Crispy Aubergine 'Fish' Goujons

By Alice McRoe (IG @alicesfoodlab)

With veganism growing so much recently, people have started to see a lot of recipes for plant-based food which aims to mimic a flavour or taste that vegans used to know and love - all without hurting animals.

This dish does just that, with its fishy flavours coming from the nori sheets matched with the crunchy goodness from the panko and the silky and fluffy texture coming from the aubergine. You just have to try it.

These are amazing with chips, in fish tacos or as a fish style burger!

What you need:

Marinade

1 medium sized aubergine

2 nori sheets

1 tsp white vinegar

pinch of salt

hot water

Coating

1 cup gram (chickpea) flour

1 cup cold water

1.5 cup panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Chop your aubergine into chunky strips

2. Sprinkle in broken up nori sheets and salt and cover with hot water

3. Leave to marinade for around 20 minutes

4. Mix the gram flour, water and salt and pepper in a bowl to form a batter mixture, pour your breadcrumbs into a separate bowl

5. Drizzle vegetable oil onto a baking try, dip each piece of aubergine into the batter and then breadcrumb mixture to coat and arrange on the tray, once all pieces are breaded, drizzle with a little more oil

6. Bake at 200 degrees for around 15 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp

7. Serve however you fancy! For the fish style tacos pictured, drizzle with vegan sour cream and sriracha and serve on top of salad filled tacos.

About the chef:

I'm Alice. A plant based home cook who loves experimenting with food and can never stick to a recipe. 

Based in London, I love discovering new ingredients, cuisines and vegan hot spots, all of which inform my cooking.

I aim for my recipes to be quick and relatively simple to make but still impress at a dinner party!