Friends, have you heard of celeriac? It’s the star of our new favorite dish and we’re so excited to introduce it to you! Celeriac is a root vegetable with a subtle celery-like flavor, and when cooked, it develops a tender and flaky texture (like fish!). Then when you coat it in a bubbly batter, fry it in a skillet, and serve with vegan tartar sauce and fries, vegan “fish” and chips happens — and it’s kind of magic!
These celeriac “fish” fillets are crispy, flaky, addictively delicious, and uber comforting! Just 6 ingredients required for these gluten-free and vegan beauties. Let us show you how it’s done!
Origin of Fish and Chips
Fish and chips is believed to have originated in England in the 1860s. The combination was inspired by two different dishes introduced by immigrants: battered and fried fish from Holland and chips (fries) from either Belgium or France.
The following is a plant-based take on the concept.
How to Make Vegan Fish and Chips
When brainstorming how to recreate the flaky texture of fish with plant-based ingredients, celeriac came to mind! When boiled, this root vegetable transforms from stiff and firm to tender and flaky.
So we cut it into strips, then boiled it in salted water to infuse it with saltiness and lessen its celery flavor. And it totally worked! Vegan “fish” and chips officially became a reality.
Then we got to work on the batter for coating the “fish”!
To make a light and bubbly batter, we combined our DIY gluten-free flour blend, salt, nori seaweed flakes (optional for extra “sea” flavor!), and sparkling water. Regular all-purpose flour with a little baking powder also works, but we found gluten-free flour created a lighter, more preferable texture. Using sparkling water in the batter creates more air pockets, giving it an even lighter texture!
Next, we coated the cooked celeriac in the batter, making it ready for frying.
For frying, we went with avocado oil for its high smoke point and neutral flavor. We used just enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan without turning it into a deep frying situation.
After a few minutes on each side, the “fish” is lightly golden brown and ready for dipping in vegan tartar sauce with your choice of chips! Dreams do come true.
We hope you LOVE this vegan “fish” and chips! They’re:
Crispy on the outside
Flaky on the inside
Comforting
Easy to make
Indulgent
& Kind of amazing!
It’s the perfect dish to enjoy while watching sporting events or when you just want to explore a new (and super delicious!) way to put celeriac to use! It pairs beautifully with our Easy Vegan Coleslaw, Creamy Potato Green Split Pea Soup, or Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad.
More Game Day Recipes
- Gluten-Free Onion Rings
- Spicy Red Curry Cauliflower “Wings”
- Cheesy Jalapeño Corn Dip
- 5-Minute Vegan Cashew Queso
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Vegan “Fish” and Chips
Ingredients
“FISH”
- 1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into 1-inch strips (1 large celeriac is ~1 lb or 450 g)
- Water (for boiling)
- 1 Tbsp sea salt (for salting water)
BATTER
- 1 cup DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend (or sub Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour // if not gluten-free, you can sub all-purpose flour and add 1 tsp baking powder)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp nori seaweed flakes, or nori sheets blitzed in a blender (for “sea” flavor // optional)
- 2/3 – 3/4 cup plain unsweetened sparkling water (for a lighter texture // or sub regular water)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or other neutral, high-heat oil // for frying)
CHIPS (choose one // optional)
FOR SERVING
- Easy Vegan Tartar Sauce (or store-bought)
- Lemon wedges (optional)
Instructions
- "FISH": Add 3 quarts (~3 liters) of water and 1 Tbsp salt to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, carefully add celeriac strips and cover. Boil celeriac for 8-9 minutes, or until fork tender. Carefully remove and place on a cooling rack or a plate to dry and cool slightly.
- CHIPS: If you want to enjoy your fish with “chips” (fries), start preparing your choice of Perfect Roasted Potatoes, Baked Garlic Matchstick Fries, or Crispy Cajun Baked Fries (Oil-Free!) while your celeriac boils.
- BATTER: In a medium mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour, salt, and nori flakes (optional for “sea” flavor) and whisk to combine. Add sparkling water (starting with the lesser amount) and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes to thicken slightly. After resting, it should be similar to pancake batter in texture (see photo) — add more water to thin or flour to thicken.
