Vegan Fish Taco Bowl

Vegan Fish Taco Bowls are a quick and easy meal that take about half an hour to make. Here, baked hearts of palm are combined with crispy tortilla strips, creamy cabbage slaw, and tangy pico de gallo for the ultimate taco bowl. Serve them for lunch or dinner any day of the week - there's no need to wait until Taco Tuesday. This easy recipe from Vegan Bowl Attack! by Jackie Sobon is vegan and gluten-free.

What Are Fish Tacos?

Fish wasn't a big part of my diet in my pre-vegetarian days. We ate canned tuna and the occasional fish sticks, but parents weren't into seafood, and by default, neither was I. So I've never had an actual fish taco. I didn't even know it was a thing until I saw a bumper sticker that said something about Baja fish tacos on a coworker's car about 15 years ago. Tacos with fish meat? Huh? He didn't seem like the type to have a taco bumper sticker, which added to my confusion.

Fish tacos hail from Baja, California (hence the bumper sticker), and they're a summertime favorite in that area. They're usually made breaded and fried fish, cabbage, salsa, and a creamy dressing.

Vegan Fish Taco Bowls

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I looooove my tacos. I'll stuff a tortilla with chickpeas, spicy tofu, tempeh, Soy Curls, and even cauliflower.

In recent years I've decided to give fish tacos a try, and made vegan versions with Gardein F'sh Filets or their Mini Cr'b Cakes.

So, when I first received Jackie Sobon's book Vegan Bowl Attack! a few years ago, making the taco bowl first was a given.

What You Need for your Vegan Fish Taco Bowl

Don't let this long list fool you. This recipe is easy to make!

• Red cabbage
• Green cabbage
• Carrot
• White vinegar
• Tomato
• Red onion
• Cilantro
• Jalapeno
• Lime juice
• Salt and pepper
• Hearts of palm
• Dulse seaweed flakes
• Corn tortillas
• Limes

See recipe card for exact amounts.

How to Make Vegan Fish Taco Bowls

This recipe is super easy to make!

• First you make the cabbage slaw by placing all of the ingredients in a bowl, stirring it all together until combined. You refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes.
• Next you make the pico de gallo. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir it all together until combined. You then refrigerate it for 20 minutes.
• Now to make the “fish”. Preheat your the oven to 350°F  and coat a baking sheet with a thin layer of oil or nonstick cooking spray.
• In a mixing bowl, using two forks or your hands, you pull apart the hearts of palm until they appear shredded.
• Then you stir in the lime juice, dulse flakes, and salt until combined.
• Next you then spread the mixture out on the baking sheet in a single layer. You bake it for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges of the hearts of palm start to turn golden brown.
• While the “fish” is baking, you place the tortilla strips on a baking sheet, brush them with a thin layer of oil, and sprinkle them with salt. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes until they are crispy.
• To assemble your bowls, divide the slaw, pico de gallo, “fish,” and tortillas among 4 shallow bowls, arranging the components in quadrants. Nestle the cilantro, jalapeño, and lime wedges in with the tortilla strips and serve your taco bowls immediately.

Recipe Notes

I used my homemade vegan mayo in this recipe, but you can use store-bought if you prefer.

Dulse is a type of seaweed and it can usually be found in the Asian section of the grocery store. I buy Maine Coast Sea Seasonings, which comes in a shaker bottle. 

To cut down on prep time, you can use a bag of pre-chopped coleslaw mix.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure your tortillas are gluten-free. I used 6-inch corn tortillas. 

Vegan Bowl Attack!

Remember when bowl meals first gained popularity? I credit Instagram. First, green smoothies were all the rage. Then photos of avocado toast filled my feed. And shortly afterward, vegan bowl meals took over. Rightly so, too – who wouldn’t want an easy-to-make meal of vegetables, protein, and whole grains all in one cozy bowl?

