Vegan Product Reviews: Gardein Golden Fishless Filets

One of the hardest parts of being a new vegan, is figuring out what stuff is worth buying.  Do these faux meats and fish taste like what you grew up with?  While I have only been vegan for a short time, I was mostly vegetarian for a very long time.  So I can still remember the taste and texture of dead animals (not very appealing when you think of it that way, is it?) enough to know if these faux versions are any good.  (I bought this item myself. No one is paying me for this review.  I include Amazon affiliate links, but they only sell grocery in bulk and I don't expect anyone to buy ten boxes at once...)

Today's Subject for Review:  Gardein Golden Fishless Filet

Does it Taste Like Real Fish Filets?:  A  While they are not necessarily flakey like real fish, the outside coating is perfect (and that comes from someone who makes her batter from scratch).  They were nice and crunchy on the outside, deep fried or baked.  When I deep fried them, the coating didn't absorb the oil, and stayed light and crisp (*the key to deep frying is a really good thermometer and the maintaining the right oil temp).  The inside texture is good, not exact, but still good enough to feel like you're eating fish and not a chunk of tofu.

Can You Feed it to a Meat Eater?: B/B+ When you dunk them in tartar sauce, you can only barely notice the difference in texture if you're playing close attention.  If you use them in a fish taco, or make a fish sandwich, you would not notice the difference, because, hopefully, you're also putting cabbage slaw or other fresh veggies on it.  I say B/B+ because while I think it easily works to replace fish, if you're feeding them to someone resistant to non-meats/fish, they would probably bitch about the flakey factor.

Is It Healthier?:  For the record, I am not a nutritionist.  But when I see Gorton's Crispy Battered Fish Fillets Nutrition Facts compared to Gardein's Fishless Filets, I'd say Gardein's version appears healthier. Heck, Gardein has almost half the sodium, zero cholesterol, more than twice the fiber, and even a gram more of protein! Yes, Gardein's has more ingredients, but nothing that appears more unappealing than dead fish, just saying. Also, they are good fried, but they are even better baked...and I never say that about anything.

Information is from Gorton's site:  http://gortons.com/product/crispy-battered-fish-fillets

Information from Gardein's site: https://gardein.com/products/golden-fishless-filet/

Would I Buy it Again?:  YES I actually started buying this at BJ's Warehouse a while back (they no longer carry it at my local store) because I wanted something easy to make for a quick dinner.  I also have concerns about sustainability, wild caught vs. farm raised, etc., but, honestly, when I first bought it, I mostly just wanted a quick meal.  This turned out to not only be a quick dinner (paired with Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, and cabbage slaw if I'm not trying to get anything else done while it all bakes), but it's also become a family favorite.