Plant-based seafood includes more selections than just seaweed. It can contain deliciously imaginative dishes like scallops, lobsta rolls, fish and chips, and smoked salmon. It's easy to make faux seafood from soy protein but the dishes listed below are made from more challenging ingredients like mushrooms, hearts of palm, banana flowers and carrots.
I have come across two versions of scallops made with mushrooms but the best version so far has been with seared King oyster mushroom stems cooked by Full Bloom Gourmet Vegan Cuisine on Miami Beach, Florida. Their mushroom scallops had the right texture of real shellfish scallops, with a bit of bounce and a tender center. The flavor was pretty close too, which was surprising considering what they were made of.
Another plant-based seafood dish I tasted was a spicy Lobsta Roll created by Vegan Fine Foods grocery store. It was made with hearts of palm, mayonnaise, red onions, celery and dill, on a hoagie roll. Executive Chef Jonny Nobones said he tried making it fishier by brining it in dulse (seaweed) but it came out too salty. I suggested he call it Florida lobster roll because it was made with hearts of palm which up until recently were sourced from Florida cabbage palm trees.
The plant-based fish and chips dish I came across was at the Space Coast Veg fest last year. It was created by Oh My Cod Seafood Co. They were very inventive, making their fish out of battered, deep fried banana flower blossoms. These came with a side of chips and coleslaw. Oh My Cod had brined the banana blossoms in seaweed and they were delicious, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
And finally the most unusual plant-based seafood dish I have eaten recently was Smoked Salmon on bagels with cream cheese. Full Bloom Gourmet Vegan Cuisine in Miami Beach, Florida, created it. The smoked salmon was made with smoked carrots, and the cheese was made from cashew. The first bite of the carrot salmon was the best, unfortunely after that the smoked flavor became too strong for me. It was a shame, I really wanted to like it because it looked so good.
So the next time you go looking for a plant-based seafood, remember to think outside the box, and go try some of these deliciously exotic selections.
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| Plant-based scallops made with King Oyster Mushroom stems, served at Full Bloom Gourmet Vegan Cuisine, Miami Beach, Fla., Copyright 2019 by Helen A. Lockey |
I have come across two versions of scallops made with mushrooms but the best version so far has been with seared King oyster mushroom stems cooked by Full Bloom Gourmet Vegan Cuisine on Miami Beach, Florida. Their mushroom scallops had the right texture of real shellfish scallops, with a bit of bounce and a tender center. The flavor was pretty close too, which was surprising considering what they were made of.
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| Plant-based Lobsta Roll made with heart of palm, mayonnaise and spice, Vegan Fine Foods, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Copyright 2019 by Helen A. Lockey |
Another plant-based seafood dish I tasted was a spicy Lobsta Roll created by Vegan Fine Foods grocery store. It was made with hearts of palm, mayonnaise, red onions, celery and dill, on a hoagie roll. Executive Chef Jonny Nobones said he tried making it fishier by brining it in dulse (seaweed) but it came out too salty. I suggested he call it Florida lobster roll because it was made with hearts of palm which up until recently were sourced from Florida cabbage palm trees.
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| Plant-based deep fried fish made with brined banana flowers, and served with chips and coleslaw, Oh My Cod Seafood Co., Space Coast Veg Fest, Copyright 2018 by Helen A. Lockey |
The plant-based fish and chips dish I came across was at the Space Coast Veg fest last year. It was created by Oh My Cod Seafood Co. They were very inventive, making their fish out of battered, deep fried banana flower blossoms. These came with a side of chips and coleslaw. Oh My Cod had brined the banana blossoms in seaweed and they were delicious, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
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| Plant-based Smoked Salmon on bagels with cream cheese, Created by Full Bloom Gourmet Vegan Cuisine, Miami Beach, Fla., Copyright 2019 by Helen A. Lockey |
And finally the most unusual plant-based seafood dish I have eaten recently was Smoked Salmon on bagels with cream cheese. Full Bloom Gourmet Vegan Cuisine in Miami Beach, Florida, created it. The smoked salmon was made with smoked carrots, and the cheese was made from cashew. The first bite of the carrot salmon was the best, unfortunely after that the smoked flavor became too strong for me. It was a shame, I really wanted to like it because it looked so good.
So the next time you go looking for a plant-based seafood, remember to think outside the box, and go try some of these deliciously exotic selections.
