These Deconstructed Vegan Fish Tacos are oil-free, gluten-free, and full of flavor. Made with carrot-based Vegan Tuna Salad and Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips, these "tacos" can be eaten on their own as a meal but are also fantastic as a shared appetizer.
An episode of our live cooking show, cook & chat... girls' night in!, inspired this deconstructed vegan fish tacos bowl, where we made a Vegan Tuna Salad out of carrots. We talked with Urban Black Vegan about different ways of using the salad, and it reminded me of fish tacos I used to eat when I lived in Southern California several years ago. Since they are "deconstructed," they're perfect for sharing for 6 to 8 people. But this is also a great meal for 2 to 4 people.
Ingredients for Deconstructed Vegan Fish Tacos
- Vegan Tuna Salad: carrots, red onion, red bell pepper, celery, cucumber, dill pickle, nori seaweed, fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley or dill), Best Vegan Mayo
- Oven Baked Tortillas: corn tortillas
- Lime
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Purple or green cabbage
- Vegan fish taco sauce (optional): Best Vegan Mayo, dill pickle, lemon, fresh dill or parsley
How to prepare these vegan fish tacos
I usually make this recipe when I make a whole batch of Vegan Tuna Salad because I like to use half of it as a wrap or tuna salad on a bed of fresh salad greens. This recipe calls for a half batch of the full recipe. I also like this recipe with the cashew-based Best Vegan Mayo, but if you want a low-fat or nut-free version, by all means, use the tofu-based Easy Vegan Mayo. Be sure to prepare the mayo beforehand. You'll need it for the carrot tuna salad and (optional) vegan fish taco sauce.
Vegan Tuna Salad
This recipe calls for a half batch of the Vegan Tuna Salad. Start by preparing the carrots. I've made this two ways: using a blender and a juicer. The carrots shreds come out dryer with the juicer than a blender with a nut bag. However, the blender is a great substitute if you don't have a juicer.
- Juicer method: Put carrots into the juicer. Use the shreds for the recipe. Check out the video below. You'll want to pick out any large chunks and just eat those. For the juice, just drink that on its own or add some ginger, lemon juice or add an apple after you've removed the carrot shreds, though.
- Blender method: Put chopped carrots into the blender with a bit of water (about ¼ to ⅓ cup) to help process the carrots. After blending to a shredded consistency, use a nut bag and a large bowl to remove the moisture. Save the juice for drinking or adding to a smoothie.
Combine shredded carrots and all other ingredients (diced red onion, diced bell pepper, diced celery, minced dill pickle, pickle juice, finely chopped nori, fresh herbs, mushroom powder, and Best Vegan Mayo) into a large bowl and stir well to combine—salt and pepper to taste. Of course, add more pickle juice or diced pickle if you want more tang. If you prefer a more fishy flavor, toss in additional nori seaweed. If you want a more oniony taste, add more red onion or throw in some chopped green onion. Put the vegan tuna salad in the refrigerator to chill while you pull the other items together.
Oven Baked Tortilla Chips
Next, prepare the Oven Baked Tortilla Chips.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (or 175°C).
Stack and cut refrigerated or room temperature corn tortillas in half. Continue to cut into triangles so it yields either 4 or 6 chips per tortilla.
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Spread the tortillas onto a shallow baking sheet.
Pop in the oven at 350°F (or 175°C) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until crispy. Be sure to check on them about 7 minutes in to see if they need to come out sooner or stay in longer. When tortillas are done, remove from the oven and set aside.
*Note: These corn tortillas bake well in an air fryer at 350°F (or 175°C) for 7 to 9 minutes.
Toppings
For the toppings, chop fresh cilantro and purple (or green) cabbage, dice the pitted and peeled avocado, and slice a fresh lime into wedges.
The optional vegan fish taco sauce is like the one included with Vegan Crab Cakes (GLUTEN-FREE). To prepare that, combine ¼ cup (or half batch of the Best Vegan Mayo), plus water, lemon juice, minced dill pickle, and fresh chopped dill or parsley. This sauce is like the vegan version of a traditional tartar sauce.