- In a large rimmed skillet (we prefer cast iron), large pot, or Dutch oven, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Using your fingers or a fork, dunk each boiled celeriac strip into the batter — you want them thickly and evenly coated. Carefully transfer the battered strips to the hot avocado oil. Each piece should sizzle nicely when you place it in the oil — if it doesn’t make any sound, turn up the heat slightly. Continue dunking and adding the strips to the skillet until the skillet is full. Once sizzling, cook each strip for ~3-4 minutes on the first side.
- Then use tongs or a metal spatula to carefully lift and flip the strips — they should come up easily. If they are sticking badly they likely haven’t cooked long enough. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the second side, or until lightly browned. Transfer the fried pieces to a cooling rack or a plate with a napkin to drain excess oil, then dunk and fry any remaining celeriac strips that didn’t fit in the skillet. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, prepare a batch of Easy Vegan Tartar Sauce (or use store-bought), remove your chips/fries from the oven, and enjoy the fish and fries dunked in tartar sauce!
- Best when fresh. We tested freezing and reheating the "fish" and it crisps back up nicely, but the celeriac flavor is stronger and the crispy coating pulls away from the celeriac a bit. Reheat from frozen by baking on a greased baking sheet at 400 F (204 C) for 10-15 minutes, flipping at the halfway point.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients, with 3 Tbsp of oil because it doesn’t all get absorbed, and with 1 ¼ teaspoons salt because it is not all absorbed into the celeriac when boiling.
Krista says
I made this recipe today, with the unfortunate omission of nori! I boiled the sliced celery root with vegan vegetable stock and coconut amino. It was still incredibly delicious. The celeriac is a fantastic meat sub for texture, I guess I made it more like chicken. Lol
I genuinely believe boiling the flavour ingredients with the root intensifies flavour, and I’m looking forward to trying this with nori to make it “fishier!”
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Christine says
I was really unsure of the result, since I do not like celeriac. It is so delicious and taste like fish and chip. I am really curious how the idea of making vegan fish with celeriac came to you. Thank you
We’re so glad you were pleased with the result, Christine. Thank you for sharing! We can’t remember what made us think of the idea, but it was in a team brainstorming session!
Leah says
I made this tonight with half of a celery root and it made about 3 servings worth. It was very tasty seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika after cooking.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Leah! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Natalie Kra says
I love what you are doing! I’m a vegan and love finding recipes that not only provide great plant-based nutritional value but also taste amazing.
Curious if you have heard of Terraseed? Terraseed creates a comprehensive Multivitamin for Vegans – made for vegans & by vegans. The company also avoids the use of fish and instead uses ingredients like kelp and algae.
Thanks for all that you do!
Thank you for your kind words, Natalie! Yes, we have heard of the company.
Sabrina says
This was really good and simple to make. I had it along with the tartar sauce and crispy cajun baked fried. Loved it all!
Yay! We love to hear this. Thanks for the wonderful review, Sabrina!
Heather says
I was pleasantly surprised by how good this recipe was! I used King Arthur gluten-free cup for cup flour, and probably only 1-1.5 tbsp of nori flakes (didn’t have any more in the house). I also ended up using over 1 cup of sparkling water in the batter. Two thumbs up from me and I would make it again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Heather! Thank you for sharing! xo
Savannah says
This recipe was amazing! I received celeriac in a CSA box delivery and wasn’t sure what to do with it. So glad I stumbled upon this recipe! I was cautiously optimistic that it would turn out well and oh my goodness it was delicious. It took me a little bit longer but it was well worth the time because the end result was savory, fried deliciousness. And it tasted surprisingly like fish! All around loved this and will definitely make again.
Whoop! We’re so glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it, Savannah! Thank you for sharing! xo
Mary Salisbury says
OMG!!! This was delicious. I had never had celeriac before. I have had a lot of different veggies, but not this. Even my husband liked it!! SHOCK! The only thing I changed was the sparkling water. I used perrier instead (couldn’t find the sparkling water I bought (0:)
It was well worth all the efforts….YUM!!!!
Thanks for all of your great recipes!!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad to hear this, Mary! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Anne Martin says
That looks outrageously edible! So. My question: Could hearts of palm “stand in” for celeriac? I’m unable to find the latter.
Thanks so much MB!
