March 22, 2022
Vegan Fish Tacos
Meet one of my favorite Springtime dishes – Vegan Fish Tacos! Featuring tender hearts of palm that are seasoned, coated, and fried to golden perfection then loaded into warm tortillas and topped with crunchy cabbage and the most delicious chipotle crema!
vegan fish tacos
Happy Spring, Friends! I’m celebrating longer days and warmer weather with one of my favorite dishes – these vegan fish tacos!
Like clockwork, as soon as the temperatures start to rise, my cravings for ‘fish’ tacos and a cold brew go through the roof … and these vegan fish tacos totally hit the spot! They’re easy, simple, and flavor-packed! Featuring tender, panko-crusted hearts of palm that have been seasoned with Old Bay and fresh lime zest, then fried to crispy, golden-perfection. Load ’em into warmed tortillas with crunchy cabbage, creamy avocado, and the best chipotle crema, and you’ve got the perfect bite! Seriously, you won’t believe how delicious these are!
Grab a drink and let’s make the best vegan fish tacos!
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what to serve with vegan fish tacos
You’re more than welcome to crazy with the fillings, but I like to keep it simple. Here’s what I like to serve with my vegan fish tacos:
- Fresh cabbage: lends the perfect crunch! Sometimes I like to toss it in a bit of chipotle crema before loading it into the tortillas.
- Chipotle crema: slightly spicy, slightly tangy sauce that pairs extremely well with the hearts of palm ‘fish’.
- Thinly sliced avocado: I’m all about textures when it comes to food, and the addition of avocado lends the perfect amount of creaminess to balance out the crispy hearts of palm and crunchy coleslaw.
- Cilantro and lime wedges: if you have the soapy cilantro gene, feel free to omit it. Otherwise, no taco is complete without cilantro and lime.
what you need to make vegan fish tacos (and substitutions)
Mostly pantry and fridge staples, some seasonings, and a whole lotta love! Here’s what you need to make my vegan fish tacos:
For the crema:
- Vegan mayonnaise
- Chipotles in adobo sauce, plus 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce: if chipotles are too spicy for you, simply substitute the chipotles with as much of the adobo sauce as you can get from the can. I can usually get about ¼ cup.
- Vegan sour cream: I find vegan sour cream is accessible at most grocery stores. If you’re unable to access vegan sour cream, you can make your own at home (I love this recipe)!
- Fresh lime juice: lemon juice works too!
- Ancho Chile powder: if you don’t have it, you can substitute it with smoked paprika.
- Ground cumin
- Unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk: make sure it’s unflavored AND unsweetened. Last thing you want is vanilla flavored tacos.
- Salt, to taste
for the tacos:
- Vegetable oil, for frying: if you prefer to air fry, place the coated hearts of palm into your air fryer basket (you may have to do this in batches), spray with some cooking oil, and air fry at 400°F until golden and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Hearts of palm: a wonderful ingredient to use in place of seafood. If possible, try to find hearts of palm that are sustainably grown and produced. Hearts of palm usually come canned or jarred, and you can typically find them in the same aisle as the canned vegetables—typically next to the artichoke hearts. I also have luck finding them in many Asian markets.
- All-purpose flour: if you’re gluten-green, you can substitute this with a gluten-free 50/50 blend or cornstarch.
- Salt and pepper
- Unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk: again, make sure to get unflavored and unsweetened!
- Prepared vegan eggs: in this recipe, the vegan egg is used to help create a thick batter for the panko breadcrumbs to stick to. I use the packaged egg replacer from Bob’s Red Mill for convenience. You can typically find it at most health food stores and some bigger chains such as Target and Walmart. Simply follow the instructions on the back of the package for preparing the number of vegan eggs needed for the recipe. If you’re unable to access strou-bought vegan egg, you can make a chia or flax egg instead.To make a chia or flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed meal with 21⁄2 tablespoons of water (this is equivalent to 1 “egg”). Set aside to coagulate for about 5 minutes before adding to any recipe that calls for vegan eggs.
- Panko breadcrumbs: if you’re gluten free, sub out for GF Panko breadcrumbs. Kikkoman has a version and they’re delicious!
- Old Bay seasoning: this is what makes the hearts of palm taste ‘fishy’! If you’re not able to access Old Bay, you can make your own easily! I love this recipe by The Daring Gourmet!
- Zest of 1 lime: or lemon!
- Warmed flour tortillas: I prefer flour tortillas for vegan fish tacos, but you can definitely sub out for corn!
