Dairy Free,  Gluten Free,  Recipe,  Snacks,  Vegan,  Vegetarian

Faux Fish Sticks with Coconut Basil Cream (Vegan)

I’m following yesterday’s very summery recipe with another. I’m simply not ready to accept that my summer is over so I’m just going to live vicariously through those of you who live up north.

Of course, that’s not going to fix anything but I can always hope right? Like, maybe if I think about it hard enough I’ll wake up and find that winter is over and it’s berry season again. Yeah, that would be nice…….but not happening.

I’ve officially started getting into the winter stash of berries that I’ve been telling you about for the past few months. There are a lot of them but I know they’ll still disappear in a flash because, I’m telling you, my family and I can eat a lot of stinkin’ berries and I am the biggest berry-head in the bunch.

But that is so completely beside the point because we’re talking about basil and coconuts and fake fish today. These really don’t taste much like fish sticks by the way, but they look exactly like them and are the perfect vegan alternative to those yummy fried sticks of goodness. You guys, I love hearts of palm. If you aren’t expecting these to be fish sticks then they are really, really good. Oh, and when they are hot with that coconut basil cream, YUM!

So I’ve had this recipe idea on my list for the longest time but I’ve never gotten around to doing it for some reason. I don’t know why because it’s extremely easy. In fact, I almost titled this as a two ingredient recipe before I decided to make the coconut basil cream, because (if you don’t count the seasoning) that’s how many ingredients there are, two. Just hearts of palm and panko breadcrumbs make up the large majority of these snacks.

You can get all technical and add the oil for frying and the different seasonings but you could bypass both by, baking instead of frying and using seasoned breadcrumbs. Voilà! Super easy, super fast, and also totally vegan if that’s what floats you’re boat.

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Faux Fish Sticks with Coconut Basil Cream (Vegan + GF)

Snack time doesn't have to be plain and boring! Try these not-so-fishy sticks and delicious creamy dip!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 15 sticks (about)

Ingredients

Sticks:

  • 2 400 g or 14oz cans hearts of palm
  • 1 1/3 cups panko breadcrumbs divided (replace with gf breadcrumbs if needed)
  • 2 teaspoons worchestershire *see note
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregeno
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Coconut Basil Crema:

  • 1 400 ml 13.5oz can coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine 2/3 cup breadcrumbs with other ingredients for sticks in a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly chopped.
  2. Form into stick shapes, dip into remaining crumbs, and turn to coat all sides. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry a few sticks at a time for 1 - 2 minutes per side then remove to paper towel lined plate.

Crema:

  1. Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and place over medium low heat. Stir constantly until it begins to thicken, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with sticks or refrigerate to serve cold.

Recipe Notes

If you prefer, these can be baked at 400 degrees F (200 C) for 12-15 minutes until crispy instead of frying. *if you are a vegan be sure to use a vegan worchestershire sauce because most worchestershires contain anchovy.



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