Hi Anne! We haven’t tried that and we don’t have much experience with hearts of palm so we aren’t sure what the flavor will be like, but it might work. Let us know how it goes!
Dorie Kosche says
I’m going to make this tonight. Sounds really good. I had a craving for crabcakes and thought of this recipe because of its flakiness. I searched for crabcakes made with celriac and came up with nothing. Maybe you could could come up with a version?? I’ve never tried a recipe of yours that I didn’t like!!
Sounds intriguing – we’ll add it to our ideas list. Thank you for the suggestion, Dorie! We also have a “crab” cake recipe made with jackfruit in case you haven’t seen that yet.
Christa says
This really surprised me! Firstly, I was never a fan of fish before becoming vegan. Secondly, the idea of battering and frying something intimidates me. Thirdly, there were a lot of moving parts because I chose to make the matchstick potatoes and the tartar sauce at the same time as the fish. Fourthly, I decided to make your vegan mayo recipe in order to make the tartar sauce.
It was so delicious!! I never cooked with celeriac and my memory was eating it as a child in a salad. But the texture turned out awesome and the flavor was amazing. I did somehow mess up the mayo, as it didn’t thicken up. Not sure where I went wrong as I followed directions. Maybe my hand blender needs to be updated? It was a hand me down from my parents from the 90s. Or maybe added the oil too fast? Either way, I added the ingredients to it to make the tartar sauce and it tasted delicious so I used it more as a dipping sauce.
Thanks again for another fabulous recipe!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Christa! On the vegan mayo, either of those factors you mentioned could contribute to it not setting up. It does also thicken more once stored in the fridge overnight, so one idea would be to make it ahead for next time. Thank you so much for sharing your experience! xo
Elizabeth says
Delicious! Made this last night, a little dubious of how celeriac could turn into fish. I was so surprised how pleased we were. I could have halved the batter and still had plenty. The nori blitzed in the blender was a must for me.
Yay! We’re so glad it exceeded your expectations, Elizabeth! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Caroline says
These are delicious! Australia is the land of fish and chips so ever since following a mainly plant based diet (like you) I have really missed them. These are amazing though! Flaky, crispy fish with delicious chips. I made the baked garlic matchstick chips. Served with tartar sauce. Insane!
Thank you so much again for ANOTHER amazing recipe!
Caroline xx
PS: Happy Valentine’s Day! Yesterday was our V-Day but I know that it’s the American Valentine’s Day! 💕💕
YAY! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Caroline. Thanks so much for the wonderful review! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Shannon says
These are really good. I ended up using reg flour cuz it’s what I had and I needed more carbonated water than listed. Personally I think the seaweed is necessary and the Tartar sauce is perfect and makes the dish. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome! Will make again :)
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Shannon. So glad you enjoyed!
El Foodie Ibérico says
Nice one. I think I´m gonna try it this weekend :) :)
Yay! Let us know what you think if you give them a try!
Amanda says
Amazing! Made this for dinner with your recipe for oven fries and your tartar sauce. The crispy coating, the tender celeriac, the mild flavor from the seaweed all came together for a dinner that hit the spot.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Amanda. So glad you enjoyed!
Judy says
Your recipes and videos are very well written and helpful. I made this tonight and it was pretty good. Next time I’ll season the “vegan fish” with fresh dill, cilantro and more seaweed, and cradle peppercorns, as they were a bit bland for our tastes. The texture was fantastic tho and the recipe very easy to execute. Thank you in particular for this recipe, as I’ve been wanting to use the celeriac root in my crisper drawer for a few weeks now, and I’m bored with celeric purée’s, soups, baked Frittes. Hubby loves sandwiches so, I served it on gluten free grilled sandwich rolls with baby gem lettuce, avocado and sprouts, with a side of sliced potatoes as baked chips, seasoned with paella saffron spices. Homemade gherkin pickles. I have way too much leftover batter, just wondering.. has anyone else experiencing this ? Any suggestions for vegan gluten-free recipes to use the extra batter? Can it be frozen? Thanks so much minimalist bakers! I look forward to your emails blogs and recipes, You inspire me.
Hi Judy, thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your experience! We’re glad you got to put your celeriac to good use =) Did you serve it with the tartar sauce? That’s where the majority of the flavor comes in! There can be some leftover batter depending on the size the celeriac is cut. You could use it for onion rings or other veggies. Hope that helps!
