In this recipe we recreate the salty taste of the sea by using a secret ingredient, nori. Nori is dried seaweed which you can pick up at specialist supermarkets.
Not all nori is vegan so it’s always worth checking the brand and packaging to make sure you find a vegan-friendly version.
We also love dill so we couldn’t resist including it in this recipe, but if you’re not so keen you can either reduce the amount or exclude altogether. It’s all about applying your own twist!
Also these are great for meal prep. Just make them ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or keep in the freezer, separated by some baking paper .
2 x 400 g (14.1 oz)tins ofchickpeas, drained + rinsed
1red onion, finely chopped
3garlic cloves, peeled + minced
2large handfuls offresh parsley, finely chopped
4sheets ofnori
1lemon
1tbspdried dill
1tsppaprika
1/2tspdried mixed herbs
1/2tspeach of salt and pepper
salad leaves, for serving
For the homemade mayonnaise
200 g (7 oz)silken tofu
2tspfresh lemon juice
1tspDijon mustard
salt + pepper
1/4cupvegetable oil
Method
To make the flax egg, add the ground flaxseeds to a small bowl with 2 tbsp of water and stir to combine. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
Transfer the chickpeas to a mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher until all the chickpeas have broken down.
To the mixing bowl, add the red onion, garlic and parsley. Then use scissors to finely cut the nori sheets into small pieces directly into the bowl. Next, add the juice from the lemon, dill, paprika, mixed herbs and salt and pepper, and finally the flax egg from before.
Use your hands to combine the ingredients until everything is well mixed together. Then take a handful of the mixture and shape it into a patty. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used up and you’re left with 6 evenly shaped ‘fishcakes’.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan on a medium – high heat. Once hot, add in 3 or 4 cakes at a time and fry for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, prepare the homemade mayonnaise by placing the silken tofu, lemon juice, mustard and pinches of salt and pepper in a food processor and blend for around 10 seconds. Then, add half of the vegetable oil and blend, then add the remaining vegetable oil and blend until the mayonnaise is smooth. Transfer the mayonnaise to a serving dish.
Remove the cakes from the heat and serve with the mayonnaise and a salad of your choice.
If i make these again, i think I’m going to leave out the dill. I think they would be just as “fishy”, without being overpowered by dill flavor. The only time i remember ever having liked dill in a recipe was in Great Eastern Sun’s Creamy Dill Dip, and i have stopped eating tofu since then.
Tried these out with Dulse instead of nori because it is what I had on hand, used white beans instead of chickpeas, and it turned out great! Couldn’t get my flax seeds to grind enough using pestle and mortar so ended up with more flax and then added chia to get the egg effect- again, super forgiving recipe, really satisfying meal.
No regrets, they turned out delicious. Thank you!
Mmmm, these were delicious! As a new vegetarian, I am still skeptical of recipes that try to mimic meat taste or texture but I was pleasantly surprised! While they are easily recognizable as a vegetarian riff, the smell is surprisingly fishy! (I did add finely diced and cooked oyster mushrooms to it for a little more aroma) My only tweak in the future would be to add a binding ingredient as these did not hold their form well. In all, it took me an hour to make these bad boys. I would definitely make them again. 🙂
Thank you for all your amazing recipes! That taste really good!
In order to don’t fall apart, as I also had this challenge, I added two tea spoons of chickpea flour… and did not change the taste.
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14 Comments
Hi,
What exactly is ‘mixed herbs’? should i go to the store and ask for ‘mixed herbs spice’?
Hi Oz. We use Herbs de Provence. Hope that helps! Thanks, Ben.
What size are the Nori sheets? THX!
Hey Kat! The nori sheets are roughly 25cm x 20cm. Thanks!
How much should I use if I have kelp powder instead of the nori sheets?
These were very tasty but fell apart super easy. The flax egg just did not bind it well enough. The family gobbled them up though.
If i make these again, i think I’m going to leave out the dill. I think they would be just as “fishy”, without being overpowered by dill flavor. The only time i remember ever having liked dill in a recipe was in Great Eastern Sun’s Creamy Dill Dip, and i have stopped eating tofu since then.
Hi Hope, sounds like a good plan if you’re not keen on dill. We love dill in our household so we tend to use quite a lot of it. All the best, Roxy
I found that throwing in some hemp seeds and also overnight refrigeration helped bind these together.
Sounds great! 🙂
Tried these out with Dulse instead of nori because it is what I had on hand, used white beans instead of chickpeas, and it turned out great! Couldn’t get my flax seeds to grind enough using pestle and mortar so ended up with more flax and then added chia to get the egg effect- again, super forgiving recipe, really satisfying meal.
No regrets, they turned out delicious. Thank you!
Mmmm, these were delicious! As a new vegetarian, I am still skeptical of recipes that try to mimic meat taste or texture but I was pleasantly surprised! While they are easily recognizable as a vegetarian riff, the smell is surprisingly fishy! (I did add finely diced and cooked oyster mushrooms to it for a little more aroma) My only tweak in the future would be to add a binding ingredient as these did not hold their form well. In all, it took me an hour to make these bad boys. I would definitely make them again. 🙂
Are you using a prepared English mustard or the powder English mustard?
Hello!
Thank you for all your amazing recipes! That taste really good!
In order to don’t fall apart, as I also had this challenge, I added two tea spoons of chickpea flour… and did not change the taste.
You are amazing guys!