Save the ocean and all of our friends in it! Make “veafood” — not seafood — using tofu, jackfruit, mushrooms, tomatoes, and even chickpeas! There are so many options for healthy and delicious alternatives to fish and shellfish that there isn’t any reason why we shouldn’t be eating plant-based instead.
Here I have a compilation of my favorite “veafood” recipes, some of which I’ve created and a couple of which were created by others. Ones that I have in my regular meal rotation. I would never share a recipe I hadn’t already tried and loved.
The main ingredient in most of these — the secret of the sea — is kelp powder. Kelp powder (or kelp granules work as well) helps make foods taste like fish. For some, this may be a hard item to find, but I think for most we just don’t know where to look. I can find it, in bulk (which is pretty inexpensive) at both of the natural foods markets I go to. They also usually carry it, though a little more pricey, in the supplement department. The granules I can find in a shaker on the shelf in one of the two stores.
For those who live in a more rural area, without a natural foods market, ordering online is also a possibility. From what I can find, it’s a little pricier this way than finding it in bulk, but remember, a little goes a long way! Most recipes call for very little amounts of the powder, so it should last you quite a while.
Another alternative is to grind up nori sheets (the green stuff which is used to roll up sushi). I’ve never done this, but I have read that it works, and I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t. Nori can be found in most grocery stores in the Asian section and is usually pretty inexpensive.
My favorite food before going vegan was always sushi. I was never huge on eating meat but cutting out fish I thought would be hard. Luckily, thanks to so many great alternatives, sushi remains to be one of my favorites. For that reason, I’d like to start with a vegan sushi recipe I have here on the site…
Zucchini Sushi Rolls with Spicy Tomato Ahi
This post was a combo of two recipes I found and combined into one. Using zucchini sans the rice, seemed to be an easier and lower-carb way of making sushi, an idea in which I loved! The original recipe, however, included real fish as well as cream cheese. I’d heard of using tomatoes to make fish for sushi but had never tried it myself. I found this recipe by Carrots and Flowers making traditional sushi with nori and rice but using their tomato spicy tuna. What I did was make zucchini sushi rolls with vegan cream cheese and the Carrots and Flowers recipe for spicy tomato tuna.
I’ve also used this tomato spicy tuna recipe in a couple of other ways. I’ve put it on top vegan poke bowls as you see in the picture below on the left. I don’t have a post included with the full recipe for the bowls I make, but perhaps this picture will give you a little inspiration of your own.
As you see in the photo on the top right, I also make nigiri using this recipe. Rather than cutting the tomatoes into pieces, I’ll slice them in half, scoop out the inside, and lay them over sushi rice.
Mushroom “Scallop” Scampi
King oyster mushrooms work perfectly as a scallop substitute! I’d never tried making these mushrooms or faux scallops before I started creating this recipe, but it turned out to become one of my favorites! The mushrooms (depending on where you live) can be difficult to find, but I seem to have the best luck finding them at Asian food markets.
Mock Tuna Salad
This Mock Tuna Salad recipe isn’t my own, but it was one of the first recipes I tried my first week of going vegan. I was completely wowed! In that week I was so amazed how so many different flavors could come together to make something totally different. I’m mashing soy sauce and nutritional yeast into chickpeas, and it’s going to taste like tuna? Whaaaat??? But it DID!
For this recipe, I do not use the kelp powder (which is listed as optional). I tried it with it once but found I actually prefer it without. I use a gluten-free tamari in place of the soy sauce, and unlike the author, I use the entire quarter cup of mayo! I serve this as a sandwich for the kids, using bread, or for my husband and I, I like to make wraps inside gluten-free tortillas, enjoy on crackers, or stuff it into small tomatoes.
Jackfruit Crab Salad
I give plenty of ways to enjoy this delicious, vegan version of crab salad. Enjoy it as an appetizer stuffed into Campari tomatoes or cucumber, or as a main course baked inside a large tomato or grilled in a sandwich with dairy-free cheese. The possibilities are endless as well as incredibly tasty!
Cauliflower Ceviche Tostadas
This ceviche is easy-to-make, delicious, and without any hard-to-find ingredients! Vegan-made and omni-approved, which is my way of saying it’s been loved by fish eaters just as much as us vegans.
