Some people rely on fish as their primary source of protein but we know that seafood contains a high content of toxic chemicals, as well as toxic levels of mercury or anisakis, a parasitic worm that feeds on raw fish. This can be a health hazard. 

Besides, humans are overfishing, significantly affecting marine wildlife and disrupting the global ocean ecosystem. If this rate of fishing continues, the world’s oceans will be “virtually empty” by 2048.

The following clever plant-based brands have come to the rescue with an amazing plethora of vegan seafood options that rival the real things.

1. Kuleana

San Francisco-based food tech startup Kuleana was one of the first plant-based seafood companies founded in 2019 by Jacek Prus and Sònia Hurtado. It specializes in sushi-grade plant-based fish alternatives like bluefin tuna and salmon, addressing the lack of vegan alternatives to sushi-like raw fish in the market. 

The Kuleana Akami offers a vegan alternative to bluefin tuna made from micro and macro-algae, pea protein, DHA-rich algae oil, fermented koji iron, and vegetable fibers. Its plant-based tuna, made with radish, bamboo, algae, and pea protein and with high nutritional values including the iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acid was named one of TIME’s top 100 best inventions in 2021.

2. Vegan Zeastar

Dutch company Vegan Finest Foods has launched Vegan ZeaStar, a range of vegan raw tuna and raw salmon sushi alternatives that taste, texture, and flavor perfectly like their real fish counterparts. The company uses tapioca starch and glucose derived from seaweed to replicate the texture and flavor of traditional fish, and the products contain Omega-3s derived from flaxseed and rapeseed oils. 

3. Planteneers

German company Planteneers offers vegan sushi alternatives made from textured vegetable proteins, plant-based binders, and algae-based hydrocolloids. These vegan sushi alternatives rival the animal version. Its fiildFish mimics the structure and texture of raw fish and the plant protein concentrates provide the macronutrient levels of traditional fish.

4. Ocean Hugger Foods

New York-based startup Ocean Hugger Foods has managed to capture the taste, mouthfeel, and aesthetic of sushi without harming fish or the oceans. This “farm-raised” sushi is made from a range of vegetables; their “tuna” is made from tomatoes and their “eel” is from eggplant. 

Ahimi is the company’s flagship product, which is an alternative to raw tuna and is made from just five ingredients: tomatoes, gluten-free soy sauce, sugar, water and sesame oil. Ocean Hugger’s second product is Unami, a sustainable alternative to eggplant-based freshwater eel (unagi).

5. IMA

Founded by Jessica Chan in 2017, UK-based Ima makes an alternative vegan salmon sushi roll that features fresh dill, avocado, and Ima’s signature vegan salmon, which is made from marinated carrots. Ima, which means ’now‘ in Japanese, uses konjac, an Asian root vegetable as its base. Every piece of Ima sushi is hand-rolled and sliced by hand using a bamboo mat.

So we can say that vegan sushi is no longer a fantastical dream due to these companies that work tirelessly to perfect vegan fish products.