Veganuary: Faking it for a ‘fish’ supper

You won’t believe how convincing these vegan fishcakes are – in appearance, texture and taste. Delicious served with a salad for a light meal.

Artichoke ‘Fish’ Cakes with Dill Mayo (makes 12)

Ingredients

• 1 x 400g can of chickpeas,
• drained and liquid (aquafaba) reserved
• 1 x 390g can of artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
• 180g fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp dried kelp granules or other seaweed (optional)
• 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
• vegetable oil, for frying
• sea salt and ground black pepper

For the dill mayo

• a few sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
• 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges, to serve

Directions

1. Add the chickpeas, artichokes, 80g of the breadcrumbs, spring onions, mayonnaise, mustard, seaweed and mixed herbs to a food processor. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and pulse until everything is chopped and chunky but not smooth. (You can also do this by hand with a potato masher.)
   Vegan fish cakes (Photo by Jamie Orlando Smith)
2. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and shape into patties. Set aside on a large plate or baking tray.
3. Put the remaining breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl and the reserved aquafaba (this will act as an egg substitute) into another bowl. Dip a patty into the aquafaba and then place in the breadcrumb bowl and press in the crumbs until well coated. Return to the plate or baking tray and repeat to coat all the patties.
4. Meanwhile, put a large frying pan over a high heat and cover the base of the pan with the oill. After a few minutes, use one of the patties to test if the oil is hot enough. If it sizzles and bubbles when added to the pan it’s ready. Add half the cakes to the pan and cook for four to five minutes on each side until crisp and golden, then transfer to a plate with some paper towel, to absorb any excess oil. Repeat to cook the next batch.
5. Stir the dill into the mayonnaise. Serve the fishcakes with a small bowl of the dill mayo along with some lemon wedges for squeezing.

Extracted  from Great British Vegan by Aimee Ryan, published by White Lion Publishing, priced £20.