While there are some seafood vegan mimics on the market, they tend to veer towards being frozen and breaded.  It can be a bit of a challenge to find healthful seafood alternatives.

Eaten all across Latin America and the Caribbean, ceviche is a popular seafood dish.  It generally involves raw fish, citrus, cilantro and chiles.  While I have had a vegan ceviche once before, it did not have a fish-like flavor.  In veganland, it’s a fine line between being ceviche and being salsa.  So, I gave it some thought, and decided that I needed to infuse some seafood flavor to really make this ceviche sing.  It didn’t need to sing too loudly, but it needed to be able to carry a tune.

And thus, we have hearts of palm marinaded overnight with kelp granules.  If you need to replace raw fish, it works like a charm.  It’s subtle without being overpoweringly fishy, but it is definitely still the taste of the sea.  With scallions, avocado, cilantro and jalapeños, it becomes a light, refreshing dip for tortilla chips.  

Hearts of Palm Ceviche

14 ounce can of hearts of palm

2 ½ tsp kelp granules

⅓ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeño, sliced

¼ cup lime juice

3-4 scallions, chopped

Salt, to taste

1. Dump the contents of the can of hearts of palm (including the water) into a sealable container.  Add kelp granules, mix, and cover with lid.  Refrigerate overnight for the best results.

2. Once hearts of palm are done marinading, drain in a colander and rinse off the kelp.  Chop and add to a large mixing bowl with the rest of the items listed above.  Stir, taste, and adjust seasonings.  If you prefer a more “seafood-like” flavor, sprinkle in some additional kelp; otherwise, serve with tortilla chips.