Fishless Fish

The trendiest seafood doesn't come from the ocean. It's time to try a faux fillet.

- Monica Michael Willis

 America is hooked on vegan seafood: Annual sales of mock shrimp, fish fillets, crab cakes, lobster and sushi-grade tuna are up 14 percent, due in large part to companies like Good Catch, Gardein and Sophie's Kitchen, whose products mimic the texture and briny zip of the real deal. Unlike imitation crab, which contains actual fish (turned into a paste and dyed to resemble crab), new plant-based seafood is made with vegetables, legumes and umami-rich seaweed and mushrooms. At the vegan fast food chains Honeybee Burger and PLNT Burger, fans say the fillet-of-not-fish sandwiches are dead ringers for McDonald's Filet-O-Fish. Vegans aren't the only ones rejoicing. "Omnivores looking to eat more sustainably are driving the trend," says Rachel Dreskin, CEO of the Plant Based Foods Association. "We're seeing a lot of innovation. There's really no limit to what's possible."