Vegan Copycat Fast Food Fish Filets Are A Breeze With Pinky Cole Hayes' Tips

When it comes to finding a vegan alternative for a beef burger, many fast food chains have stepped up their game, like Burger King offering an Impossible Whopper. Since fish burgers aren't quite as ubiquitous as beef burgers at fast food joints, however, plant-based diners may not have yet found a vegan version of their seafood-based favorite. It can be challenging to know which items are truly vegan on a fast food menu without reading all of the fine print — as just one example, several fast food joints serve up non-vegan french fries. That's why the solution for many plant-based diners is to simply make their own copycat version of their old favorites, and the experts can help. Slutty Vegan's CEO and founder, Pinky Cole Hayes, gave Mashed some insight on how to make vegan fish filets that you'll swear are straight from the fast food fryer — and the secret ingredient is one you might not have thought of.

"You can get hearts of palm, bread it, and make it a vegan fish patty," she explained. Cole Hayes confessed that she has a bit of a soft spot for vegan copycat fish filets because of how often she enjoyed fish filets when she was a pescatarian and not yet a vegan. She suggested pairing the homemade patty with a vegan brioche bun, vegan cheese (Violife is the particular brand she recommended), and homemade vegan tartar sauce.

You may have seen canned hearts of palm on grocery store shelves, or if you often eat plant-based, you might have even tried them once or twice. For those who aren't familiar with what hearts of palm are or what they taste like, they have a relatively mild, delicate flavor and tender texture, making them an ideal fish substitute. They're also firm enough that they won't fall apart when you're breading them, which can sometimes be a risk for very thin fish filets.

When you're making a copycat fish filet, you'll likely want to cut your hearts of palm into larger circles that look a bit like fish patties, which you can then position atop burger buns. However, hearts of palm can also be used to create copycat versions of dishes like fish sticks if they're sliced lengthwise, so there are plenty of options with the versatile ingredient. Plus, their mild flavor means they'll pair beautifully with all the toppings and sauces you want to put on your fish burger — you can create a spicy fish filet, a veggie-forward version, or whatever else you prefer.

Any plant-based food aficionados who find themselves in Las Vegas in October may run into Pinky Cole Hayes while she's participating in the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency, although instead of a vegan take on fish filets, she'll be sharing her signature Fussy Hussy burger.