Hearts of palm.. You may have heard of this ingredient before – maybe you’ve had it raw and shredded up on a salad – but very few people know how versatile and awesome heart of palm can be, if you dedicate a little effort to transform it. A vegan fish hearts of palm taco is one of the myriad ways in which you can transmute heart of palm into something quite delicious and out of the ordinary.
These hearts of palm, when battered and pan fried, become amazingly crispy and golden brown on the outside, and yet on the inside delectably, shreddably soft like a fine white fish: the brininess from the canned liquid lending everything a salty, maritime backdrop. Add to that a limey radish-cabbage slaw and some condiments, and you’ve got yourself a truly special vegan fish hearts of palm taco.
Heart of Palm – what is it?
Simply stated, it’s the inner core from a lil’ palm tree.
When you open up a can of them, packed inside will be 5 to 6 beige scrolls of hearts of palm, cylindric and compact, floating around in a brine.
The brine itself adds a lot of the flavor to the hearts of palm, which are naturally a little sweet but otherwise pretty neutral in taste. So it’s fine to drain the hearts, but don’t rinse them. The brine will work in our favor for this recipe, as it’ll help to allude to the sea and give the dish that slightly salty brininess so associated with the seafood “fishy” taste, perfect for a vegan fish hearts of palm taco.
How to Batter 101
In the vegan fish hearts of palm batter, I used cornstarch, rice flour, water and some spices. Cornstarch and rice flour do particularly well together; they coat whatever they’re battering beautifully, and then fry up crispy and golden brown.
However, achieving the right consistency of batter beforehand is the tricky part.
Similar to pancakes, finding the perfectly balanced batter is an art in and of itself. For this recipe, you want a batter that is not too thick and not too thin, and so you’re going to have to make small adjustments until you get it just right.
Below are some common batter issues that I’ve run across while making this recipe, and how I resolved them. Most of the time, it’s usually either one of two things.
Too much cornstarch
Too much cornstarch, and the batter will be difficult to maneuver the hearts of palm in. Cornstarch is one of those ingredients that, when combined with liquids, seizes up and becomes physically hard when agitated, but soft when at rest. It’s quite fun to play around with, but can make a batter intransigent and hard to work with if you add too much of it.
Or too much liquid
Too much water, and the batter will just slide off the hearts of palm, and then you won’t have a nice, crispy coating on the outside after frying them. If this is the case, prioritize adding rice flour over cornstarch to thicken it and even out the consistency.
The perfect batter
You have to find the in between, where the batter is thick enough to stick to the flattened vegan fish hearts of palm, but thin enough to coat them with ease without seizing up too much.
Add more cornstarch, rice flour, or water in small increments until you obtain a batter-able consistency.
Helpful Tip: If you’re really unsure about your batter, it’s a good idea to fry up one tester battered heart of palm first – to see if your batter holds up in the skillet.
Cooking the Hearts of Palm
Really, I’ve found just pan frying the battered heart of palm in olive oil over medium heat is the best way to achieve a nice golden brown, crunchy cutlet, ideal for the vegan fish hearts of palm taco.
Before battering them, flattening the heart of palm scrolls gently with a large knife will give you nice, rectangular cutlets. Careful though – you don’t want to smash them to the ground, but instead press them lightly until they’re splayed out evenly.
When battering the hearts of palm, some of the insides may fall out, or some of the outer scroll may break and peel away, but this is normal and okay! Just plaster it back on with the batter.
It only takes a couple minutes on each side of the cutlet to achieve a crunchy texture. Set them on a paper towel to remove excess oil, salt lightly with sea salt, and then store in an oven on warm until you’re ready to serve the vegan fish hearts of palm tacos.
Assemble the Taco!
Shredding the crispy cutlet of heart of palm with a fork before putting it on the taco is the way that I like to do it. Personally, I think that, when shredded, it’s easier to place in and to pack inside the taco. But, it’s also possible to throw the cutlet in whole, and then work around it like some kind of wrap.
It’s up to you.
Accompany the vegan fish hearts of palm tacos with a fresh, crunchy radish-cabbage slaw, some hummus, sriracha and a little lime zest.
And well.. there you have it – an amazing fish taco – 100% plant-based. Give hearts of palm a revamp and make this vegan fish hearts of palm recipe – you’ll be amazed!
I hope that you enjoyed one of the vegan fish hearts of palm recipe – it’s one of my personal favorites! If you did, please leave a comment and recipe rating before you go.
Also, if you’re loving heart of palm, then check out this delicious Heart of Palm Spanakopita!
Hearts of Palm “Fish” Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 can or jar of hearts of palm, about 5 – 6 scrolls
- ¼ – ½ inch olive oil, or a neutral oil like canola, for frying the heart of palm in a skillet or dutch oven
For the batter
- 2 ½ tablespoons rice flour, or more
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, or more
- 3 tablespoons water, or more
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin,
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder,
- Dash of salt and pepper
For the slaw
- 2 cups cabbage, finely shredded (about a quarter head of cabbage)
- 6 – 8 radishes, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Dash of salt
For the Tacos
- Some hummus
- Lil' lime zest, for garnish
- Bit of hot sauce, for garnish
- Some tortillas, corn or wheat
Instructions
- Remove the hearts of palm from the can, but don't rinse them. With a knife, evenly and gently press down until they are flattened.
- After that, mix together the batter ingredients. You want a thicker rather than thinner consistency; you need the batter to stick to the hearts of palm without dripping off easily. You may need to add more rice flour, cornstarch, or water in small increments to achieve this. Keep adjusting until the batter is just so.
- Once that's done, heat a skillet or dutch oven over medium heat with a good amount of olive oil or a neutral oil like canola (¼ to ½-inch of oil), batter the heart of palm, and fry them for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until crispy golden brown. Place the fried hearts of palm cutlets on a paper towel to remove excess oil, and salt lightly with sea salt flakes. Remember to replenish the oil in the skillet or dutch oven every once and awhile, too. Helpful Tip: Don't worry when battering the hearts of palm if they fall apart. Just plaster the broken piece back together with batter and carry on.
- Lastly, make the slaw by cutting the cabbage and radishes, and then combining all the ingredients together.
- After all the hearts of palm have been fried, briefly heat the tortillas in a skillet, then load them with hummus, shredded and crispy hearts of palm cutlets, slaw, hot sauce and a little lime zest.
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Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
These are so good. Fish tacos stand aside, you are no match for crispy, delicious, delectable heart of palm tacos. Heart of Palm. Where have you been all my life.
Oh, yeah!