Banana blossom tacos

January 3, 2023

   

Last week I pulled a can of banana blossom out of the pantry and resolved to use it. I no doubt bought it on a whim, perhaps during one of Melbourne's lockdowns, after eating the banana blossom 'fish' and chips at Brother Bon. 

As I browsed the internet for recipes, I got more interested in using this ingredient in Baja-style fish tacos and switched to researching actual fish-based recipes rather than the vegan adaptations. The fish is typically beer-battered and deep-fried, but for home cooking I prefer a light flour-coating and shallow fry. I seasoned my flour and dredged my banana blossom pieces through it a few at a time, but in future I would reduce the flour and throw everything into a lidded bowl for a shake as we often do to tofu, so that's how I've written out the method below.

I chose the simplest combination of accompaniments that I observed online, and spent even less time than usual assembling and photographing my plate (...so I understand if the photo above doesn't look particularly appetising to you!). These were a fun summer meal; not something we'll make often, but likely to spur me on to buy the odd can of banana blossom again.

Banana blossom tacos

(adapted from an NPR recipe for Baja-style fish tacos)

1 x 510g can banana blossom

1/2 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon oregano (Mexican is preferable)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

sunflower oil

tortillas (corn preferable, although I could only access flour-based)

finely shredded cabbage

diced avocado

vegan mayonnaise, aioli or sour cream

hot sauce

lime wedges

Drain and rinse the banana blossom, but allow it to remain damp. Slice it into large, taco-friendly chunks, e.g. 5cm lengths. Place the banana blossom into a container that has a secure lid, but don't use the lid yet. Scatter over the flour, garlic powder, cayenne, mustard powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Secure the lid and shake the container until the banana blossom is well coated in the seasoned flour mix.

Heat a generous layer of sunflower oil in a frypan. Shallow-fry the banana blossom pieces in batches, until they're golden and a bit crisp on the outside, resting them on absorbent paper until all the banana blossom is done. Dry-fry the tortillas briefly to heat them up.

Fill the tortillas with cabbage, avocado, mayonnaise, the fried banana blossom, and then add hot sauce and squeeze over lime juice, to taste.