Banana Blossom ‘Fish’ and Chips with Tartare Sauce and Crushed Peas
Banana blossom has a flaky texture that makes it a great substitute for fish. Give it a try in this vegan banana blossom ‘fish’ and chips!
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Many people miss fish when they first go vegan, but there are some great vegan fish alternatives now that mean you don’t have to miss out on a thing.
Fancy making your own? Discover cooking with banana blossom and a whole world of fish-free recipes will open up to you…
What is banana blossom?
Banana blossom is the fleshy, purple tear-shaped flower which grows at the end of a banana fruit cluster. It is traditionally used in south-east Asian and Indian cooking, but has started to become popular across Europe and the US in vegan recipes.
This plant-based ingredient has a flaky texture when cooked that makes it a brilliant substitute for fish in meat-free dishes. Give it a try in this Friday-night favourite – vegan banana blossom ‘fish’ and chips!
What is nori?
Nori is a type of dried, edible seaweed that’s bursting with health benefits – in particular, it’s a great source of iodine.
It’s traditionally used for wrapping sushi, but when used in a recipe like this, it replicates the fish ‘skin’ and adds a salty fish-like flavour to the dish.
It’s widely available nowadays, but if you can’t find any you can leave it out of the recipe, you just might miss out on the 100% fish-like flavour of your Friday night ‘fish’ and chips.
Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Prep Time: 1 hr
Cook Time: 40 mins
Calories: 1081
Servings: 2
Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Calories: 1081
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 2)
- For the fish
- 1 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1 Tbsp caper brine
- 1 1 Tbsp gherkin pickling vinegar
- 2 2 pieces tinned banana blossom
- 1 1 sheets nori seaweed, cut in half
- For the breaded coating
- 100 100 g plain flour
- 100 100 ml water
- 50 50 g breadcrumbs
- For the chips
- 1.5 1.5 medium potatoes
- 1.5 1.5 Tbsp olive oil
- For the tartare sauce
- 30 30 ml soya milk
- 60 60 ml olive oil
- 0.25 0.25 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 1 Tbsp capers, chopped
- 1 1 gherkins, drained and finely chopped
- 0.5 0.5 sprig fresh dill, finely chopped
- For the crushed peas
- 100 100 g frozen peas
- 1 1 Tbsp dairy-free butter
- 0.5 0.5 tsp mint sauce
Method
- Firstly place the lemon juice, caper brine and gherkin pickling vinegar in a bowl. Add the banana blossom pieces and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Once marinated, wrap half a sheet of nori around each of the banana blossom pieces.
- Next, for the bread coating, whisk 100g of the plain flour and all the water together to make a batter. Coat the banana blossom pieces in the remaining 100g of plain flour, then dip the pieces into the batter before coating them in the breadcrumbs. Place the coated blossoms into the fridge until ready to bake.
- Next, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
- For the chips, cut the potatoes into approximately 2cm-thick sticks, add to a saucepan, fill the pan with water and bring to the boil. Boil for roughly 10 minutes or until the chips are starting to soften. Drain the chips in a colander, then transfer them to a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and set aside.
- For the tartare sauce, using a stick blender, blend the soya milk, olive oil and cider vinegar until thick. Once blended, mix in the capers, gherkins and dill.
- For the crushed peas, add the peas and butter to a pan over a medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add the mint sauce and mash with a potato masher or a fork.
- Put both the banana blossoms and chips into the oven for 25-30 minutes, or air fry for 15 minutes. Serve with the crushed peas and tartare sauce.
For every 716g serving:
29.2g Fat, 4.6g Saturates, 178.6g Carbohydrate, 13.5g Sugars, 19.4g Fibre, 28.4g Protein, 2g Salt
Want to find out how else you can make use of banana blossom? Check out our favourite vegan banana blossom recipes