Arrange the vegan tuna salad in a bowl, add toppings and serve with Oven Baked Tortilla Chips and (optional) vegan fish taco sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Our recommended dessert pairing with this dish is the Margarita Nice Cream (non-alcoholic). Yummm!
We hope you love this oil-free, gluten-free deconstructed vegan fish tacos. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielfastrecipes so we can see your creation!
Deconstructed Vegan Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Vegan Tuna Salad (½ batch)
- 3 medium carrots trimmed and peeled
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 2 Tbsp diced bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp diced celery
- 2 Tbsp diced cucumber
- 2 tsp minced dill pickle
- 2 tsp pickle juice
- ½ nori sheet finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp packed fresh herbs cilantro, dill, parsley-any one, two, or all three
- 2 tsp mushroom powder optional, but recommended
- ½ batch of Best Vegan Mayo
- salt and pepper to taste
Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips (½ batch)
- 6 to 8 corn tortillas
Toppings
- 1 avocado pitted and diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup purple or green cabbage finely chopped
- 1 lime sliced
Vegan Fish Taco Sauce (optional)
- ¼ cup Best Vegan Mayo or half batch
- 1 Tbsp water
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp dill pickle minced
- 1 ½ tsp fresh dill or parsley chopped
Instructions
Vegan Tuna Salad
- This recipe starts by preparing the carrots. I've made this two ways: using a blender and a juicer. The carrots shreds come out dryer with the juicer than a blender with a nut bag. However, the blender is an excellent substitute if you don't have a juicer.
- Juicer method: Put carrots into the juicer. Use the shreds for the recipe. Check out the video in the recipe blog for a demonstration. You'll want to pick out any large chunks and just eat those. For the juice, just drink it on its own or add some ginger, lemon juice, or an apple after you've removed the carrot shreds, though.
- Blender method: Put chopped carrots into the blender with a bit of water (about ¼ to ⅓ cup) to help process the carrots. After blending to a shredded consistency, use a nut bag and a large bowl to remove the moisture. Save the juice for drinking or adding to a smoothie.
- Combine shredded carrots and all other ingredients (diced red onion, diced bell pepper, diced celery, minced dill pickle, pickle juice, finely chopped nori, fresh herbs, mushroom powder, and Best Vegan Mayo) into a large bowl and stir well to combine—salt and pepper to taste. Of course, add more pickle juice or diced pickle if you want more tang. If you want more fishy flavor, add more nori seaweed. If you want a more oniony taste, add more red onion or throw in some chopped green onion. Put the vegan tuna salad in the refrigerator to chill while you pull the other items together.
Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (or 175°C).
- Stack and cut refrigerated or room temperature corn tortillas in half. Continue to cut into triangles, yielding 4 or 6 chips per tortilla.
- Spread the tortillas onto a shallow baking sheet.
- Pop in the oven at 350°F (or 175°C) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until crispy. Be sure to check on them about 7 minutes in to see if they need to come out sooner or stay in longer.
- *Note: These corn tortillas work well in an air fryer at 350°F (or 175°C) for 7 to 9 minutes.
Vegan Fish Taco Sauce (Optional)
- Combine ¼ cup (or half batch of the Best Vegan Mayo), plus water, lemon juice, minced dill pickle, and fresh chopped dill or parsley. This sauce is like the vegan version of a traditional tartar sauce.
Arrange Deconstructed Fish Tacos
- Arrange vegan tuna salad in a bowl, add toppings and serve with Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips and (optional) vegan tartar sauce on the side.
Notes
- Juicer or high-powered blender
- Nut milk bag (if using a high-powered blender)
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Oven or air fryer for corn tortillas
- Baking sheet (if using the oven for corn tortillas)
- Mini-blender (for vegan mayo)
- Stovetop (for quick-cooking cashews for vegan mayo)
Nutrition
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Theresa says
It’s amazing what carrots can do very yummy.