Exciting Stuff! Banana Blossom Flower Fish!

Yes! Banana blossom flowers are a thing! 😀

Banana blossom is the blossom from a banana tree! 😛 I guess you didn’t see that coming! 😛 On a banana tree, there is a deep purple pod, and I believe the male pods would not turn into bananas if left, so you’re not harming the fruit production of the tree if you harvest them at the correct time. Inside this pod, if you peel the outer leaves off, you will find the yellow/green edible part. This is the banana blossom, or banana flower. Now, I’m not sure about you, but where we live, there is a distinct lack of banana trees! 😛 However, on a recent visit to Morocco we did manage to see some fresh pods growing.

Anyway, banana blossom is slowly making its way over here and I am so glad I found a tinned version just down the road in my local Asian Supermarket! I have now seen two different brands in the UK and so far this is the only dish I have made with them. It’s so good I made it twice! I ate it all myself! Both whole tins! I love this! 😀

Aside from the tinned banana blossom, for this recipe you also need some seaweed. I used half a Nori sheet randomly torn up and it works perfectly. If you have nori flakes even better, but the sheets work fine.

I’m calling this Blossom Fish! Does it taste like fish from the chip shop? Probably not if you ate them side by side, but in my hazy recollection of what ‘fish & chips’ tastes like, this was so very close in texture and taste.

This is awesome! I love it! Now, there are recipes online which say you need to freeze the banana blossom and the whole process takes around 2-3 hours, I have seen recipes with all sorts of pickle liquid added, but this is a quick and easy recipe. Oh it’s so good!

How many ‘fish’ you make will depend on what is in your tin! My first tin had two giant blossoms inside, the second tin had five smaller ones. They were all equally delicious! Now, if you are thinking wait a minute, I thought Life Diet Health had healthy recipes, do not fear! You could of course deep-fry these to get an even more authentic taste, or you could shallow fry them, or indeed spritz the pan with oil, then finish them off in the oven! I did the latter! Here’s a quick look at how it happened…

Let’s check out the recipe!

Print

Blossom Fish

Banana blossom flowers battered and turned into plant-based fish!

Created by:: Laurena @LifeDietHealth

Gather

• 1 tin banana blossom
• 44 g plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon dill (the powdered herb)
• 1/4-1/2 sheet nori seaweed torn into small pieces (or sub 1/2-1 tablespoon nori flakes)
• Salt to taste
• pinch *Black pepper (optional)
• 60 ml plant based milk (the thicker the better) we have used oat & almond
• 1-5 sprays oil per 'fish'

Prepare

1. Drain the banana blossom and check how many 'fish' you have. Gently unfold them if necessary, then squeeze out all of the liquid.

2. Put half of the flour on a plate, add the dill, nori, salt and pepper if using.

3. Put the remaining flour in a bowl and add the milk, mix well until you have a smooth batter.

4. Get your pan ready and spray with oil. Set up your workstation so you have the blossom, the flour, the batter, then the pan. Heat the pan until very hot.

5. Roll the banana blossom in the flour mix until it is totally coated. Try and get a bit of flour / nori between the folds of the flower. Lightly shake off the excess then dip in the batter coating the banana blossom completely. Place in the pan.

6. Repeat with the remaining blossoms when you have space in the pan (I cooked 2 at a time). After a couple of minutes cooking, turn the banana blossom over so it can cook on the other side (you might find you need to cook 3 or 4 sides). Remove from the pan and place on a baking tray. Finish cooking in the oven. Use a medium heat and cook until browned to your liking (this depends on how long you cooked it in the pan, how much oil you used and personal preference)! I cooked mine for about 10 minutes (while I got the rest of my meal ready).

7. Enjoy!

8. If you can resist eating them all at once, they do store in the fridge for a couple of days!

9. If you make these please share your photos using #LifeDietHealth or tag us on instagram @LifeDietHealth Thank you!

If I’ve convinced you that you really need these in your life and you’re having trouble getting everything you need, try these links below (we do receive a small commission if you make a purchase which helps with site running costs but at no extra cost to yourself)! Thank you!

I thought I had better make an appearance over at Fiesta Friday this week as it seems I’m missing the party! Come on over and join us, have a look around, say hello, get some new ideas! The party this week is co-hosted by Antonia @ Zoale.com and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook How exciting! 🙂

Please drop us a line below! We love reading your comments and we do reply to each one personally (maybe not immediately, but we will reply)! Also, if you make this blossom fish, have any questions, recipe requests or anything else, the comments is the place to ask!

We do ask that if you use any of our recipes (even if you adapt them), that you link back to the original post, tag us @LifeDietHealth or use the hashtag #LifeDietHealth

Have a fantastic weekend, speak soon!

Laurena x