September 8, 2016
Vegan Calamari
A lot of non-vegans still believe us “hippie-dippies” are sitting in our backyards, hugging trees and nibbling on lettuce.
While I think that sounds like a damn good time, that is simply just not the case.
A huge goal Ashlee and I have throughout our journey as food bloggers is to show omnivores that we can reinvent many classic and traditional recipes in a new and creative plant-based way! We don’t have to sacrifice our oceans, the planet or animals to eat amazing food. This vegan calamari is a perfect example of that.
For many, going vegan is nearly impossible because of their love for cheese.
Not me.
I had my doubts at first because of my love for seafood. Growing up in a Filipino household, fish was the highlight in almost every meal.
Until recently, I thought I’d never be able to mimic seafood.
How could I?
But then, we made vegan fish tacos and I knew that all hope was not lost.
While making our fish taco recipe a couple weeks back, I noticed the center of the hearts of palm popped right out, leaving a hollow barrel.
Since we were able to mimic vegan fish tacos, why not try making vegan calamari?!
The rest is history.
This vegan calamari recipe is flavorful, light, crispy, and absolutely delicious! Not to mention, it only requires a few ingredients and takes just half an hour to prepare. We served it with a spicier version of a classic cocktail sauce and it the two are a match made in heaven. I’m thinking of trying a sweet chile version with jalapenos and peppers?! YUMMMMM.
We hope you guys love this recipe as much as we do! As always, please subscribe and leave comments if you happen to try this dish. If you photograph it, tag us on Instagram at Eat_Figs_Not_Pigs. Til next time, guys!!!
- 1½ cups tempura batter
- 1-2 cups ice cold water
- 3 seaweed nori sheets, finely ground
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 cans hearts of palm, drained
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 TBS Old Bay seasoning, plus more
- 1 TBS Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- Lemon wedges for serving
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tsp extra hot horseradish
- ½ lemon, squeezed
- ½ tsp pepper
- Salt to taste
- In a large mixing bowl add tempura mix
- Slowly stir in ice cold water until batter is thick and creamy...like pancake batter
- Stir in ground seaweed, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cut each heart of palm in half
- Using your pinky or a straw, push out the soft center of the hearts of palm, leaving only a hollow barrel
- Slice each barrel into 1 inch thick rings
- In a large ziploc bag, add flour and the rest of the seasonings.
- Close bag and shake it to ensure the flour and seasonings have been mixed together.
- Working in batches, add calamari rings to batter first, then ziploc bag
- Toss ziploc bag gently until all rings are fully coated
- In a frying pan on medium high heat, add coated rings to the oil
- Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes (you don't want to overcook your rings!!!)
- With a slotted spoo, remove rings from oil and transfer onto a paper towel lined plate
- Serve with cocktail sauce and enjoy!!!
Old bay seasoning can belang replaced nu what?
Slap ya mama can be replaced nu what??
Carmen, if you aren’t able to find Old Bay seasoning, there is a recipe on Food.com to make a copy cat recipe for Old Bay. If you aren’t able to find Slap Ya Mama, you can leave it out or replace it with some cayenne pepper for a little heat 🙂
Hope this helps!
What can be used in place of tempura flour foe gluten free?
Nancu, you can use cornstarch or and gluten free flour of your liking! I haven’t tried making the recipe gluten free, so it many taste different. If you try it, please let me know.
Rice flour. It creates a light and airy batter
Can this be baked instead of fried?
Claire, yes you can bake it, but it may taste differently. I haven’t tried it baked, so if you do, please let me know how it turns out! ♥️
How can I make the tempura batter myself as I don’t know where to find the batter
Hi Abigai! You can combine 2 parts flour to 1 part cold water. If the mixture seems to thick or too runny, simply add more water/flour. You want the consistency to be similar to that of pancake batter.
Hi Briana!! When I created this recipe
I was newly vegan and I wasn’t aware at the time…that was a couple years ago. Today, I’m still learning and I try my hardest to cause the least amount of harm to animals and the environment! Have a great day!
Isn’t the Heart of Palms from the tropical palm tree which is part of an endangered ecosystem? Perhaps you can buy them from sustainable sources-if not maybe plain ol’ onion rings would stop the orangutans from having to move to the city…
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for your concern! Whenever using Hearts of Palm, I make sure to always use sustainably sourced…then brand I always use is Native Forest and you can read about their sourcing on their website. I find it at Whole Foods. I also don’t use it very often, maybe once or twice a year ????
My Hearts of Palm, were really small in diameter so they kind of just clumped up. Also I mixed them in the flour first then the batter, then back in the flour by mistake. Even with my mistakes, this tasted great! The flavor was spot on and the hearts of palm gave a nice texture. This will make a great appetizer. I had a lot of mixture left so I cut up all the rest of the bits and fried them too. Came out just as good. Thank You.
Ara, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Frying up the bits is such a great idea!