TGI Fridays joins Veganuary by launching a Watermelon steak

TGI Fridays join the Veganuary bandwagon by launching a steak made from WATERMELON – as wagamama make a £13 mock tuna dish made from the fruit

• TGI Fridays have become the latest high street chain to join the Veganuary trend 
• On Monday, they will launch a watermelon ‘steak’ that’s chargrilled and served 
• It comes after wagamama launched a vegan tuna steak made from watermelon 

TGI Fridays has become the latest high street chain to join the Veganuary trend by launching a steak made from watermelon.

The dish, which launches across the UK on Monday, will cost £12.99 – and the American chain claims it has the same texture as a beef steak.  

The fresh watermelon is carefully cut into steak slices then chargrilled to create its unique texture, and is less expensive than the cheapest beef steak on the menu, which costs £19.49.  

The slices are then marinated in garlic and seasoned with spicy sriracha for a distinctive and fiery taste.

It comes as wagamama also tries to tempt vegan diners with £13 sliced watermelon, styled as tuna.  

TGI Fridays have become the latest high street chain to join the Veganuary trend by launching a steak made from watermelon. The dish, which launches across the UK on Monday, will cost £12.99 – and the American chain claims it has the same texture as a beef steak

TGI’s dish comes with a creamy avocado sauce adding a coolness and freshness to the plate, as well as Fridays® Legendary Glaze which provides a level of sweetness. 

Both the glaze and sauce are vegan, as are the crispy seasoned fries and roasted vegetables.

Speaking about the new vegan steak, Terry McDowell TGI Fridays Head Development Chef said: ‘We came up with the vegan steak to give our guests the same great taste from our grills but in a different way. 

‘Seasoning with Siracha and garlic gives the dish savoury, sweet and spicy notes with a juicy centre that cuts and eats like a juicy sirloin steak.

‘We’re really excited about the new vegan steak because it’s unique to us here at TGI Fridays. 

‘We have taken a watermelon and made it into a main course. Most people think of watermelon as a sweet dish, but we have flipped that on its head. It is full of flavour and perfect for Veganuary and those who want to try something different.’

The dish comes with a creamy avocado sauce adding a coolness and freshness to the plate, as well as Fridays® Legendary Glaze which provides a level of sweetness. Both the glaze and sauce are vegan, as are the crispy seasoned fries and roasted vegetables

The vegan steak follows on from success of the vegan burger which launched in January last year after taking the US by storm. Guests can check out the menu online for a whole host of other delicious vegan dishes including a Vegan Stack Burger which also launches on 6th January

It comes as wagamama launched a tuna steak made from watermelon for Veganuary.  

Last year pan asian restaurant wagamama launched the world’s first vegan egg  and said they wanted to launch another ‘iconic vegan offering’. 

The vegan ‘tuna’ is made with dehydrated watermelon which is then sliced, seared and served hot.

The look and texture is incredibly similar to tuna sashimi, although the flavour remains reminiscent of watermelon.

The ‘tuna’ is dressed with a miso sesame sauce and sits on a bed of white rice which is dressed with soy seasoning and accompanied with pickled radish, kale and tenderstem broccoli and an avocado, edamame and tofu guacamole.

Executive chef Steve Mangleshot said: ‘My team and I are always excited about creating new dishes, we love to innovate and make people think about the food they are eating. After the vegan egg we knew we had to step it up a notch to create a vegan dish that was fresh and full of flavour.

It comes as wagamama launched a tuna steak made from watermelon for Veganuary

‘To create the watermelon tuna first we slice it into steaks and brine it with salt to balance the sugars and to help with flavour, as well as to take out some of the water content. 

‘We then cook the steak sous vide style (low temperature for a long time) in a water bath in order to soften the watermelon and give it that tuna texture which is very important because the texture is the winner for the dish.

‘Once they are cooked the steaks are cooled to keep its tuna-like texture. They are then quickly seared on both sides to caramelise the steak, and then finished with a silky miso and sesame dressing which just elevates the flavours and whole experience. 

‘Stir-fried broccoli and kale are added to give the freshness and then that beautiful crunch of the pink radish. A bit of chilli for added kick and that is the fantastic-tasting vegan Suika tuna. Perfect!’

The vegan ‘tuna’ is made with dehydrated watermelon which is then sliced, seared and served hot

Veganuary spokesperson Zoe West said: ‘Veganuary is creating a new wave of consumers with strong ethics and a big appetite! 

‘This a real opportunity for businesses to improve and expand their vegan offerings for the growing climate-conscious audience. 

‘We’re delighted that Wagamama has risen to this challenge – helping people to live more lightly on the earth while still eating food they love – we can’t wait to try their new Suika Tuna dish!

The Vegan Suika Tuna dish has been tested in secret by wagamama chefs who have worked hard to get it right before the official nationwide launch in January. If it proves successful it will be added to the main menu. 

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