What's your favorite vegan fish and chips?
In need of some comfort food? There’s nothing like vegan fish and chips.
Fish and chips are a British staple, but as consumers turn towards healthy, ethical, and environmentally-friendly alternatives to animal products, demand for plant-based seafood is on the rise. According to a customer survey by Sainsbury’s, up to 91 percent of British consumers are flexitarian. This means that the majority of Brits are trying to eat more plant-based foods.
Vegan seafood includes everything from simple, whole foods substitutions—such as battered tofu as cod or chickpeas, lemon, and nori as a plant-based tuna fish—to high tech clean-meat production.
Clean-meat companies such as the Californian start-up BlueNalu aim to overhaul seafood production with “cellular aquaculture.” BlueNalu is working to produce slaughter-free seafood, alongside similar companies such as Finless Foods. In contrast, companies such as Quorn, VBites, New Wave Foods, Ocean Hugger, and Good Catch Foods produce plant-based seafood alternatives from existing products such as soya, mycoprotein, and algae.
With so many vegan seafood options to choose from, we picked the best restaurants in the UK for vegan fish and chips.
Bristol’s very own vegan tofish and chip shop may have closed, but Matter still do pop-up events serving fried vegan junk. Matter Fastfoods has cooked up steaks, chicken, kebabs, wraps, and other plant-based takes on classic dishes.
“Our signature recipe is made from banana blossom that’s been marinated in seaweed and samphire,” says the London based Sutton and Sons. “The innovative menu available at all three of our branches includes ‘prawn’ cocktail, ‘scampi’, ‘chicken’ and ‘fish’ burgers, battered sausages and vegan pie and mash.”
Earth and Stars in Brighton serves smoked tofu in place of fish. The meal is gluten-free and served with vegan tartar sauce, pea purée, and fresh samphire. The restaurant has also served a vegan doner kebab with shiitake mushroom bacon.
Teeside’s local favorite The Seabreeze has added battered banana-blossom fish to the menu. The chippy switched to cooking in vegetable oil and have a separate fryer for gluten-free options. The Seabreeze also sells chia seed and rice nuggets.
Vegan restaurant Loving Hut serves vegan fish and chips at both its Archway and Brighton Lanes branches. It also serves battered sausage, an “ocean burger,” and other classic chippy tea staples. Loving Hut won VegFest’s Best Vegan Restaurant award in 2015.
Lucy’s Fish and Chips is a Norwich market staple and added vegan fish in early 2019. The “Vish” is made using seaweed and lemon marinated banana blossom. Other plant-based menu items include battered vegan fish steaks made using fish-scented konjac. The chippy stall also sells battered, meat-free sausages and tofu burgers.
Birmingham’s own Veggie Chippy serves vegan versions of several popular British comfort foods. These include battered “vish,” pasties, chips, curry sauce, and mushy peas. The Veggie Chippy also serves battered sausages, burgers, pizzas, and other side dishes.
The Land & Sea in Falkirk has a large, separate vegan menu. The traditional chippy sells plant-based prawns, battered “vish,” sausages, chicken, deep-fried pizzas, and even haggis. The Land & Sea also serves vegan sides and desserts and hosts regular vegan nights.
This South West-based chippy serves vegan options in Stroud. The Simpsons menu includes vegan tofish made using seawater, lemongrass, and seaweed. Deep-fried pickles, battered jalapenos, pea fritters, burgers, and cheese and potato patties are also available.
If you feel like staying home and making your own, try this vegan fish and chips recipe made with banana blossoms.
This post was last modified on July 8, 2021 12:17 am