Luckily for bowl fans, Jackie Sobon (of Vegan Yack Attack) wrote a cookbook dedicated to their favorite type of meal. Vegan Bowl Attack! is packed with over 100 delicious one-dish meals, all of which are plant-based and use easy-to-find ingredients.

The Recipes

You’ find more than just dinner recipes in Vegan Bowl Attack! Jackie has included recipes for breakfast bowls, snack bowls, soup bowls, and even dessert bowls. There’s also a chapter dedicated to bowl essentials, such as homemade seitan, tempeh bacon, and various sauces. She’s also included her master formula, so you can create your own one-of-a-kind bowls.

In addition to the Fish Taco Bowl, I've made a few other recipes from Vegan Bowl Attack!  All three were easy to make and didn’t require too much time to prepare.

I started with the Scramble Burrito Bowl, because I can’t say no to a good tofu scramble. I love Jackie’s method for cooking the tofu, which resulted in a deliciously crunchy and cheesy coating. The tofu and burrito veggies were complimented nicely by salsa and avocado.

Cherries are my favorite fruit, so I also made Amaretto Cherry Ice Cream. This dessert was a cool and refreshing treat on a hot summer’s day.

Vegan Bowl Attack! is a welcome addition to anyone’s cookbook library!

Vegan Fish Taco Bowl from Vegan Bowl Attack!

Jackie Sobon

Taco Tuesday is a weekly holiday that I celebrate regularly and for good reason—tacos are freakin’ awesome! I will admit, however, that sometimes I’m not into getting my hands dirty from tortillas bursting at the seams with fillings, so this “Fish” Taco Bowl is a great alternative.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 466 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the Cabbage Slaw

• 1 cup shredded red cabbage (70 g) 
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage (70 g) 
• 1 cup grated carrot (110 g)
• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise soy-free, if necessary (60 g)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

For the Pico de Gallo

• ½ cup diced tomato (90 g)
• ⅓ cup diced red onion (55 g)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (1 g)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno optional 6 g)
• ½ teaspoon lime juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the "Fish"

• 2 14 ounce-cans hearts of palm drained (400 g)
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• ½ teaspoon dulse seaweed flakes
• pinch salt

For the Assembly

• 4 small corn tortillas cut into strips
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves (4 g)
• 2 tablespoons sliced fresh jalapeno (11 g)
• 8 lime wedges

Instructions

 

To Make the Cabbage Slaw

• Place all of the ingredients in a bowl, stir together until combined, and then refrigerate for 20 minutes.

To Make the Pico de Gallo

• Place all of the ingredients in a bowl, stir together until combined, and then refrigerate for 20 minutes.

To Make the "Fish"

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C, or gas mark 4) and coat a baking sheet with a thin layer of oil or nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, using two forks or your hands, pull apart the hearts of palm until they appear shredded. Stir in the lime juice, dulse flakes, and salt until combined and then spread the mixture out on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown.

To Assemble

• While the “fish” is baking, place the tortilla strips on a baking sheet, brush with a thin layer of oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until crispy.
• Divide the slaw, pico de gallo, “fish,” and tortillas among 4 shallow bowls, arranging the components in quadrants. Nestle the cilantro, jalapeño, and lime wedges in with the tortilla strips. Serve immediately.

Notes

Reprinted from Vegan Bowl Attack!: More than 100 One-Dish Meals Packed with Plant-Based Power By Jackie Sobon, published by Fair Winds Press

More Bowl-Style Recipes You Might Like Include

• Poke Bowl from my cookbook Eating Vegan
• Buddha Bowls from The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds
• Quinoa and Kale Bowls from Vegan Meal Prep by JL Fields
• Hawaiian BBQ Tofu Bowl from The Simply Vegan Cookbook by Dustin Harder

More Recipes from Jackie Sobon include

• Southwest Salad from Vegan Yack Attack’s Plant-Based Meal Prep!
• Grill and Chill Salad from Vegan Yack Attack on the Go!