The first time I made “fish” tacos with hearts of palm, they were amazing, but they lacked that distinct ocean fishiness taste that is so lovingly associated with fish tacos. I don’t even like the taste of fish, but I love fish tacos. They’re crunchy, they’re a little acidic, and a whole lot of delicious! Heart of palm makes a great addition due to the soft, shredable texture that falls apart in your mouth. They only need a little help to become “fish”, which comes with marinating the hearts of palm in wakame (dried seaweed).
Served with chipotle mayo and cilantro lime slaw, these tacos will take you straight to (or back) to Mexico! I can’t wait until COVID is over and we can finally travel again. My tacos are waiting for me!
To Prepare:
Start Your Fish Marinade:
If you don’t have wakame/nori or dislike fish “flavour”, simply skip this step! Start with your “fish” marinade. Add 1/4 cup of wakame (dried seaweed) or 1 sheet nori to a medium pot and add 2 cups of water. Bring to just under a simmer and turn off the heat. There are nutrients and probiotics that will be killed if the mixture is allowed to boil. It’s not a big deal if you do, but it is something to consider if you care about those things! Add 1 tbsp of kosher salt and whisk to dissolve before leaving it to sit and cool while you prepare your hearts of palm, which will be your “fish”.
Drain and rinse the hearts of palm from their can and pat to try with paper towel or a tea towel. Cut each heart in half to make them all a similar size. Try not to break them apart if possible.
Add the hearts of palm to a tupperware container or bowl and add the cooled marinade on top. If you are not using the seaweed mixture, add 1 tbsp of kosher salt to the “fish” then cover with water. Set in the fridge for 2 hours.
Bread the Hearts of Palm:
About 45 minutes before you plan to eat, preheat your oven to 450F. Prep your breading mixture, flour, “egg” mixture in small stations, and set aside a parchment lined baking sheet (or a plate if using the air fryer).
Prep your tortilla mixture and make your tortillas now (if making fresh). For a complete tortilla guide, see my post HERE. Set aside under a towel or in a tortilla warmer.
Once that is prepped, take the hearts of palm out of their marinade and pat dry. One at a time, dip the heart of palm into the flour to coat, then into the egg mixture (draining the excess), and then coat well in the breading mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Preheat the air fryer now to 400F.
Place the tray in the oven or the hearts of palm into the air fryer. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or 10 – 12 minutes in the air fryer. I typically do not flip them during cooking.
Prepare the Toppings:
Prepare your chipotle mayo and cilantro-lime slaw.
To make the slaw, thinly slice the purple cabbage and red onion, tossing to combine. Add the fine sea salt, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Toss to combine and set aside to sit for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
Combine the vegan mayo, chipotle in adobo, adobo sauce, and lime juice in a small bowl or tall immersion container. Using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients together until it forms a smooth chipotle mayo sauce. This will make plenty of mayo, so if you double the whole recipe, do not double the mayo.
If you are using store-bought tortillas, warm them up now on a medium heat skillet with a little bit of oil until warm and pliable.
To Serve:
Spread about 1 tbsp of the chipotle mayo down the middle on the “soft” side of the tortilla (the side that puffed up). Place one piece of “fish” onto the mayo and top with 2 tbsp of slaw. Add a hot sauce of choice if desired.
Enjoy!
Crispy Baked Heart of Palm “Fish” Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw & Chipotle Mayo
Ingredients
“Fish” Marinade
- ¼ cup wakame
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 14 fl oz can of whole hearts of palm
Panko Breading
- 1 cup panko
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅛ tsp ground mustard
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
For Breading
- 6-8 tbsp gram flour chickpea
- 7-9 tbsp water
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
Cilantro Lime Slaw
- 1 cup purple cabbage shredded/thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ lime juiced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Chipotle Mayo
- ½ cup vegan mayo
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce
- ½ lime juiced
Directions
“Fish” Marinade
- Start with your “fish” marinade. Add 1/4 cup of wakame (dried seaweed) or 1 sheet nori to a medium pot and add 2 cups of water. Bring to just under a simmer and turn off the heat. Add 1 tbsp of kosher salt and whisk to dissolve before leaving it to sit and cool while you prepare your hearts of palm, which will be your “fish”.
- Drain and rinse the hearts of palm from their can. Cut each heart in half to make them all a similar size. Try not to break them apart if possible. Add the hearts of palm to a tupperware container or bowl and add the marinade on top. If you are not using the seaweed mixture, add 1 tbsp of kosher salt to the “fish” then cover with water. Set in the fridge for 2 hours.
Heart of Palm “Fish”
- Preheat the oven to 450°F or your air fryer to 370°F.
- Take the hearts of palm out of their marinade and pat dry. One at a time, dip the heart of palm into the flour to coat, then into the egg mixture (draining the excess), and then coat well in the breading mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the tray in the oven or the hearts of palm into the air fryer. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or 10 – 12 minutes in the air fryer. I typically do not flip them during cooking.
- While the “fish” cooks, start your tortillas, chipotle mayo, and cilantro-lime slaw.
Tortillas
- If you’re using store-bought tortillas, reheat them just before serving on a lightly greased hot skillet until soft and pliable.
- You’ll need about 10 tortillas, depending on how many “fish” filets you made. Follow my corn tortilla guide HERE – about 1 cup of masa will make 10 tortillas.
Cilantro Lime Slaw
- To make the slaw, thinly slice 1 cup of purple cabbage, 1/4 cup of red onion, and toss to combine. Add 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, the juice of half a lime, and about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. Toss to combine and set aside to sit for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
Chipotle Mayo
- Combine 2 chipotle peppers in adobo plus 1 – 2 tbsp of sauce with the juice of half a lime to a tall container with 1/2 cup vegan mayo. Using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients together until it forms a smooth chipotle mayo sauce.
Assembly
- Spread about 1 tbsp of the chipotle mayo down the middle on the “soft” side of the tortilla (the side that puffed up). Place one piece of “fish” onto the mayo and top with 2 tbsp of slaw. Add a hot sauce of choice if desired.
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