This Vegan Fish made with Banana Blossoms is life-changing – especially if you thought that you would never eat anything 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.
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
Step 1: Rinse and drain the banana blossoms. Prepare the flour mixture and batter.
Step 2: Coat the banana blossoms in the flour mixture.
Step 3: Dip the banana blossoms in the batter.
Step 4: Fry until golden. Place it on a kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
See the different layers? Banana Blossoms are perfect to make vegan fish! But if you can’t find banana blossoms, this Tofish recipe is a good alternative.
Serve the banana blossom vegan fish with…
More Vegan Fish Recipes
I hope you will enjoy this ‘fish’ as much as I did! Let me know if you give it a try!
And don’t forget to rate the recipe if you like it, this helps other users figure out if it’s worth 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!
Valerie
I’ve had fresh banana blossoms as a fritter, in Vietnam. I would love to make this, but am hesitant, because I never know what to do with the oil once the food has been fried in it. Can it be reused? If not, how do I throw it out?
Bianca
You can absolutely reuse the frying oil! That’s what I do: After frying, let the oil cool off completely. Then strain it (to remove small pieces) and pour it in a bottle to use it the next time. I usually use the oil 4-5 times if it’s not too dark.
MarkMelbourne
We have something like this next to our stove. It is all metal so you can carefully pour in the oil when hot as well. The fine top strainer is the essential bit, and that goes in the dishwasher occasionally. https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Teflon-Select-DZ-0709-Double-Mouth/dp/B002GKB4N4/ref=pd_lpo_201_t_0/358-2234049-0638528
Valerie
Thank you, Bianca.
Jenjen
Hi Bianca, just wondering if you have a recipe or suggestions for a gluten free batter that would work for this fysh please ?
I have just bought a can of blossoms , just to try this recipe out 😊
Thank you , Jenjen
Bianca
Hi Jenjen, you can use chickpea flour or rice flour instead! Works just as fine!
Lily Cirstoiu
Hi Bianca,
have you tried baking the fish I want to cut down on the oil. I tried your recipe and it’s the simplest and easy to make and I like the sparkling water, since others use beer.
If I can bake this it would be a better health benefit. Thank you for this recipe.
Bianca
I haven’t tried it yet. I’m wondering if the batter would stick to the banana blossom during baking – maybe if the batter would be a bit thicker, it could work!
DivineOrator
Too bad you gave up on it. But seems your problem is overly simple. Drain 24 hours before and soak in water or seasoned/spiced water mixture.
Lori
I made two batches of this today, both air-fried because we’re “clean” (oil-free) vegans. For more seafood flavor I added Dulse to the 2nd batch. Without the grease factor that generally accompanies fried fish the brine flavor came through, even with the extra spices. Overall the recipe is a great idea for those who miss seafood and consume oil, but it’s not “make again” worthy for us.
Thea
Just curious as to why you’d change a major aspect of the recipe (the entire cooking process), and then rate it poorly because it didn’t come out the way you liked.
That’s like making blueberry muffins, but you hate blueberries, so you you rate it poorly.
Perhaps search for a “baked/oil-free vegan fish recipe” instead?
donna
Are you in the New York area? I can’t find the banana blossom.
Beth
I made this a few weeks ago, and my meat-obsessed boyfriend said it was better than real fish and chips! Will definitely be making this again :)
Bianca
Wow! What a compliment!
Emilie
This recipe is not bad I had Chaokoh brand and it didn’t go well with this one. The pieces were falling apart maybe I will try to find the other brand next time. The batter was good.
Breanna
Hi! Do you know if I could freeze leftover pieces to reheat later? My daughter is transitioning into a vegan diet and loved her some fish. So I was hoping to make a big batch then freeze it to reheat for later.
David
There is next to no protein in this recipe so it should not be considered a main meal
Josh
You don’t need protein for it to be considered a main meal.
Nancy
How about serving it with a side of soybean or edemame spaghetti?
Bianca
sounds delicious!
Helen
Mushy peas or baked beans would be traditional protein based sides- so its really not an issue.
Charlotte
Hi Bianca, I stumbled across your recipe tonight after having a banana blossom tin in the kitchen for a while! I boldly just went for it and it turned out great! The BF loved it too. We re newish vegans and have only had this in the local vegan fish and chip shop and this was just as good if not a bit cleaner. I used soda water instead as that’s all I had in & that worked great too. Will be trying this again. For others making it it helps to really pack it down with the flour when coating, and keeping the batter thick helps it to coat and stay on! Cooked for a little longer because our peices were fairly large. Thankyou!!! 😍
Bianca
local vegan fish and chip shop? I am so jealous!! I’m really happy they turned out great for you :)
Kerry-Rose
Made this for the first time tonight, and I have to say, so far as a homemade fake fish goes, it’s really good! Personally, I think I’d add a touch more salt next time. I did also have a little trouble getting the batter to stick to the banana blossoms after dipping them in the flour mixture. It kept wanting to just “peel off” if that makes sense? I made it work, and just kind of held it on until it was in the oil, but it still came out alright. If anyone has any tips to help this, please let me know! Otherwise, this was a delicious and unique recipe that I’ll definitely be making again in the future!
niesha
try double battering it. dipping it in the wet mix, then into flour, then putting it in oil.
