Vegan Salmon
Super Savory Vegan Salmon made with tofu and seasoned with umami-packed ingredients and stuff from the sea! Perfectly flaky and delicious!
Like a lot of vegans, fish was one of the last things I gave up before making the switch. And next to sushi, a good old salmon filet was a popular choice. Well I’m happy to say that these Vegan Salmon Fillets made with Tofu satisfies my fishy cravings!
And I’ll be the first to say that this won’t fool anybody. However my wife did say it reminded her a lot of salmon, so maybe it’s closer than I think! That said, it’s super dang delicious in it’s own right and I’ve been eating it all week in a bunch of different ways.
why you’ll dig Vegan Salmon
Well like I said, you really can eat it just like you would conventional salmon. As a bonus, it won’t stink up your house the way salmon does sometimes.
You can also meal prep and make them in batches and enjoy it through the week. Either grill it all up, store and reheat later, or let the filets marinade and just grill one up as you like.
And you can mix up the seasonings and have it in all sorts of dishes. I made a Teriyaki Salmon Bowl with rice, veggies and Sriracha Mayo.
I seasoned some with some Blackening Seasoning (or Cajun Seasoning) and a Tartar Sauce. That combination was insanely delicious so try it if that sounds good to you!
Bottom line is these are super easy to make. You can customize it to your heart’s content and enjoy any way you would normally eat regular salmon!
What’s the best tofu for tofu Salmon?
I highly recommend Super Firm Tofu as I found it had the best texture and was the easiest to work with. Once it’s been scored and marinated and grilled, it’s really hard to beat the taste and texture for the time and effort spent.
Super Firm is vacuum sealed and doesn’t require any pressing so it’s really the easiest and quickest choice. I can find it at most grocery stores, especially Whole Foods, Sprouts and Trader Joe’s. If you can only find Extra Firm tofu, just make sure you press it for at least 30 minutes.
I also highly recommend scoring the tofu, which will accomplish two things. First it allows the marinade to get into the tofu and not just on the outside. And second, it creates a flaky texture when you bite into it as the tofu will “shred” better.
ingredients for Vegan Salmon
- Marinade – The marinade we are putting together employs a lot of umami-packed ingredients like miso paste, nutritional yeast and capers. We’re also gonna add in some ocean seasonings like nori sheets to get that fishy flavor. And Beet Juice will help us get that pinkish / orange color too!
- Blackening Seasoning – this is optional, but it’s super delicious on the Tofu Salmon too! I highly recommend it! Use either store bought or make your own! Just combine these ingredients!
- 2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Cayenne (less if you don’t like spicy)
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Citric Acid (optional for tang)
how to make Vegan Salmon
The process is quite simple! First we’ll slice our block into tofu fillets. I like to do a diagonal cut, and then cut each half in half again. So we’ll get 4 filets per block.
Then I’ll score each fillet on both sides. This will give us a flakey fish texture and it will allow the marinade to penetrate more.
After that we’ll throw together the marinade ingredients! In order to crush up the nori sheets I recommend blending the marinade in a blender or food processor. Then pour the marinade over your tofu filets and let them marinade at least 4 hours but overnight is ideal.
After that we just need to grab a frying pan and grill our tofu salmon over medium-high heat until it’s looking beautiful! You can also brush on some Teriyaki or really add any additional seasonings or sauces you like! And of course a squeeze of lemon juice is always a nice touch!
You can also chop them up into cubes for bite size pieces, and serve them up with some avocado, carrots and edamame, they go great in a Salmon Rice Bowl too!
Are these vegan salmon fillets gluten free?
Yes! As long as you get gluten-free miso paste you should be good! You can also sub miso paste for tamari, just do so to taste!
storage
You can make these and store them in the fridge for 4 – 5 days. I’ve had a few of them marinating in the fridge all week, and then just pulling one out and grilling it real quick for an easy meal. I haven’t tried freezing them, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work!
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Vegan Salmon
Ingredients
- 16 oz Super Firm Tofu *
Marinade
- 1 tsp Veggie Bouillon Concentrate
- 1/4 cup Vegan Mayo
- 1 Tbsp Miso Paste
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Dried Dill
- 1 tsp Capers
- 1 tsp Caper Brine
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 cup Beet Juice
- 2 Nori Sheets
- 1 tsp MSG or salt to taste
For Serving
Instructions
- Cut your block of tofu in half. You can do so at a diagonal, or straight, up to you! Then cut each half into half so you'll have 4 filets.
- Next, lightly score each filet on the top and bottom, to create a fishy texture and so they marinate better.
- For the marinade, add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend up as fine as possible. Crush up the nori sheets a bit with your hands to make it easier for the blender.
- Add the filets to some tupperware or marinade bag and pour over the marinade. You can gently open up the filets to expose the scored sections to the marinade but do so carefully so you don't split them. Let the filets marinade at least 4 hours but overnight is best.
