Happy New Year!!!! Can I get a "woot woot" for 2018? I'm giddily jumping in and starting off this year's recipes with a real ohh ahh bang: hello, Heart of Palm Calamari!
Do you see that photo? Yeah, pretty dang cool if I do say so myself. A new vegan restaurant moved into town (woot woot!) and although I have yet to visit it, I have heard rumours of their vegan calamari. Always the impatient one I needed to make it for myself ASAP. The resto uses mushrooms for their version but after a bit of googling and coming across a recipe from One Green Planet, I decided heart of palms were just the thing I wanted to use.
Tender, flaky, crispy fried rings of deliciousness with a squeeze of lemon. Yes please, I'll have 10 orders. When heart of palm is sliced you can pop out the center making these perfect little rings. How cute are they? This vegan calamari is more on the tender side than traditional calamari (it's not chewy), but that makes this heart of palm calamari recipe even better in my opinion!
If you are new to heart of palm, believe it or not, it's usually available canned in almost any grocery store. There are even three different brand options in my local grocery store! This tropical veg stole my heart (ba dum dum tsk!) as a perfect seafood substitute because of it's tender, flaky texture and mild taste. I've already used it a few times in my cookbook, Fuss-Free Vegan, but I'm thrilled it's making it's first blog debut today!
Note: if you're concerned about the sustainability of heart of palms, rest assured that, unlike some palm oils, most canned varieties of this veggie comes from farmed peach palms. Just check with the brand you are purchasing to be sure.
To Make Heart of Palm Calamari:
Slice the heart of palm into 1 inch slices. Then you should be able to pop out the center of each slice to make a ring. Some heart of palm is a bit on the smaller side and may be too small for the center to pop out, and that's ok, those solid slices will work just as well.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and garlic powder.
Cover the bottom of a skillet with about ¼ inch of oil and put over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, take a handful of heart of palm rings (which should still be wet from draining). Dredge the rings in the flour mixture shaking off the excess, and carefully drop them into the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining heart of palm. You may need to do this in batches so your pan isn't too crowded. Fry, turning the pieces until they are lightly golden all over. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot garnishing as desired.
Heart of Palm Calamari
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus more for garnish)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- oil for frying
- 1 398ml can heart of palm, drained, cut into 1" pieces, rings separated
Optional garnishes:
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 handful parsley, chopped
- Aioli (page 208 in Fuss-Free Vegan), marinara, or tartar sauce (page 144 in Fuss-Free Vegan), for dipping
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and garlic powder.
- Cover the bottom of a skillet with about ¼ inch of oil and put over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, take a handful of heart of palm rings (which should still be wet from draining). Dredge the rings in the flour mixture shaking off the excess, and carefully drop them into the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining heart of palm. You may need to do this in batches so your pan isn't too crowded. Fry turning the pieces until they are lightly golden all over. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot garnishing as desired.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Shelly says
Can I use heart of palm that's cut into half moon shape? Or will the texture not be the same?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes you can, it should be fine 🙂
Gabi says
I had this on my pinterest board for years and finally got around to trying it and it's delicious! it literally took me 10 minutes start to finish and it was a really tasty midday snack. Thanks so much! I'll be putting hearts of palm back on my grocery list this week!
bepmina says
Your website is amazing...your pictures and recipes are very inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
Yuli says
These are so moreish and easy to make! Tastes delicious, just like everything else you do, thanks Sam. Will be making again soon!
Ashley says
Made this today and it was AMAZING! I used almond flour (gluten free) and Tony Chachere’s AND extra garlic.
Brienna says
As a long time vegan I finally got my boyfriend to agree to do Veganuary and this was my introductory dish. He loved it, I’m equally as obsessed. I feel like I always see recipes using mushroom as a seafood substitute, I can’t believe this is the first I’ve heard of this super take!