- Fresh cabbage, finely shredded
- Thinly sliced avocado
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges, for serving
how to make vegan fish tacos
Not only are my vegan fish tacos delicious, they’re also surprisingly easy to prepare! Here’s how to make ’em:
1. Chipotle Crema:
First make the crema so all the flavors can marry. Simply place its ingredients in a food processor or small blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
2. dredge and coat:
Set up a dredging station and coat your hearts of palm pieces. Pro tip: I like to use containers with lids for dredging! Makes the process and clean so much easier!
3. Fry:
Fry the hearts of palm pieces until golden and crispy. Additionally, you can air-fry them with instructions listed in the recipe.
4. Assemble and enjoy!
Fill each tortilla with some cabbage, a couple pieces of fried “fish,” avocado slices, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!
more taco recipes to satisfy all your taco cravings!
- Mushroom Asada-Style Tacos with Pistachio Gremolata
- Vegan Quesa Birria Tacos
- Chipotle-Maple Cauliflower Tacos
- Caribbean-Inspired Cauliflower Tacos with Mango Salsa
tacos are the best way to ring in Spring, am I right?
I hope ya’ll love this recipe as much as I do! If you make my Vegan Fish Tacos, tell me about it! Snap a photo or video, and by tag me on Instagram at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing all your recreations of my recipes! Until next time, friends!
XO!!!
Vegan Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Chipotle Crema:
- • ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- • ½ cup chipotles in adobo sauce plus 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce
- • ¼ cup vegan sour cream
- • 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- • 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- • ¼ - ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- • Kosher salt to taste
‘Fish’ Tacos:
- • Vegetable oil for frying
- • 1 15-ounce can of hearts of palm, drained, patted dry, and cut into 1”-inch rounds (*see recipe notes 1)
- • ½ cup all-purpose flour
- • 1 teaspoon salt
- • 1 teaspoon pepper
- • ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- • 2 prepared vegan eggs *see recipe notes 2
- • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning *see recipe notes 3
- • Zest of 1 lime
- • 8 6-inch warmed flour tortillas
- • 1 ½ cups purple cabbage finely shredded
- • 2 avocados thinly sliced
- • Chopped fresh cilantro
- • Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Place the chipotle crema ingredients into a small blender or food processor along with ¼ cup of the non-dairy milk and pulse until smooth. If the consistency is too thick, add a few more tablespoons of non-dairy milk until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt if necessary. Set aside.
- To prepare the “fish,” pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a sauté pan over medium heat. While the oil heats, set up the dredging station (*see recipe notes 4). In one shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk and prepared vegan egg. In a third, combine the panko breadcrumbs, Old Bay seasoning.
- Working in batches, coat each of the hearts of palm with the seasoned flour. Tap off the excess flour and carefully dip the hearts of palm in the milk mixture, turning and tossing to coat all sides. Then, using a slotted spoon or tongs, place the hearts of palm into the panko breadcrumbs, tossing to coat. Gently drop the coated hearts of palm pieces into the hot oil and fry until golden and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and repeat until all the hearts of palm are coated and fried (*see recipe notes 5).
- To assemble the tacos, Fill each tortilla with some cabbage, a couple pieces of fried “fish,” avocado slices, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!
Notes
2. In this recipe, the vegan egg is used to help create a thick batter for the panko breadcrumbs to stick to. I use the packaged egg replacer from Bob’s Red Mill for convenience. You can typically find it at most health food stores and some bigger chains such as Target and Walmart. Simply follow the instructions on the back of the package for preparing the number of vegan eggs needed for the recipe. If you’re unable to access strou-bought vegan egg, you can make a chia or flax egg instead.To make a chia or flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed meal with 21⁄2 tablespoons of water (this is equivalent to 1 “egg”). Set aside to coagulate for about 5 minutes before adding to any recipe that calls for vegan eggs.
3. Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company, and originally created in Baltimore, Maryland. The seasoning is a mix of celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, and many others. Somme of the other spices that may be used are laurel leaves, mustard, salt, cardamom, cloves, and ginger as listed in the original product in the Baltimore Museum of Industry. It’s come to my attention that Old Bay isn’t easily accessible in some parts of world. If you’re unable to access it, you can simply make your own! I’ve linked a couple recipes within the blog post that I personally enjoy.
4. For dredging, I like to use shallow containers with lids (as you can see in the recipe video within this post). I find this makes dredging much easier and faster!
5. If you prefer to air fry the hearts of palm, place the coated hearts of palm into your air fryer basket (you may have to do this in batches), spray with some cooking oil, and air fry at 400°F until golden and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
