Can you guess what the base of this vegan fried fish po'boy is? If you thought that it was Hearts of Palm, you're right! I already have a vegan fried fish recipe, but it calls for banana blossoms, which can be challenging to find unless you live near an Asian Market. So I decided to use canned hearts of palm, which is very easy to find.

Here’s everything you will need to make these amazing Vegan Po’Boy Sliders:

Vegan Fried Fish:

Canned hearts of palm
vegan fish sauce or soy sauce
Crushed seaweed (I take a sheet of seaweed and add it to a food processor until it’s crushed up)
Flour

Cornmeal
Chickpea flour
Old Bay seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Dairy-free milk
Mustard
Hot Sauce

Cajun Thousand Island Dressing:

Vegan mayo

Sweet relish
Lemon juice
Cajun seasoning
Ketchup
Salt and black pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

Remaining Ingredients:

Sliders Buns/Rolls (I used Dave’s Killer Bread Rolls but feel free to use what you can find)
Lettuce
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced Red onions
Oil for frying

STEP 1: PREPARE AND MARINATE THE HEARTS OF PALM

STEP 2: PREPARE THE WET AND DRY BATTER MIXES

STEP 3: SHAPE, FREEZE, AND THEN FRY THE HEARTS OF PALM

FREEZING THE HEARTS OF PALM HELPS THEM HOLD THEIR SHAPE WHILE FRYING

STEP 4: MAKE YOUR SAUCE, ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICHES AND ENJOY

If you give this recipe a try and be sure to let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment or tagging me on Instagram (@sweetgreensvegan.com)

Ingredients:

Marinated Hearts of Palm:

1 can hearts of palm

1.5 tbsp soy sauce or vegan fish sauce

1/4 cup crushed seaweed

"Fish" Fry Batter:

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp old bay

Wet Batter:

1 cup plain, unsweetened dairy-free milk

2 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp mustard

2 tbsp of the "Fish" fry mix (from above)

Cajun Thousand Island Dressing:

1/3 cup vegan mayo

2 tablespoons sweet relish

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 tablespoons ketchup

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Remaining Ingredients::

6-8 Slider Buns, Toasted. (This is the brand that I used)

Lettuce

Sliced tomatoes

Sliced red onions

Oil for frying

Instructions:

Marinate the Hearts of Palm:

Drain and rinse the canned Hearts of Palm. Using a knife, slice one side of each heart of palm and gently flatten it out. Then, cut each heart of palm in half. Repeat for all pieces.

In a bowl, combine hearts of palm with crushed seaweed and soy sauce or vegan fish sauce. Mix well to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Make the Cajun Thousand Island Dressing:

Mix together vegan mayo, sweet relish, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning, ketchup, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the Fish Fry Mix and Wet Batter:

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cornmeal, chickpea flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, black pepper, and old bay seasoning to make the "fish" fry mix. Stir well.

In a second bowl, whisk together dairy-free milk, hot sauce, mustard, and 2 tbsp of the fish fry mix.

Shape and Freeze the Hearts of Palm:

Remove marinated hearts of palm from the refrigerator. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture and shape into patties. Small enough to fit onto the slider buns

Firmly press the patty in the fish fry mix. Then, gently dip in the wet batter and coat again in the fish fry mix. Gently shake off excess flour. The patties should be slightly firm. If they are falling apart, you may need to squeeze the patty together and dip it into the "fish" fry mix again.

Place patties on a baking sheet and freeze for 10-15 minutes to firm up.

Fry the Hearts of Palm:

Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, fry the hearts of palm patties for 3-5 minutes or until golden and crispy. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Assemble and Enjoy:

While patties fry, toast slider buns and prepare lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.

Spread Cajun Thousand Island Dressing on the bottom half of each bun. Top with fried "fish" patty, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Add more dressing if desired. Place the top half of the bun on each slider.

Serve immediately and enjoy your vegan fried "fish" sliders!