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 with…
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Show me your recreations on instagram!
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.
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!
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.
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