Vegan 'fish' finger sandwich
You can make vegan 'fish' fingers in no time by combining cauliflower and capers inside a crispy breadcrumb coating. Perfect for sandwiching between slices of bread with liberal amounts of vegan tartare.
Ingredients
For the cauliflower ‘fish’ fingers
- 250g/9oz cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú gram flour
- ½ tsp ground white pepper (or ground black pepper)
- ½ tsp salt
- 75g/2¾oz golden breadcrumbs
- 2–3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
For the vegan tartare sauce
- 3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tsp roughly chopped capers
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 gherkin, finely chopped
- sprig fresh dill, finely chopped
To serve
Method
Blend the cauliflower and capers in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs.
Place the blended cauliflower and capers in a tea towel or muslin cloth. Wrap and squeeze tightly to remove as much liquid as possible.
Place the dried cauliflower and capers in a mixing bowl, add the gram flour, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then leave to sit for 5 minutes – this will allow the flour to soak up any remaining liquid in the cauliflower and turn it into a shapeable mixture.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Pour the breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Carefully shape the cauliflower mixture into fish finger shaped rectangles. Roll each finger in the breadcrumbs, patting all over to evenly coat.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and drizzle over 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, spreading it evenly across the baking paper. Place the cauliflower fingers on the baking paper and roll them gently in the oil to coat both sides. The fingers will seem soft at this point but they will firm up in the oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes until crisp.
Meanwhile, make the vegan tartare sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
To serve, lay two slices of bread flat on a board and spread some vegan tartare sauce on each slice. Top one slice with a couple of lettuce leaves, 3–4 cauliflower fingers, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of ketchup. Top with the other slice of bread.