- To prepare, heat up a little oil in a pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat and grill your tofu salmon for 3 – 4 minutes per side. You can either grill all four sides, or just two. Up to you!
- Serve immediately with some Tartar Sauce!
I stumbled upon this vegan salmon recipe with gratitude for its ease of use. The result was impressive despite having to substitute with juice from canned beets. My husband, a self-professed salmon snob, devoured it enthusiastically, reminiscing about his time in Alaska. The texture and flavor were on point. This recipe is a must-try for anyone seeking a delicious plant-based alternative that even seafood lovers will enjoy. Thanks for this game-changing recipe!
Haha, that’s amazing, glad he approves and thank you!!
Made this for myself along with regular salmon for my family. Everyone loved it, including the ones eating the real salmon! Didn’t have beet but I don’t think it was missed. Will definitely make it again! Thank you for all your great recipes!
Haha I love that! So glad everyone liked it, thank you for the feedback!
Amazing! This has become a regular recipe at my house!
This was DELICIOUS. I made it for my mom who isn’t vegan along with your vegan tartar sauce, and she said, “wait, this is tofu??” The taste was really good, although I only marinated it for a few hours so the flavors didn’t soak in completely into the tofu, it still tastes great. Next time I’ll marinate overnight! This is super simple and I will be making it again, probably with the addition of kelp powder.
Haha I love this kind of comment, so glad you both liked it, thank you!!
Sorry if that’s a silly question, but for the beetle juice do you just blend a beetle with water? Or is it something you can buy pre-made? Thanks in advance, can’t wait to give this a try!
Hi, you can either use beet juice that’s sold in a bottle, in the juice aisle, or you can use the juice from a can of beets. Hope that helps!
Omg I mean BEET juice, not beetle. That would certainly not be vegan lol. Thank you so much for the reply!
Can the mayo be omitted or subbed for something lower in fat? Does it provide an important flavor content or is it mostly for the oil?
I don’t know how well it will work without mayo or oil. Fat enhances the flavor of all the other spices and ingredients used in the marinade and helps it cling to the tofu better as well.
Came back to say I made this a couple of times, and it’s really tasty! The first time although it was tasty, I didn’t find it “fishy” enough. The second time, I doubled the amount of nori and let it marinade for 3 days before cooking. It turned out even better than the first time! But I’m a huge fish fan, so the average person might not need this adjustment. 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
I am so pleased with how my Vegan Salmon came out. I posted my pics on FB in hopes to get more people to consider plant based meals. I used beet powder as a substitute for fresh beet juice, I also used frozen tofu. I love your recipes and will try to make more. Thank you Burger Dude 😎.
Excellent, so happy to hear that!
Didn’t have beets on me so I just made a dashi and used a half cup of that instead. Also added a tsp of lemon juice and about a Tbsp of olive oil to the marinade. The marinade was good! Mine is green but still tasty, so it’s okay. I’m letting it marinate overnight so I’m excited to see how it turns out when I grill it tomorrow!
Awesome, hope you enjoyed!
Very accessible. Made a from-scratch mayo as I didn’t have any in the house but the recipe came together super well easily. Glad to have you creating new things! Always excited to try your next recipe.
Awesome, thank you Chris! Hope you enjoy all the new ones I come out with!!
Will olive oil work in place of mayo? Also, are the capers necessary for the flavor? Thank you!
Yes you could use some Olive Oil, I would personally use a mild flavored one though. And the capers add a nice briny, salty “fishy” flavor but you can leave them out if you don’t like them!
I can’t seem to get this recipe right. The marinade won’t penetrate the filets and comes off when I cook them. I tried leaving them marinading for 24 hours, and that didn’t help. It just ends up burning in the pan. When I cook the filets, the exterior stays soft and doesn’t crisp up. The inside stays white and doesn’t absorb any of the flavors. Idk what I’m doing wrong. Please help!
Hmm, I’m not sure what it could be, if you are using super firm tofu that’s vacuum sealed then it should work out. You can try gently massaging the marinade into the sliced tofu. If it’s burning you are likely cooking at too high of a heat or letting it cook for too long, sorry about that!
This is my second time making this. It’s awesome! Instead of nori sheets I used kelp granules. Worked great!
Thanks!
Nice! Kelp granules are perfect for that, glad you liked it!
Can I asked how much kelp granules you used? I wanted to make this switch too.
I was craving salmon, but haven’t had it in 10+ years with being vegan, and this truly hit the spot!! Thank you for this delicious recipe. My mom (non-vegan) tried it and enjoyed her self, I will be continuing to use this recipe as part of my tofu dishes.😋
Amazing to hear, thank you!
One of our favorite recipes. We make them cubed and serve as part of a sushi bowl or over crispy rice salad. Really delicious!
Nice, so glad to hear it! I’ve been wanting to make this for a sushi bowl soon!