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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Cheers, Bianca
Banana Blossom Vegan Fish
Ingredients
- 1 can banana blossoms in brine (20 oz)
- frying oil
Flour Mixture
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 1 ½ tablespoons crushed nori
Batter
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon caper brine (or sub with more pickle juice)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ 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.
Valerie says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Thank you, Bianca.
Jenjen says
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 says
Hi Jenjen, you can use chickpea flour or rice flour instead! Works just as fine!
Lily Cirstoiu says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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?
Blazy Susan says
Amen Thea
Greg says
Why would you rate this low when you've decided to air fry??? Rude
Dave Big Chief says
@Lori, Blue Jean has a great recipe for "How to Air-Fry Battered Foods" that you could copy with banana blossom. you might have better results.
Kathryn Gannon says
@Lori, What a disturbing way to describe yourself, I hope you don't regard others as un-clean.
Sally-ann Kyatt says
@Thea, Touche’
I was thinking the same thing 😁
TonyTheFeministDestroyer says
@Kathryn Gannon, How is it distrurbing and why do you “hope”? It’s none of your business weirdo.
donna says
Are you in the New York area? I can't find the banana blossom.
Bianca says
I'm not, unfortunately. But my guess is to keep looking for banana blossoms at health food stores or Asian supermarkets (if you have those near you) because banana blossoms are getting more popular! :)
Karen says
Amazon look for it. 2 companies sell it. Aroy-D is one of them. The other company has larger pieces but can't remember the name. Aroy-D is cheaper though. Djmhoy is the seller. Free shipping!
Wendy Bailey says
@Karen, just brought mine from Amazon,and its Niru" Banana Blossom.Going to make fish and chips tomorrow,really looking forward to it as I have been a vegetarian for over thirty years.I live in the UK and never heard of it before until we had a program on the TV talking about it.So fingers crossed. 🤞🤞
Dave Big Chief says
@donna, loads of tins in China Town. It is usually stocked next to the tins of jackfruit
Beth says
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 says
Wow! What a compliment!
Emilie says
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 says
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 says
There is next to no protein in this recipe so it should not be considered a main meal
Josh says
You don't need protein for it to be considered a main meal.
Nancy says
How about serving it with a side of soybean or edemame spaghetti?
Bianca says
sounds delicious!
Helen says
Mushy peas or baked beans would be traditional protein based sides- so its really not an issue.
Charlotte says
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 says
local vegan fish and chip shop? I am so jealous!! I'm really happy they turned out great for you :)
Kerry-Rose says
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 says
try double battering it. dipping it in the wet mix, then into flour, then putting it in oil.
TonyTheFeministDestroyer says
@niesha, It should be flour first then batter, not the other way around.
Sharyn Turner says
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 says
Excited to try this! Do you buy the nori already crushed or do you crush sheets yourself?
Bianca says
I crush them myself. I usually just use a scissor to cut them into fine shreds.
Nicola Powell says
Awesome recipe.
Lorna says
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 says
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.