Fish-Free Filets Angle For Sales

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It looks like the kind of fish you’d see at a pub – flaky and coated in beer batter.

But it’s not actually fish. Instead, it’s a plant-based, fishless-filet that comes out of the Marina del Rey test labs of meat-free food brand Gardein.

The Canadian company, with a marketing and tasting kitchen that opened here in 2012, recently launched its Golden Fishless Filet product to further expand its offerings outside of its meat- and poultry-free food products.

Yves Potvin, founder and president of Gardein, said the fishless filet is most like a halibut or cod.

“You bake it in the oven,” said Potvin. “It’s crispy and versatile. You can dip it in tartar sauce. You can put it in a fish taco.”

To create the fishless filet, the company used kelp and other plant proteins. A six-piece bag sells for about $4 at supermarkets such as Ralphs, Target and Whole Foods.

Gardein, founded in 2003, launched its frozen products in 2009. It does its manufacturing in Vancouver, British Columbia, but Potvin said it was looking to expand its L.A. presence and open a second facility in the United States next year.

The product, he said, is meant to be enjoyed by everyone, not just vegans and vegetarians.

“We’re in the healthy, convenient food business, and it just happens that all our products are made from a plant base,” Potvin said.

– Subrina Hudson

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