Vegan Scampi Wot
If mushrooms aren’t your thing, my newest scallop recipe uses hearts of palm instead. This scampi sauce is also different from my other scallop dish. It’s made creamy using vegan half & half, and it’s given an Ethiopian twist with a little berbere spice blend.
Mexican Veafood Cocktail
My inspiration for this was a desire to recreate a Mexican shrimp cocktail. I used jackfruit for the “seafood” in this whose texture actually mimics crab better than shrimp but crab, shrimp, jackfruit, whatever you want to call it doesn’t matter because the flavor is amazing!
Tofu en Adobo
Tofu en Adobo translates to “marinated tofu” and is a vegan (and gluten-free!) version of fried fish, just like Fish n’ Chips. I found this recipe while surfing Instagram. The original was all in Spanish, and while I speak some Spanish, I’m definitely not fluent enough to be able to translate an entire recipe correctly. I really wanted to try this, however, so what did I do? I took a screenshot of the recipe and entered the photo into Google Translate, and voíla! Vegan Fish n’ Chips recipe was easily readable!
I did change a couple of things slightly, but none of the ingredients. The original recipe had the tofu cut into squares, and it marinated overnight! For my main alteration, I cut my tofu into thin slices (which more resembles fish filets), and I only had to marinade it for two hours! I mostly only changed the recipe because I wanted to eat it the same day. I was worried my alteration might not turn out well, but you know what?! It was incredible! I’ve yet to find the patience to do it overnight, but I wonder if you did if it would be even better!
Below I’ve included my, translated version, which includes my simple alterations, but if you’d like to check out the original recipe, you can find it here.
Tofu en Adobo (Fish n' Chips style Tofu)
Ingredients
For the marinade...
- 2 Tbsp kelp powder or dulse flakes
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and skinless (or I use 2 tsp, minced)
Everything else...
- 1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 1/4 cup (approx.) cornstarch
- olive oil, for cooking
- lemon slices for serving
Instructions
- Whisk together marinade ingredients.
- Slice the tofu into 10 to 12 thin strips and lay them side-by-side in a dish for marinating, something they'll fit snuggly in (I used a medium-sized baking dish). Pour the marinade over the tofu and let sit for 1 hour. Flip the tofu and let it marinate for 1 more hour on the opposite side.
- When the tofu is done marinating, you will next coat it in the cornstarch. You can put the cornstarch on a plate and flip the tofu slices in it, covering each side. Alternatively, you can lay the tofu out and lightly sift the cornstarch over each side.
- Heat a large skillet with a little oil and fry the tofu on each side until golden brown.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with lemon slices.
Notes
One more thing before I go. If you aren’t aware, there are numerous other items out there which don’t taste or look like fish but contain fish in them. Did you know, numerous beers are filtered using fish bladder! Not only that but some orange juices contain fish as well. Eww! I believe it’s only the varieties which advertise added omega 3’s, but I’m always on the lookout and read over the ingredients, just in case.
Worcestershire sauce typically contains anchovies. However, there are a few vegan brands out there. If you can have gluten, I suggest Annie’s Naturals which is vegan. If you are gluten-free, there are a few options for you as well. In my fridge currently, I have one by Wan Ja Shan which is both gluten-free and vegan. I’ve also seen The Wizard’s Gluten Free Vegan Worcestershire Sauce by Edward’s & Son’s. I’ve yet to try theirs, but I do use their bullion cubes all the time. I know there are one or two more brands out there, but these are the ones with which I’m familiar.
We all do what we can. I know I’ve most likely had some fish sauce on accident when ordering Thai food in the past, but all we can do is try, and remember, the vegan journey is a learning process for all of us in so many ways. Just know sometimes foods are sneaky, and if you want to play it safe, ALWAYS read labels!
Now that I’ve shared my plant-based fish knowledge with all of you, I think it’s time for me to go fishing for some mushrooms because I’d love to have some “scallops” for dinner tonight! If you make and enjoy my recipes, please don’t forget to let me know by leaving a comment below, or taking a pic and tagging me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.