When you think of vegan food, it’s unlikely that the first dish to spring to mind is fish and chips.
This is because fish is an animal and the general idea of veganism is that you don’t eat those.
However, change could be afoot as a new vegan fish and chip shop has just opened in London.
Cue confusion as one tries to reckon with the concept of fish that contains no fish.
Proving that anything is possible in today’s experimental foodie landscape is Daniel Sutton, whose family-run fish and chip shop in east London has been serving up the classic dish - the one that contains actual fish - for years.
Now, the Sutton & Sons owner has opened the capital’s first vegan-only fish and chip shop in Hackney, which will offer a bespoke menu of fast food staples with a gourmet - and plant-based - twist.
The “fish” itself is made from banana blossom, a staple in south-east Asian cuisine, which is marinated in seaweed and samphire to give it a fishy flavour.
Also on the innovative menu, which is entirely meat and dairy-free, are fish burgers, battered sausages, scampi and vegan prawns, which are made using Japanese potato starch.
For the real fish and chip traditionalists, there’s even a vegan-friendly tartar sauce, catering to all of your chip-dipping needs.
Sutton began serving his vegan alternatives across all three branches of his shops in January and made the decision to open a stand-alone store in light of rising demands from his customers.
“We’ve been completely gobsmacked by the popularity of our vegan menu,” he said.
“People have visited us from all over the country, just to try our take on vegan fish.
“We didn’t have space in the Hackney branch to provide the vegan menu, so we are chuffed to now provide a space dedicated to our new vegan customers.”
Priced at £5.50 per serving, the vegan fish will set you back a little more than a traditional chippie.
However, speaking to Mail Online, Sutton explains that vegan ingredients aren’t cheap, but insists that the premium price is worth it.
“Some like the vegan menu better than fish, but other people say you just can't beat a bit of cod,” he said.
While Sutton & Sons will be the city’s first stand-alone vegan fish and chip shop, it’s not the first time someone has tried to recreate a vegan-friendly version of the British staple.
Vegan fish and chips also appear on the menu at Tell Your Friends, a plant-based restaurant in Parsons Green, however their incarnation of fish is a breaded aubergine fillet, paired with cashew tartar sauce.
You will also find a similar dish at By Chloe, which has several locations in the city, made from crispy tofu.
The future looks fishy, but not as you know it.
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