Description
Fresh yet filling, these delicious Vegan Fish Tacos are a crazy fun 30 minute meal. Loaded with fresh goodies like creamy avocado, tangy red cabbage, and a spicy chipotle aioli, these vegan tacos are like a flavor explosion in your mouth.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Tacos
- 10-12 white corn tortillas (can sub any you like)
- 2 14-oz cans or jars of whole hearts of palm (see note 1)
- 3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour (see note 2)
- 1 cup unsweetened unflavored non-dairy milk
- 1 cup medium grind cornmeal or sub panko or breadcrumbs if pref.
- 1 1/2 tsp dulse flakes (see note 3)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, optional
- Avocados, cilantro, and fresh lime juice for serving if desired
Cabbage
- 2 cups red cabbage, shredded or sliced very thinly
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon/lime juice)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
Chipotle Aioli (or make/use sour cream)
- 1 cup vegan mayo, store bought or homemade
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Chipotle powder, to taste
- Sriracha to taste, optional!
Instructions
- Prep: Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (or 218 degrees Celsius) and line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Alternatively, you can air fry (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 205 degrees Celsius for 7-10 minutes, check partway through).
- Hearts of Palm: Drain the cans of hearts of palm (don’t rinse), and cut in 1” pieces. If any of the layers fall off, just put it back together and set them aside for now--we’ll use them!
- Prep your batter station: In a wide medium bowl, whisk together the garbanzo bean flour and non-dairy milk. In a second wide medium bowl, whisk together the medium grind cornmeal, spices, and dulse flakes. On the far side (right if you’re right handed, left if you’re left handed), place one of your lined baking sheets. Alternatively you can place your air fryer basket there if you are air frying these (but note you should cook them in a single layer with a little space in between each one).
- Batter Up: Take a piece of hearts of palm, dip it in the wet mixture and let the excess drip off for a few seconds, then place it in the dry batter. Use your clean hand to sprinkle some of the dry mixture over the piece and then roll it to get it well covered. Then using the dry mix hand, carefully place it on the baking sheet. Repeat till all pieces are dredged and battered, leaving an inch or so between each piece on your baking sheet. For those pieces that want to come apart, carefully wet them in the wet batter and use a spoon to help you cover them in the dry batter, then place one end on the sheet so it’s standing up, so it can’t come undone. Use the second tray if needed.
- Bake: Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the tray(s) half way through.
- Marinate cabbage: While the vegan fish is baking, make the cabbage by adding the vinegar and the sea salt to the cabbage, mixing well and setting it aside to soften a bit.
- Make aioli: Also while the fish is baking, you can make the chipotle aioli. Take your vegan mayo and mix it with the chipotle powder and lemon juice. Taste and adjust accordingly. I added some sriracha for depth of flavor and more heat.
- Heat tortillas: I do this over the gas stove and use grill tongs to flip and move my tortillas. Keep them warm in a clean kitchen towel or cloth napkin while you heat the other tortillas.
- Assemble: When everything is done, it’s time to assemble your vegan fish tacos! Add some cabbage to your taco, a few nuggets of the hearts of palm, a little more cabbage if you like, a few pieces of avocado, a generous drizzle of aioli, some cilantro if you like it, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Enjoy!
- Store: Refrigerate leftover taco components in separate containers to maintain freshness. The cabbage will last 3-4 days while the nuggets should last up to 5. Refrigerate the chipotle aioli in a jar or a container with a tight lid for up to 5 days as well. Reheat those nuggets in the air fryer, oven, or toaster oven for crispness. You can freeze the nuggets in an airtight freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Note 1: I like to buy my hearts of palm online from Native Forest, because they’re sustainably grown and harvested there and certified organic. I also use hearts of palm in my vegan crab rangoon and they are often used in salads or other mock seafood like vegan ceviche (coming soon)! Trying to find them in a grocery store? You can usually find them in the canned vegetable or bean section, or occasionally near the pickles and olives. Sometimes they are jarred, but I usually see them canned.
- Note 2: I recommend a somewhat thick batter and I LOVE the flavor that garbanzo (chickpea) flour gives any batter, plus it gives an extra boost of protein! You can also just use regular all purpose flour or cornflour, though.
- Note 3: Dulse flakes help these vegan fish tacos actually TASTE like fried fish. Dulse is a type of seaweed that is commonly sold as granules or flakes. It is one of the least ocean-y tasting seaweeds I've tried (and there's so little of it in this recipe you won't have to worry about it tasting like seaweed). Sea vegetables are actually very good for you. Dulse in particular is high in potassium and calcium. It's also very low in sodium but does give a nice salty flavor to whatever you're eating. Kelp granules would be a good substitute if you can’t find dulse flakes. Or you can also just omit the seaweed.
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove top, Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Vegan, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Oil-free, Sugar-free, Tacos, Fish Tacos