When I went to pick up a jar of Vegenaise (avocado sammies, potato salad, tempeh salad; it goes fast in the summer!), I was surprised to see that my supermarket had begun stocking the relatively new Veganaise tartar sauce. But before I could drop it into my cart, common sense prevailed; what was I going to do with it?
I did all the rest of my shopping daydreaming about the tartar sauce and then it occurred to me to check the freezer section for vegan fish. Lo and behold: Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Fish Fillets had been there all along. I grabbed a box, went back to pick-up the tartar sauce, and was on my way.
For some reason I interpreted the fillets on the package in such a way as to expect the contents to be shaped like, well, fillets. In reality, they were round patties; this was actually preferable because they were perfectly proportionate to my bun.
The "fish" was a bit orange for my liking, but it did smell slightly oceanic (points for authenticity?). It took a little longer to heat than indicated, but that could be because A) I had the gas turned down in order to reduce oil splatter, or B) because I was unclear from the directions whether or not I was supposed to thaw the patty before cooking (I didn't).
The tartar sauce was a thick, appealing consistency. Too rich to try on it's own, with confidence I generously coated my bun with it before dressing with tomato and onion (I really like condiments).
The first bite I mostly noticed the tartar sauce. Not as pickly as I was expecting, but still ridiculously delicious. As for the fish? Tastes like chicken! I mean, I don't really remember what either tastes like, but it looked and tasted no different than the chikin patties I can recall eating as a vegetarian. Nonetheless, the crispy-fried coating in concert with the tartar sauce was a success.
I did find it curious that the company tauted konjac root so prominently on the box,
yet it was listed as a powder: 7th out of 13 ingredients, the first being (non-gmo) textured vegetable protein. Also, where was the seaweed?
Ultimately, the "fillets" are not something I would eat on a regular basis, but the tartar sauce is awesome! So overall it was nice to have an old-skool sammie fix- be it faux fish or chicken.
I did all the rest of my shopping daydreaming about the tartar sauce and then it occurred to me to check the freezer section for vegan fish. Lo and behold: Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Fish Fillets had been there all along. I grabbed a box, went back to pick-up the tartar sauce, and was on my way.
 |
| "most popular" |
The "fish" was a bit orange for my liking, but it did smell slightly oceanic (points for authenticity?). It took a little longer to heat than indicated, but that could be because A) I had the gas turned down in order to reduce oil splatter, or B) because I was unclear from the directions whether or not I was supposed to thaw the patty before cooking (I didn't).
The tartar sauce was a thick, appealing consistency. Too rich to try on it's own, with confidence I generously coated my bun with it before dressing with tomato and onion (I really like condiments).
The first bite I mostly noticed the tartar sauce. Not as pickly as I was expecting, but still ridiculously delicious. As for the fish? Tastes like chicken! I mean, I don't really remember what either tastes like, but it looked and tasted no different than the chikin patties I can recall eating as a vegetarian. Nonetheless, the crispy-fried coating in concert with the tartar sauce was a success.
I did find it curious that the company tauted konjac root so prominently on the box,
yet it was listed as a powder: 7th out of 13 ingredients, the first being (non-gmo) textured vegetable protein. Also, where was the seaweed?
Ultimately, the "fillets" are not something I would eat on a regular basis, but the tartar sauce is awesome! So overall it was nice to have an old-skool sammie fix- be it faux fish or chicken.
oh wow that looks marvelous!! YUM!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the helpful review! I have a jar of the Vegenaise tartar sauce in the fridge as we speak. I tried another product from Sophie's Kitchen, the crab cakes, and I really, really, really didn't like them. Like you, I didn't know whether or not I was supposed to thaw them before cooking. When the results were rather lackluster, I wondered if it had anything to do with me thawing them first. They were gummy and definitely not something I'd get again. I'd been curious if the fillets would have been a better choice.
ReplyDeleteI only found out what tartar sauce was the other day but it looks like you are using it better than my friend did (nonvegan sauce with nonvegan shrimp). So basically, in any case, I salute you.
ReplyDeleteCadry- Glad to know I shouldn't run to try another product. I'm excited to use the rest of the tartar sauce on avo/lettuce/tomato sammies.
ReplyDeletefoodfeud- If you ever want to give it a go, I can recommend the vegan fried shrimp from Red Bamboo. Certainly not an everyday food, but kind of awesome nonetheless. PS: major BOO to nonvegan shrimp & sauce!!
Abby,
ReplyDeleteSomething seems very fishy here…