This Ethiopian-fusion dish is a vegan version of scallops in a creamy scampi sauce seasoned with berbere. Palms of heart make a perfect seafood substitute, and the sauce is so good you will insist on having some rice or bread to sop it up and enjoy every last drop!
I’ve talked a lot about my first waitressing job and how much that restaurant influenced my cooking. I’ve also shared with you I believe a couple of recipes, but at least one, I’ve already veganized from there. This recipe, or the recipe I derived it from, was one made after the original owners had left, but the restaurant still had much of the same flare.
Kathleen, who I’ve talked about, was the original chef at Tallahan’s. Her husband was from Ethiopia and sometimes, as a special, she’d make a traditional Ethiopian dish called Doro Wot (doro is chicken). Her husband’s close friend was one of the second owners of the restaurant, turning the place more in the direction of continental fusion. Because Adamu (Kathleen’s husband) was one of his close friends, and because he worked there all the years Kathleen was a chef/owner, he was familiar with the Ethiopian spices and flavors.
Scampi Wot was a dish he, the new owner and self-proclaimed chef, put on the menu. There it was made using butter, cream, shrimp, and of course the berbere spice blend. Red onions and mushrooms were also included in the dish, just as I have done here.
I didn’t try to mock the shrimp simply because the shape and texture would be hard to recreate. Well, mainly the shape of it, and I honestly believe the visual plays a large role in what we taste. I also hadn’t tried cooking palms of heart before, but have seen them used as scallops and have been eager to try doing it myself.
I had no base recipe to “veganize.” I simply remembered how the original used to taste (because I wasn’t quite vegan in those days) and a good idea of what all they put in it. I was pleasantly surprised with how everything came out! My husband and son loved the dish as well. I’ve yet to have more taste-testers, but I’m confident it will please a crowd!
I already have a faux scallop marinade I use for my Mushroom “Scallop” Scampi, and since it works out perfectly for that dish, I figured why not use the same one? The marinade with the hearts of palm came out spot on! They tasted delicious and were pretty easy to make.
The faux scallop marinade has one item which is slightly hard to find, kelp powder. I am lucky enough to get it at a local natural foods store, but if you have problems finding it yourself, you can instead order it online. Kelp granules can be used instead, or I’ve read that some people will grind up nori sheets as a substitute. This seems like it would work, but I myself have yet to try it.
Once the hearts of palms are rinsed, sliced, and marinated, I browned them in a skillet with melted vegan butter, over medium heat. This takes about five minutes on each side. After they browned, I removed them from the skillet and wiped it clean.
Next, to the skillet, I added white wine, along with red onion, minced garlic, a little lemon juice. After about a minute I turned down the heat and poured in some vegan half and half, added more vegan butter, as well as mushrooms, salt, pepper, and of course, berbere.
I’m not certain how common the berbere is. I’m lucky enough to have a couple of places I’m able to find it locally, but if you have trouble, it can be ordered online as well. That is what I resorted to when I lived in a rural area.
For the half and half, I used Ripple brand (Original), which I believe is made from pea protein. I wanted something that may be a little thicker than merely using a plant-based milk, and this was the only vegan half & half I could find which wasn’t sweetened. It worked really well, but you can absolutely substitute an unsweetened, non-dairy milk. I prefer cashew for its creaminess.
Once the onions were translucent and the mushrooms were soft, I returned the hearts of palm to the skillet and also added some fresh Italian parsley. I now covered the skillet with a lid and let them lightly simmer for three minutes.
I served the vegan scallops alongside rice (cauliflower rice for me and my husband), asparagus, and grain-free biscuits (regular rolls for my son). You can, of course, serve yours with whichever side you would like, but I think having some rice (or something similar to rice) and/or some type of bread is really nice for eating with the extra sauce.
I hope you enjoy these as much as my family and I did. I’m so pleased with how this recipe came out, and even more pleased I’m able to share it with you! Tell me what you think! Please leave me a comment below, or take a picture of yours and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.
Vegan Scampi Wot
Ingredients
For the marinade...
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 tsp kelp powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Everything else...
- 3 cans (14.1 oz) hearts of palm, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 6 oz white mushrooms, sliced
- 4 Tbsp vegan butter, divided ensure nut or soy-free, if necessary (Ripple is processed in a facility which contains both but is not made with nut or soy ingredients)
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup unflavored/unsweetened vegan half & half (I used Ripple), or substitute unflavored/unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp berbere, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish, if you like)
Instructions
- Take the hearts of palm and cut them each twice, into 3 equal sized pieces, resembling scallops. This gave me 15 "scallops" per can.
- Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Add the hearts of palm to an 8 x 8 baking dish or anything else that will fit them side-by-side. Pour the marinade over the top and leave them for two hours. If using a wider dish, and they aren't covered to the top with liquid, flip them halfway to make sure both sides absorb the marinade.
- Once the scallops have marinated, melt 2 Tbls vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Using either your hands or tongs, add the hearts of palm (but not the marinade) to the skillet. Cook them in the butter, on each side, until browned. About 4 - 6 minutes per side.
- Remove the hearts of palm from the skillet, wipe it clean, and add the white wine, onion, garlic, and lemon. Sauté for one minute.
- Add the remaining butter, mushrooms, cream, and spices and stir. If needed, turn heat down slightly to prevent liquid from boiling. Sauté, occasionally stirring, until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft.
- Return the hearts of palm to the skillet and sprinkle with the parsley. Cover the skillet with a lid for 3 minutes, making sure the sauce stays at a light simmer, turn down heat if needed.
- Remove from heat and serve. Sprinkle with more fresh parsley, if desired.