Vegan Seafood: A Review of Sophie’s Kitchen
I have been vegan for four years this summer and have tried all sorts of vegan “meats”. One type that has slipped through my fingers has been vegan seafood, which is why I was so excited to be asked to review vegan seafood products from Sophie’s Kitchen.
Sophie’s Kitchen produces a line of delicious and award winning vegan seafood substitutes with vegan versions of all your seafood favorites including: shrimp, prawns, squid rings, calamari, breaded shrimp, and breaded fish fillets.
The vegan seafood products of Sophie’s Kitchen are made with plant based ingredients. They are non-GMO, and are free from gluten, trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavorings of any kind. They also offer numerous soy free options, and are suitable for children and adults alike.
Inspired by love
As a parent, my favorite part of the story of Sophie’s Kitchen is that this company was started by a family whose daughter (I bet you can guess her name) developed allergies to seafood. As a result they created great vegan food products that everyone can enjoy, and which coincide with the growing awareness to our depleting ocean’s marine life.
In fact, Sophie’s Kitchen has committed to donating 5% of all their net profits to projects that support the preservation of the ocean’s species and their habitats.
The taste test
I had the pleasure of trying the breaded scallops, breaded shrimp, crab cakes, and breaded fish fillets. My initial hesitation with trying vegan seafood was the texture and smell. Seafood is usually “squishy” and has a very distinct smell, but I am glad to say that these had neither. They were lightly seasoned, and they had a firm texture, and best of all were very easy to prepare. Once thawed you can simply pan-fry them in oil for about four minutes on each side, or you can bake them for a healthier alternative.
My favorite product was the vegan crab cakes they are soy free, and only contain 120 calories per serving. They would go perfectly with pasta and veggies and since they do not have an overpowering taste, you could easily pair them with a variety of side dishes.
I also really enjoyed the breaded vegan fish fillets and the breaded vegan shrimp. These items are both listed as popular on the website and I can see why. They were both nicely breaded, less than 250 per serving, and perfectly seasoned. The shrimp even looked like shrimp with a pink tail. These two would definitely elicited a “box check” from a vegan, as you would feel like you need to double check the ingredients on the box to ensure that they are animal-free (they are!).
Out of the all the products that I tried, the vegan scallops definitely had the most similarities to their sea animal counterpart. This may be a positive or a negative to you, but to me the fish texture was a little too real.
Sharing with non-vegan friends
Although I loved the products, you should be aware that like some other meat and dairy substitutes, omnivores will probably be able to tell the difference between them and the non-vegan variation. If you are offering them to non-vegan friends, I would advise to preface the tasting with this statement “taste them for what they are and don’t compare them to seafood” because if they react like my two omnivore testers they will expect it to taste just like shrimp and will be disappointed.
The verdict
The only downside to these products is that they are a little hard to find. I used their store tracker and one out of the three store that were listed close to me did not carry the products and another one of the stores did not take coupons (which is important if want you print of their $1.00 off coupon that you can get on the website) so I would definitely call ahead. I would also let your local store know that you would like them to carry Sophie’s Kitchen so more stores begin to stock them.
Overall I would definitely recommend you giving these a try. They are easy to prepare, all natural and very tasty. Where I live they are about $5 a box so they are also very reasonably priced.
Sophie’s Kitchen vegan seafood are a perfect alternative for vegans and anyone looking to make a cruelty free choice with their fork; but they are also a great choice for anyone with seafood allergies, mercury concerns, or environmental awareness to our depleting sea animals.
We are happy to award Sophie’s Kitchen with The Vegan Woman’s recommendation label.
Cover image: Sophie’s kitchen Breaded Vegan Scallops package.
