This Vegan Fish made with Banana Blossoms is life-changing – especially if you thought that you would never eat anything that tastes like fish again! The soft and flaky texture of the banana flowers is perfect as the base!
I’ve seen a couple of fishy recipes with banana blossoms on Pinterest and immediately knew that I wanted to give them a try. But I’ve never seen banana blossoms in the stores, so I thought it was one of the ingredients I would never get my hands on. You can probably guess how excited I was when I found a can of banana blossoms in brine at my local Asian grocery store. I almost freaked out.
For the preparation, I kind of followed the process of making tofish (fish made with tofu). The banana blossoms are tossed in a flour mixture, then dipped in a batter, and fried until golden brown. I’ve served them with Oven Baked Potato Slices and Tartar Sauce.
This is fishy dream come true! I’ve never had anything that tasted THAT MUCH like fish. The banana blossoms are the perfect base because they are soft and flaky.
Nori, lemon juice, and dill in the flour mixture and batter add the typical fishy flavors. I highly recommend making a tartar sauce to serve with this vegan fish. It’s so good!
What are Banana Blossoms?
Bananas on trees grow in clusters and at the end of the cluster, there’s a purple flower growing – this is known as the banana blossom (or banana blower or banana heart).
The petals are fleshy and soft and therefore PERFECT for vegan fish! For the recipe, we are using canned banana blossoms in brine.
Where to buy Banana Blossoms?
I’ve found these canned Banana Blossoms in an Asian grocery store, but not all of them carry them. Most owners are really nice and stock up on them when there’s a demand, so it’s worth asking for them!
Until now, I’ve found canned banana blossoms in brine from two brands: AROY-D and CHAOKOH. I’ve found that the banana blossoms from AROY-D are in better shape (bigger pieces) and therefore better for making vegan fish but if you can only find the CHAOKOH ones, that’s okay, they will work too!
You can also order banana blossoms on Amazon.
How to make Vegan Fish out of Banana Blossoms
You’ll need:
- banana blossoms
- for the flour mixture: flour, salt, nori, dill
- for the batter: flour, salt, turmeric, pickle juice, caper brine (or more pickle juice), water, lemon juice
- frying oil
See the different layers? Banana Blossoms are perfect to make vegan fish! But if you can’t find banana blossoms, this artichoke fish recipe is a good alternative.
Serve the banana blossom vegan fish with…
Banana Blossom Vegan Fish FAQ
After frying, let the oil cool off completely. Then strain it (to remove small pieces) and pour it into a bottle to use it the next time. I usually use the oil 4-5 times if it’s not too dark.
You can use rice flour or chickpea flour instead to make it gluten-free.
You can probably do that BUT you will have to make the batter thicker so that it sticks more to the banana blossoms. Bake it at 350°F/180°C for about 10 minutes.
You can find canned banana blossoms in (some) Asian markets. Sometimes even health food stores carry banana blossoms. The third option is to order it online.
Do you have any more questions? Put them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them all!
More Vegan Fish Recipes
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I hope you will enjoy this vegan ‘fish’ made out of banana blossoms as much as I did! Let me know if you give it a try!
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Cheers, Bianca
Banana Blossom Vegan Fish
Ingredients
- 1 can banana blossoms in brine (20 oz)
- frying oil
Flour Mixture
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed nori
Batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon caper brine (or sub with more pickle juice)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sparkling water
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the banana blossoms.
- In separate bowls, combine the ingredients for the flour mixture and whisk together the ingredients for the batter.
- In a pot or wok, heat the frying oil. You’ll want enough so that the battered banana blossoms can swim in the oil but make sure you leave enough space in the pot/wok so that it doesn’t spill over.
- Coat the banana blossoms in the flour mixture. Then dip them in the batter. Carefully lower them in the oil. Let them fry for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown, flipping them once.
- Transfer the fried banana blossoms onto a kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Serve with tartar sauce, fries, and mashed peas, for example. Add fresh dill on top and squeeze with lemon juice.
Notes
- The vegan fish will taste a lot fishier if you add dill and lemon juice on top, and when it’s served with typical sides for fish e.g. tartar sauce, potatoes or mashed peas.
- You can re-use the frying oil. Let it cool off completely, then pour it through a strainer to remove small bits and crumbs. Fill it in a bottle and store it at room temperature. You can use it for approx. 3 times!
- Can I make the batter gluten-free? You can use rice flour or chickpea flour instead to make it gluten-free.
- Can you bake/air-fry the banana blossom fish instead of frying? You can probably do that BUT you will have to make the batter thicker so that it sticks better to the banana blossoms.
Amy
Monday 13th of June 2022
Wonderful recipe, thank you! I've been vegan for a year, and this was the first faux-fish I've attempted. SO much better than real fish in every way!
Made some adjustments for an air-fryer version, which only took about 5-10 minutes at 190°C. The main thing is just a thick batter, and I didn't have issues with dripping or sticking.
I used your recipe somewhat loosely for what I had on hand and personal preference,(blossoms in water, half-wholemeal batter, no oil, miso paste instead of salt, bicarb soda instead of soda water, extra herbs and spices).
Loved the seafood-y flavour suggestions. Used pickled jalapeño liquid for a little kick! Normally not into dill, but it really helps that classic flavour, along with the nori. I'm converted. Since my blossoms were in water, next time I'll let them soak in some flavourful liquid for a while beforehand.
Also tried some panko crumbed, which was awesome for maximum crunch, but still prefer the smooth and lightly crispy batter. I'm now inspired to try more air-fried batter recipes!
Thanks again!
Steve Brown
Friday 11th of February 2022
Great recipe, so simple, really well explained. Turned out fab, great meal for the family, thanks!
Megan
Saturday 28th of August 2021
Great recipe - batter was perfect and everything looked just like it should. Our banana blossoms were full of the woody, sharp little pistils which looked and felt exactly like the little bones in fish (for an authentic experience...). Removing these first would have made for a far more enjoyable eating experience - lesson learned for next time!
Bianca
Thursday 2nd of September 2021
did you use fresh banana blossoms? I've never hard any sharp bits in mine :/
Moo
Sunday 22nd of August 2021
Just re-read your recipe, and noted the nori ingredient. This will make it taste like seafood! Just answered my own question 🤪
Moo
Sunday 22nd of August 2021
It looks like flaked fish, but what does it taste like? Just asking those that have made it, before I try and source banana blossoms 😃