Vegan Fish Sticks (with Vegan Tartar Sauce)

Why These Homemade Fish Sticks Will Be On Repeat

• Full of flavor. Seasoning is key here. I took all the fishy and salty seasonings I had, including crushed nori and Old Bay seasoning, and paired them with hearts of palm and my trusty beer batter recipe.
• Crispy, flaky texture. These fish sticks are crispy, crunchy, golden-brown outside with an inside that tastes like fish!
• Better than store-bought. Frozen fish sticks just don’t compare. You’ll be blown away at the difference homemade makes.

Notes on Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these plant-based battered fishsticks. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

• Hearts of palm – Hearts of palm have a texture similar to artichokes. They work well in vegan seafood recipes like crab cakes and fish sticks because of their colour, texture, and natural flakiness.
• Breadcrumbs – This recipe works with either gluten-free or regular breadcrumbs.
• Old Bay seasoning – Because this seasoning is so often used with seafood, it’s a flavour that tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating real fish!
• Dried crumbled nori – And this is the ingredient that gives the recipe its distinctive fishy flavour. Don’t skip it!
• Flour – To combine with garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper, and beer to make the batter.
• Beer – Use a pale-colored ale; avoid stout and other strong, dark beers. Or, substitute the beer with sparkling water.
• Peanut oil or safflower oil – Or another oil with a high smoke point, for frying. Don’t use olive oil as it won’t hold up at high temperatures.

What are Hearts of Palm?

Hearts of palm are harvested from the core of a palm tree. They make the best texture for vegan fish sticks because of their flaky texture. Like tofu, hearts of palm take on any flavours you add to them (they even make a great pasta!). You’ll find canned hearts of palm in most major grocery stores.

Easy Vegan Tartar Sauce

To make a quick homemade tartar sauce, you’ll need:

• Vegan mayo – Store-bought or make your own vegan mayonnaise.
• Lemon – Or lime juice. The acidity in vinegar would also work.
• Chopped pickles – You could also use sweet pickle relish if you have it.
• Fresh dill – Plus salt and pepper.

Stir the above ingredients together in a small bowl, season to taste, and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.

How to Make Homemade Vegan Fish Sticks

You’ll never buy disappointing plant-based seafood at the grocery store again when you see how easy it is to make vegan fish at home!

• Pulse the ingredients. Place all of the fish stick ingredients in a food processor and pulse until flaky and well-combined. This should take about a minute; the mixture is done when you can press it into a firm shape, but it’s not yet mushy.
• Form the fish sticks. Transfer the fish mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Use clean hands to shape the mixture into fish sticks; you should be able to make about 8. Press the sticks together firmly so they don’t fall apart! Place the baking sheet in the fridge.

• Make the batter. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large, wide bowl, then stir in the beer.
• Cook the fish sticks. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet set over high heat. Take the fish sticks out of the fridge and dip each into the batter, letting the excess drip off. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
• Serve. Once all of the vegan fish sticks are cooked, serve them with tartar sauce for dipping!

Recipe Tips

• Shaping the sticks. I used about 2 tablespoons of the fish mixture for each stick. You can make them smaller if you like (fish bites!). However, if you make them larger than this, it’s more likely that the sticks will fall apart while frying. Mine were roughly 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.
• Using less oil. If you like, you can use less oil, but I don’t recommend baking these in the oven—they won’t get as crispy!
• Serving suggestions. Not into tartar sauce? Try spooning mango salsa over the fish sticks for a tropical twist.

What to Serve With Vegan Fish Sticks

Serve these fish sticks dipped in tartar sauce, with crispy roasted potatoes or smashed potatoes for family-friendly vegan fish and chips! I like to freshen up the meal with a crunchy cucumber tomato salad or fruit salad on the side.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Refrigerate. These vegan fish sticks are really best eaten fresh, so I don’t recommend making them for meal prep. If you do end up having some leftovers, you can refrigerate them for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat. Reheat them in a 350ºF oven or in a pan with a tablespoon of oil.
• Freeze. This is not a good recipe for freezing. If you want to make fish sticks to freeze, skip the beer batter and use a panko coating instead. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months; you can bake the fish sticks in a 350ºF oven from frozen for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

More Vegan Dinner Recipes

• Gluten-Free Vegan Zucchini Fritters
• Cheesy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
• Vegan Jamaican Patties
• Vegan Sushi
• Jackfruit Tacos