Without fish, plenty more food in the sea

HAVE YOU heard? Science shows that, contrary to popular thinking, fish is not a vegetable.

Many so-called vegetarians harbor that fluid dietary ethic. I include my own 15 years as a so-called vegetarian, when I celebrated the occasional birthday or holiday with shrimp or New England clam chowder because, come on, "It's just seafood!"

But serious science has established a couple of other facts. One is that ocean drift nets grab a huge amount of "bycatch" - nontargeted animals that die just the same. By some estimates, that means a pound of other animals dying for every shrimp you eat.

We are emptying the oceans of sea animals; a recent study says that a quarter of species are threatened with extinction.

Sustainable, this ain't.

Additionally, in this century, scientific consensus has been reached on the question: Do fish feel pain? The answer is: Yes, these animals are sentient.

Luckily, science also has developed animal-free seafood options in all kinds of styles and formats. A new, tomato-based vegan sushi was detailed in a recent NPR story, and more everyday options are showing up at supermarkets.

"Vegan seafood - huh?" is the very appropriate tagline (considering how often I heard that when describing the topic of this month's column) for Sophie's Kitchen, which uses soy, pea and other vegetable proteins to create breaded "fish" fillets, "shrimp," "scallops" and "crab cakes" for the frozen aisle, plus Vegan Toona, sold in cans right next to the tuna fish at area Whole Foods stores.

I made a Toona sandwich - on toast, with vegan mayo - and it was tasty and satisfying, although I found tuna's signature smell muted.

Closer were the frozen, oven-ready, breaded options. The fillet, referencing milder fish such as sole, worked well with tartar sauce, as did the surprisingly convincing scallops.

The shrimp worked nicely with cocktail sauce. The pieces are shrimp-shaped, though without a crackly tail, and they have shrimp's slightly rubbery texture and even its red-on-white coloring.

Sophie's Kitchen has clearly tinkered for some time to achieve food that's reminiscent but not outright mimicry.

Another faux meat company, Gardein (found at most area supermarkets), has successfully forged ahead on the mimicry front. After making its name a few years ago with relatively easy-to-achieve chicken substitutes, Gardein upped its game with more difficult beef, and now, Fishless Fillets.

A blend of wheat, soy and pea protein, they continue the company's tradition of detailed quality. The crispy breading holds up very well and the "fish" inside is tender and tasty.

You also can make your own animal-free food of the sea.

Fish was never a personal fave for me, but I've missed that chowder, and not because of the clams. I found Isa Moskowitz's definitive New England Glam Chowder on the Post Punk Kitchen blog. (She now runs the vegan joint Modern Love, in Omaha, Neb.)

The chowder was terrific. Pureed cashews provided rich creaminess, with ocean flavor from ground-up sheets of nori seaweed. Coarsely chopped button and shiitake mushrooms stand in for the clams. ("Sea" for yourself over at V for Vegan.)

Though not as common as vegan beef or chicken, faux fish can be found in restaurants.

New Harmony Vegetarian Restaurant has, since its plain old "Harmony" days, boasted a full vegan seafood menu.

Vegan Commissary has an occasional fish-and-chips plate, and this month offers Nori Cakes, crab-cake-style patties topped with spicy, sun-dried tomato mayo in the platter version, or as a sandwich with Old Bay tartar sauce and hand-cut fries.

Allentown's Fresh Tofu makes Crabby Patties with vegan tartar sauce, sold fresh to-go at such outlets as Essene, in South Philly, Harry's Natural Foods, on Cottman Avenue in the Northeast, and Nature's Harvest, in Willow Grove.

The latter is, of course, where Horizons started. Some of us still recall Rich Landau's delicious tofu scallops. Today, his and wife Kate Jacoby's Vedge and V Street avoid animal-named items.

As an example, Landau mentioned the "beach style" Hon Shimeji mushroom stew from Vedge's opening days in 2011 (the recipe's in the Vedge cookbook).

It's not that the mushrooms are trying to imitate fish, he explained. "We can enjoy the beach flavors we might remember without harming sea creatures."

writer, musician and 12-year vegan.

"V for Veg" chronicles plant-based

eating in and around Philadelphia.

VforVeg@phillynews.com or

@V4Veg on Twitter.