Judy says
Hello Minimalist Baker Support team, thank you for your reply. I didn’t make the tartar sauce, as we also follow a FODMAP diet, no alliums, shallots, onions, garlic. Usually recipes that call for alliums, I sub in fennel bulb, finely diced and sautéed, I decided to make my “317 sauce” ( I created it on March 17th) it’s avocado, tahini, lemon juice, aqua Fava, seasonings & fresh herbs, whipped until light and fluffy. Very versatile wonderful over twice baked potatoes stuffed along with sweet peas, or chickpeas if no peas are available, some fresh parsley, dill, jalapeños, nutritional yeast. It was Delicious with your vegan fish too. :) I thought more about the extra batter, if I add a vegan egg, and melted earth balance vegan butter I can make savory waffles with mushrooms. Your thoughts? Or I may just batter and fry more veggies, turnips or carrots. If squash blossoms were in season that would make it to the plate too!. Thanks again, kindest regards, Judy
Hi Judy, Your sauce sounds delicious too! There’s something about the tartar sauce that really brings these fish and chips to life. Perhaps you can have it if omitting the shallot for low FODMAP? Those waffles sound delicious too. We think you’d need baking powder to prevent them from being too dense. Squash blossoms would be delicious! We’d love to hear how it goes!
Mel Cummings says
Hi, This recipe looks so yummy. Excited to try it out!
Just a note: The link from the email newsletter leads to trail mix cookies, not this recipe. Seems to be the issue with the last few emails too.
Thanks so much for sharing your creative recipes! :)
Hi Mel, thank you for your kind words and for letting us know about the issue! We can’t find anything wrong on our end. Have you tried using a different browser or different email address?
Mel says
Thanks for the reply. It seems to be working fine on my phone so it must be something to do with my PC. Thanks for the help :)
Glad to hear it’s working on your phone!
Shai says
Celeriac isn’t common in my region. Do you think a regular Celery root can be substituted?
Hm, we’re not sure as we haven’t ever used one! Let us know if you try it out!
Sarah says
Hi! This vegan fish and chips sounds wonderful! Do you think it could be air fried? I’m sure it’s definitely delicious fried the way you all cooked it. Just thought I would ask!
Hi Sarah, We haven’t tested air frying, but if you try it, we’d suggest spraying with oil to ensure flavor. Let us know if you try it!
Allie says
I just did a quick Google search to be sure – celery root and celeriac are the same thing.
Susan Moe says
I wonder if dipping them in gluten-free sourdough starter would work instead of the flour and sparkling water… Looks amazing!
That sounds promising! Let us know if you try it!
Caryl Neufeld says
Can I use daikon instead of celeriac?
Hi Caryl, we haven’t tried that, but think it might have too high of a water content. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Pat D says
Would commercial gluten free flour work in place of the homemade blend?
This sounds yummy.
Thanks.
Yes! We tested it with Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF Baking Flour with success. Enjoy!
Elizabeth says
Could this be made in an air fryer?
Hi Elizabeth, We haven’t tested air frying, but if you try it, we’d suggest spraying with oil to ensure flavor. Let us know if you try it!
DJ says
Any thoughts about air frying rather than on frying?
Hi DJ, We haven’t tested air frying, but if you try it, we’d suggest spraying with oil to ensure flavor. Let us know if you try it!
Emily says
I wish you shared a photo of the “flakiness”. Can you add? I watched the video and did not see it there either.
Ah, yes! Did you catch the sneak peak we had on Instagram stories?
Emily says
No, I don’t have Instagram. I’d love if you could upload it here!
Oliver says
I can’t see a picture of the flaky inside on Instagram.. I’d like to see one too.
Hi Oliver, it was an Instagram story. We don’t have a photo of it but are planning to re-make next week to get one. Stay tuned!
Trinity says
I didn’t see it on Instagram or website for some reason.
We’ll see what we can do to make that available here!
Hi friends, thank you for suggesting adding a photo of the flaky texture! We’ve added it just above the recipe =) Hope it’s helpful!
Emily says
This is great – thank you!!
AdiSundri says
I am not a vegan or even vegetarian,, I do although love love all the recipes!! Tried many ,, always delicious.
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for sharing!