouts and porters, might change the taste too much.
- Nori sheets—we put nori sheets on top of the celeriac to make the seafood taste even better, and we also chop the nori to use in our beer batter.
- Sesame oil has a high smoke point and is great for frying over high heat. You can use any oil with a high smoke point instead, like avocado or grapeseed oil.
- Vegan fish fried in beer needs rice flour to get crispy. The flour we use is a mix of white rice flour and wheat flour. The all-purpose flour turns our fish golden, and the rice flour makes it really crunchy. It’s a win/win.
How To Make Vegan Fish
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Peel the celeriac.
- Split it in half, and then cut each half into pieces that are ½ inch thick.
- Put about 3 liters of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a big pot. Then, bring it to a boil.
- Fill the pot with water to the brim with celeriac pieces. Boil the celeriac for 10 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Carefully take the celeriac pieces out of the pot and set them on a wire rack to cool down a bit.
- After the celeriac pieces have cooled a bit, put one on top of another on a nori sheet so that the nori sticks to one side of the celeriac.
- Snip off the nori so that you have a piece of celeriac with nori skin on one side.
- Next, put the celeriac piece back on the wire cooling rack. Do this again and again until all of the celeriac pieces have a nori skin on one side.
- Add ¼ cup of rice flour to a bowl.
- Cover all sides of each piece of celeriac with a thin layer of rice flour by dipping it in the flour slowly.
- Put all of the coated pieces back on the wire rack for cooling.
- Put all-purpose flour and rice flour into a mixing bowl by sifting them together. Add salt, baking powder and chopped nori and mix together.
- Whisk in the cold beer slowly until the flour is just mixed in. You should now have a batter. It’s a fairly thin batter. Don’t overmix.
- Put 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a pan and heat it over medium-low heat until it’s hot.
- Coat both sides of a piece of celeriac with the batter all the way through.
- Put the nori skin side down in the hot pan.
- Repeat the battering steps until there are enough celeriac pieces in the pan so that they don’t touch each other.
- After about three minutes, the nori side should be golden brown and crispy.
- Then carefully flip the celeriac pieces over and fry the other side for another two to three minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- Once the celeriac is done, put the pieces on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to soak up any extra oil.
- Put 2 tablespoons more sesame oil in the pan and heat it up. Then, coat the celeriac in the batter and fry it again until all of the pieces are golden brown and crispy. Add more oil as needed.
- On the side, put vegan tartar sauce, lemon wedges, fresh parsley, and chips.
Sides: Some crispy fries/chips are the perfect side making this a classic vegan fish and chips dish. To save time on this recipe, we used frozen chips that were cooked in the air fryer until they were lovely and crispy. Lemon wedges and a sprinkle of fresh parsley complete the dish. If you’d like to pair it with some salad then vegan coleslaw pairs beautifully with this.
Don’t let the boiled celeriac cool too much. Cereal should be left to cool until it’s warm to the touch and still wet after it boils in hot water. This way the nori sheets will stick to it easily. When it’s too hot, the nori will just pull away from it. But when it’s very cold and dry, it won’t stick at all. So it should be warm and slightly moist.
The oil must be hot before you add the celeriac pieces. Cold oil will make the batter soggy; it needs to be hot for the batter to get crispy and tasty. The battered celeriac pieces should sizzle when they hit the pan.
Easy to make gluten-free: just swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free all-purpose blend.
Change the beer to sparkling water and add an extra ¼ teaspoon of baking powder to make it alcohol-free.
Oven/air fryer: This is one recipe where it’s just worth it to fry it. However, it does not work the same way in the oven or air fryer. You are welcome to try it though!
This vegan fish is best served hot and fresh. But it will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
The best way to get it crispy again is to heat it up in an air fryer at 350° for 5 to 10 minutes. But you can also heat it up again in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes on a baking sheet that has been greased.
It’s not recommended for freezing.
VEGAN FISH FILLETS⎜ONLY 4 INGREDIENTS⎜SUPER EASY!!
How do you Eat Vegan Fish?
Serve your vegan fish with some vegan tartar sauce, vegan mayo, vegan Chick-fil-A sauce, or some chipotle mayo, or simply squeeze a slice of lemon juice over it! To make fish sticks, cut the tofu into long thin strips about 1/2 inch thick, then batter and fry as you would the larger “fish” patties.
How can I prepare fish for kids?
This is really dependent on the personal preference of your children. Some children will eat fish the same way adults do for others you may need to make this more interesting by creating things like homemade fishcakes, fish burger patties, fish balls or by adding this to toast or even pasta. Involving your children in the preparation and cooking process can also encourage them to consume the fish.
How do you cook Vegan Fish Fillets?
One of my favorite ways to cook these vegan fish fillets is to sauté garlic and shallots until golden brown, then deglaze with a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of sugar, and plenty of black pepper. Pour a few tablespoons of water to dilute the sauce and add your fillets. Cook for a few minutes and serve with rice or veggies.
How many ingredients are in a vegan fish recipe?
Just 10 ingredients to make this vegan fish recipe! Tofu is sliced thinly part way through to make an amazing flaky texture. Then the tofu is coated in a marinade made with nori seaweed which gives a taste of the sea. The perfect vegetarian seafood alternative.