Banana Blossom Vegan Fish Recipe | Elephantastic Vegan (2024)

FAQs

How to make vegan fish taste like fish? ›

You can add seaweed, which really gives you the taste of the ocean, by adding kelp flakes, dulce flakes, or crumbled up pieces of seaweed. Lemon zest and juice, whether in the recipe or added at the end, is also reminiscent of many seafood dishes.

Banana blossoms also offer an alternative to jackfruit for vegans; the starchy, fibrous nature of the blossom lends itself well to shredding. These shreds can then be coated with spices and/or sauces and used as a meat replacement in dishes such as tacos.

Banana blossom has “quite a neutral flavour, so it absorbs flavours really well. We've been soaking it in kombu and wrapping it in nori, to put that fishy flavour through it, and created a battered cod-esque fillet,” she said. As banana blossom is fibrous, it can stand a lot of seasoning.

Banana blossoms are an edible flower that grow at the end of a bunch of bananas. Their petals are layered, and many liken the tender, flaky texture to that of cooked fish. If you've ever cooked with young green jackfruit, the texture is a bit similar!

By that definition, a pescatarian is someone who chooses to eat a vegetarian diet, but who also eats fish and other seafood. It's a largely plant-based diet of whole grains, nuts, legumes, produce and healthy fats, with seafood playing a key role as a main protein source. Many pescatarians also eat dairy and eggs.

I've eaten some vegan “fish” and other seafood substitutes, and by far the most common “fishy” flavoring agents are seaweed, kelp, and other sea vegetables. I've also seen miso (fermented soybean paste) being used as a “fishy” flavor, probably because of its salty, umami taste.

You must peel off the outer layers to reveal the edible portion of this beautiful flower, which consists of the florets and the core (heart). You can then use the outer petals, which typically aren't eaten, as serving plates. This delicious bloom is also known as banana blossom or banana heart.

Unlike the sweet banana fruit, the flowers offer a mild to neutral taste, making them an ideal vegetarian alternative to fish, absorbing flavors from other ingredients in the recipe and mimicking the flaky texture of some fish.

The flower itself does not taste bitter. The bitterness comes from the sap between the petals. Clean the flower thoroughly. If sap remains use a dilute lemon water solution to remove the rest.

Digestive Health: Banana flowers are rich in dietary fiber, promoting healthy digestion, preventing constipation, and supporting overall gut health.

Is canned banana blossom healthy? ›

Banana flowers are a rich source of potassium, Vitamin E, and C. The blooms are also enriched with antioxidants that are known to protect the skin from harmful free radicals.

If you've ever seen a banana tree, perhaps you have noticed the teardrop-shaped purple flower at the end of the banana fruit cluster. This is the banana blossom, also called the banana heart. It is an edible flower used in Southeast Asian and Indian cooking, where they consider it a vegetable.

Banana blossom can be eaten raw, but if you are wanting a softer, fleshier texture, the cooked variety in the tin (that we can buy) will give you the best results.

To create the flavour and texture of fish, manufacturers use a variety of different ingredients. Some common ingredients found in vegan fish are chickpeas, pea protein, soy, tofu and potatoes.

Banana blossom/heart, canned and drained: this is considered low FODMAP in a serving of 75 grams (1/3 cup) per meal. This food remains low in FODMAPs in a serving size of up to 500 grams.

Make vegan seafood with king oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms. Also consider using canned hearts of palm, banana blossoms, jackfruit, and artichoke hearts. To mimic the taste and texture of seafood dishes, use chickpeas, watermelon, tomato, and carrots.

Like the real thing, it enhances South East Asian style sauces for spring rolls, curries, stir-fries and salad dressings. Ingredients: Non-GMO Fermented Soy Beans, Kelp Seaweed, White Carrot, Chinese Yellow Cabbage, Dry Mustard Greens, Sea Salt and Energised Water.

Fish sauce and seaweed are “fishy” in two completely different ways, though, and the latter is just too mild. It lacks that funky, stinky, overwhelmingly salty punch you need from a fish sauce substitute—otherwise, it's just seaweed-flavored umami water with a little soy sauce for good measure.

Also, you can marinate the fish in a mixture of lemon juice, vinegar, and water for 30 minutes. This will help to neutralize the fishy taste. Cooking the fish using a cooking method that will not allow the fishy flavor to become pronounced, such as grilling, baking, or steaming can help as well.