This beer-battered vegan fish is made from hearts of palm and seasoned beer batter then fried until golden brown and crispy. Best served with vegan tartar sauce!
Unless many kids, I loved fish so much because growing up in a Mediterranean country I ate it every single day. I actually missed more fish than meat when I went plant-based, so I hope this beer-battered vegan fish recipe helps those of you that also miss fish.
I've already shared other vegan fishy recipes on the blog, like my Vegan Tuna, Vegan Smoked Salmon, Vegan Ceviche, and Hearts of Palm Calamari. Hearts of palm is a great ingredient to replicate the fish texture, so I've used it one more time and it came out so good.
This recipe only requires 9 ingredients which are so easy to get, unless maybe the Old Bay seasoning depending on where you live, but don't worry, just follow my recipe which is extremely simple and ready in less than 2 minutes.
Also, be careful because not all beers are vegan-friendly. Barnivore is a great resource to double-check if the alcohol you're using is vegan.
If you miss fish and chips, you need to try this delicious dish. It's so crispy and full of flavor. Serve it with my vegan tartar sauce and baked French fries for the most delicious vegan fish and chips you've ever tried!
Ingredient notes
- Canned hearts of palm.
- Breadcrumbs: use gluten-free if needed.
- Dried crumbled nori: use store-bought or add a nori sheet to a high-speed blender and blend until you get nori flakes. You can also finely chop the nori sheet with a knife.
- Old Bay seasoning: you can use store-bought or try my 2-minute Old Bay seasoning recipe. You could also omit this ingredient if you want, or add a little bit of paprika instead. However, the recipe works best with this seasoning.
- Salt: I used ionized salt, but any salt will do.
- All-purpose flour: I’ve only made this recipe using all-purpose flour, but I think it could work if you use another type. However, you may need to add more or less. Use a gluten-free flour blend for a gluten-free version of this recipe.
- Garlic powder: you could also use onion powder.
- Ground black pepper: fresh ground black pepper tastes amazing. However, I find store-bought more convenient and also easier to measure with a teaspoon.
- Beer: you can use sparkling water if you want to make this recipe alcohol-free. Also, be careful because not all beers are vegan. Double-check if the beer you're using is vegan-friendly. Barnivore is a great resource for that.
How to make this recipe
- Add all the fish ingredients to a food processor, and pulse until combined.
- Use your hands to form fish-like shapes, about 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) long and 1 inch wide (2.5 cm).
- Transfer the sticks to a lined baking sheet with parchment paper and refrigerate while you prepare the batter.
- Mix all the batter dry ingredients.
- Gradually whisk in the beer until a batter forms.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
- Quickly dip the fish sticks into the batter, and take it out shaking any excess batter off.
- Carefully lower into the oil, dropping it in away from you, one piece at a time. Fry for 2-3 minutes, for each side, or until golden brown.
- Remove from oil, and place on a wire rack.
- Serve immediately with vegan tartar sauce and enjoy!
You’ll find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Pro tips
- The beer has to be very cold. The colder, the better. The shock of the cold batter hitting the hot oil makes the fried fish super-crispy.
- Using a thermometer when frying food is always a good idea. It's the best way to check the oil to find out the temperature. You can use the thermostat of a deep fryer as well.
- The batter can be made ahead and stored in the fridge overnight. The fish sticks will actually turn out crispier.
- Soggy greasy vegan fish sticks happen because the oil is not hot enough, that's why is so important to control the temperature of the oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's mainly made of hearts of palm and breadcrumbs, but it also contains salt, Old Bay seasoning, and nori flakes. The last two ingredients give it a fishy flavor.
Beer is usually made from water, a grain like barley or wheat, yeast, and hops. All of these ingredients are vegan, and actually, most beers are vegan, but some breweries add non-vegan ingredients to clarify, color, or flavor the beer. Use Barnivore to double-check if the beer you're using is vegan-friendly.
It will stay crispy for 15-20 minutes, so best served hot, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat, place the leftovers in an air fryer or oven at 350ºF (180ºC) until heated through and crisp. You can also reheat them in a skillet with a tablespoon of oil. I recommend reheating in an Air Fryer or a fan oven and the fish will crisp up again.
Yes, and it's so easy. You just need to use gluten-free breadcrumbs, gluten-free beer (or sparkling water), and rice flour or a gluten-free flour blend.
📖 Recipe
Beer Battered Vegan Fish
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 1 14-ounce cans hearts of palm, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon dried crumbled nori
- 1 teaspoon Old bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the batter:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Old bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ¾ cup beer, very cold, or sparkling water as an alcohol-free alternative
For frying:
- Canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Add all the fish ingredients to a food processor (hearts of palm, breadcrumbs, nori, Old Bay seasoning, and salt), and pulse until combined. You should easily stick it together and press it into a firm shape, but make sure there is still some texture and even large chunks.
- Use your hands to form fish-like shapes, about 2-3 inches long and 1 inch wide. I used about 2 tablespoons of mixture for each stick, to get about 8 fish sticks. Press the sticks firmly together.
- Transfer the sticks to a lined baking sheet with parchment paper and refrigerate while you prepare the batter.
- Mix all the batter dry ingredients (flour, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper).
- Gradually whisk in the beer until a batter forms.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a kitchen thermometer, or in a deep fryer until it reaches 350°F (180°C).
- Quickly dip the fish sticks into the batter, and take it out shaking any excess batter off.
- Carefully lower into the oil, dropping it in away from you, one piece at a time. Don't crowd the pot, fry in batches. Fry for 2-3 minutes, for each side, or until golden brown.
- Remove from oil, and place on a wire rack for the extra oil to drip and for the fish sticks to stay crispy.
- Serve immediately with vegan tartar sauce, or store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Notes
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
- Use store-bought dried crumbled nori or add a nori sheet to a high-speed blender and blend until you get nori flakes. You can also finely chop the nori sheet with a knife.
- Use store-bought or homemade Old Bay seasoning. You could also omit this ingredient, or add a little bit of paprika instead. However, the recipe works best with this seasoning.
- I’ve only made this recipe using all-purpose flour, but I think it could work if you use another type. However, you may need to add more or less. Use a gluten-free flour blend for a gluten-free version of this recipe.
- Garlic powder can be replaced with onion powder.
- Sparkling water can be used instead of beer to make this recipe alcohol-free. Double-check if the beer you're using is vegan-friendly. Barnivore is a great resource for that.
- Nutritional info has been calculated with 1 cup of canola oil, but your fish sticks may absorb more or less oil.
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