Sharyn Turner
I made this tonight and we really loved it. Having been vegan for 11 years, this was a real surprise as it was so realistic! Although I rarely eat any fried food, I just had to try this as a treat and I am glad I did. Thank you so much, Biana x
JB
Excited to try this! Do you buy the nori already crushed or do you crush sheets yourself?
Bianca
I crush them myself. I usually just use a scissor to cut them into fine shreds.
Nicola Powell
Awesome recipe.
Lorna
We’ve recently gotten banana blossom in the UK, but it is in water not brine. Do you think this would significantly alter the flavour?
Bianca
banana blossom in water will work just fine! :)
The inside will probably be a bit blander.. if you want you can soak the banana blossoms in a water-a tiny bit of vinegar-mixture for a few minutes before dipping them into the batter.
Alison
Just found canned Banana Blossom in our local Asda – excited to try these :-)
JoJo
I’ve just bought all the tins of banana blossom up from my local Asda store as I thought they will definitely reorder if they see they sell. SO excited to see what all the different recipes are like I’ve found on the net. .
Anita Sørheim
Genious!!
Cristina
I was really excited to try this recipe and found myself disappointed when it didn’t turn out how I thought it would. The batter mixture came out waaay too thick and I ended up adding more sparkling water just to make it usable. I didn’t realize until later that I should’ve just added more lemon juice and pickle juice because it seemed like the “fish” didn’t have as much flavor as I thought it should. Both the flour and the batter mixture made way too much – I used a 20 oz. can of banana blossoms like the recipe says, but it only had 3 large blossoms and 1 smaller one so I ended up throwing away half of the mixtures which is frustrating. Also, 4-5 minutes is not enough time for the blossoms to cook properly. My sister had the smaller blossom and she said that one was fine, but the larger blossoms were nowhere near as tender as they should’ve been. I like the idea of using banana blossoms for vegan fish, but this recipe didn’t work for me. I’ll definitely have to make adjustments if I make it again in the future.
Bianca
Your can of banana blossoms was very different than mine. I usually have 10+ pieces of banana blossoms that I can use. As you can see in the second photo, the banana blossoms I use are usually cut in thirds or so. That explains why you ended up with much more leftover batter. You could cut the banana blossoms into smaller pieces. Then you will end up with more vegan fish; will need more of the batter; and they won’t need to cook that long.
Susie Janov
I’m curious how I could use fresh banana blossoms to make this. We actually have banana trees and I have a blossom hanging on one bunch right now. Would I cut it & brine it for a while first? Just a salt & water brine? Maybe if I’m starting from scratch like that, I could infuse the brine with some nori to really permeate it with the fishy taste?
RAMECA
https://snapguide.com/guides/clean-a-banana-blossom-flower/
You have to clean the fresh ones here a guide on how to clean.. then yes probably soak then follow her guide for the fish recipe
Susie
Loved it! I found half the amounts for the flour and batter were enough and it was still tasty leaving out the caper brine and pickle juice!
Eszter
Hi! I love the look of this recipe, but am finding it difficult to source nori near me. Would I be able to replace it with some spirulina powder?
Bianca
I’m not sure about this replacement. Nori sheets shouldn’t be too hard to get, though. I’m pretty sure you can find them in any supermarket in the ‘ethnic food’ aisle or in a health food store or Asian market.
Charlotte
I made this but deviated from the recipe by A) using rice flour for the batter and the flour mix and B) using water/pickle juice in lieu of sparkling water. I wouldn’t recommend doing either of these things. Maybe rice flour mix or for one of the mixes, but not both. And I’m sure the carbonated water was important but I didn’t have any. I also only had old palm oil/crisco substitute handy to fry in. But I was desperate for something fishy and figured I’d try to make it all work.
The flavor was spot on and absolutely delicious. The texture wasn’t bad but I’m sure would be better if I’d actually followed the directions.
The can of blossoms I had made 4 “fish”. And the recipe I used called for 1 c. Flour in both the batter and the the flour mix. I thinned the batter out enough to keep it kinda pasty, but used it to help glue the pieces together and roll in the flour mix. All of that worked very well.
Thanks for a great recipe! I am excited to give it another go with sparkling water and regular flour. I know it will be delish!!
Veronica
We have just enjoyed this “fish” meal, delicious 😋 thank you so much for the recipe.
Janine
Hi I tried this dish this evening and wow amazing 11/10! I replaced the flour with Doves gluten free flour and still gorgeous. It was just as tasty as our local vegan chippie and cafe (we’re spoiled where we live). Thank you for sharing. Even my omnivore mum loved it and is going to make it for her partner!
Bianca
Hi Janine, awesome, so glad you all enjoyed it! This makes me so happy! :)