Vegan Seafood is the Future: Here Are the Brands You Have to Try
If you're looking for a seafood feast without the cruelty and ocean devastation, here are some of our favorite plant-based options.
Did you know that around 2.7 billion wild fish are killed every single day? This huge rate of ecosystem destruction is having far-reaching repercussions for our wildlife and oceans, from dead zones to species extinction.
But there’s a sustainable solution: vegan seafood.
Vegan seafood mimics the taste and texture of popular seafood products while eliminating the need to catch, farm, and slaughter over a trillion fish each year. When it comes to conserving our oceans, this is a game-changer, and everyone from the world's largest food giants to tech-savvy startups are jumping on board to help develop sustainable plant-based replacements for fish and crustaceans.
And thanks to the rising popularity of plant-based alternatives it is predicted that a wave of vegan seafood substitutes will trend this summer and beyond. So, if you're looking for a seafood feast without the cruelty and ocean devastation, here are some of our favorite plant-based options.
Good Catch
Good Catch are making waves in the sustainable, plant-based seafood world, with their tasty alternatives readily available in grocery stores across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Their products include plant-based fish sticks, fish fillets, fish burgers, crab cakes and fish cakes and are made with a blend of peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy, fava beans and navy beans to deliver the rich flavors and flaky textures of seafood without the bycatch.
Gardein
Alongside their wide-range of plant-based chicken, beef, and pork, popular meat-free brand, Gardein also offers a selection of tasty vegan seafood options. Their fishless fillets and crabless cakes are swimming with flavor and fortified with omega-3 fatty acids.
New Wave Foods
With Americans consuming 1.4 billion pounds of shrimp every year, New Wave Foods sustainable, plant-based shrimp is a much-needed, environmentally-friendly alternative - and it tastes delicious too! Made of sustainable seaweed and plant proteins, the shrimp is virtually indistinguishable from ocean shrimp in terms of taste, texture and bite. New Waves Foods have just launched its New Wave Shrimp in North American restaurants and foodservice companies, so keep an eye out on menus near you!.
Beleaf
Beleaf’s delicious vegan shrimp is helping consumers to navigate the waters of sustainable seafood favorites. It looks uncannily like the real deal and can be sautéed, grilled or fried to recreate cruelty-free versions of popular shrimp dishes.
Upton’s Naturals
If you’re feeling like donning your chef hat, why not try making your own banana blossom fish? Banana blossom is the flower at the end of a banana fruit cluster and the flaky texture and neutral flavor makes it an ideal alternative to fish. Food company, Upton’s Naturals, sells banana blossoms which can be found at your local Whole Foods. They also have a range of mouth-watering banana blossom recipes, too!
Sophie’s Kitchen
Sophie’s Kitchen were early pioneers in the vegan seafood game. Since 2011, they’ve been offering delicious plant-based seafood products, totally free of GMOs, soy and gluten. Their fare includes shrimp, crab cakes, fish fillers, smoked salmon, seasalt and black pepper tuna, all without the fish, bycatch, and environmental destruction.
Cavi·art
Using sustainably sourced seaweed pearls, Plant Based Foods have managed to create a vegan version of caviar without harming roe fish or disrupting the marine ecosystem. Not only does this cruelty-free delicacy taste like the real thing, it also looks the part too, bringing a dash of color to familiar seafood dishes such as sushi and poké bowls.
Looking for ways to make an impact on World Ocean Day? Enjoy a plant-based evening with friends or family. Visit Species Unite’s Vegan Nights to download your free plant-based dinner guide.
Get Your Free Plant-Based Dinner Host Guide
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Species Unite
A collection of stories of those who fight the good fight on behalf of animals.
The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.