Vegan Filet-O-Fish
Ingredients
- 16 oz. block of super firm or extra firm tofu
- 3 - 4 Burger Buns
- 3 - 4 slices of vegan cheese
Fishy Marinade
- 1 cup veggie broth
- 2 Tbsp chopped nori
- 1 Tbsp Miso Paste
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp fresh dill
- 1 tsp kelp granules
- 1 tsp Caper Brine
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
Dry Dredge
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Old Bay or salt to taste I used a few pinches
Wet Dredge
- 2/3 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 Tbsp flour
Breadcrumbs
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs or crushed oyster crackers
- Salt and pepper to taste or more Old Bay
Tartar Sauce
- 1 cup Vegan Mayo
- 2 Tbsp dill or sweet relish
- 1 Tbsp chopped capers
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 1 Tbsp chopped chives
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Tartar Sauce
- 1. Simply combine everything in a bowl or tupperware. Refrigerate until needed. Flavor gets better overnight!
Tofu Fish
- For super firm, simply remove it from the packaging and pat dry. For extra firm, you can press it for at least 30 minutes. Or you can freeze it in the packaging. Then let it thaw, and then press it.
- Cut the block of tofu so it's square. You can chop the excess into strips and make fish sticks with them. This is good for snacking and testing out the breading!
- Next slice the tofu into filets about 1/2" thick. I found that super firm gave me 4 filets, and extra firm gives 2-3 filets.
- Line up some chopsticks along two ends of a tofu filet. Then score the tofu with a knife. The chopsticks will stop you from cutting all the way through. Score the tofu about 1/4" thick. Repeat with the other filets.
- Make the Fishy Marinade by adding everything to a bowl. Then add the tofu filets to some tupperware and pour the fishy marinade over them. Let that marinade for at least an hour, or overnight.
Fry the Fish
- Remove the tofu filets from the marinade and pat dry. Let them hang out on a paper towel lined plate to dry out a little.
- Heat up some neutral oil to 350 - 375 F in a heavy bottomed pan or dutch oven.
- While the oil heats up, prepare the dredging station by adding everything for the dry dredge to a wide bowl or rimmed dish. Repeat with the wet dredge and breadcrumbs.
- Dredge each tofu filet first in the flour, then the wet dredge, and finally the breadcrumbs. If you want a thicker breading, repeat the wet and breadcrumbs again. Either way, make sure you coat thoroughly but let the excess drip or shake off during each stage of breading.
- Once the filets are breaded and the oil is up to temp, fry each filet. Carefully let them drop away from you into the oil so it doesn't splash on you. Or use a slotted spoon / spider to get them in there.
- Let them fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and beautiful. Let them rest on a wire rack and add a sprinkle of salt if desired.
Buns and Cheese
- Toast your buns on a pan until browned. And here's a quick trick to melt the cheese. Once buns are done, squirt a little water into the pan. Add the cheese directly on the water. Let it steam for about 10 seconds. You can move it around with a spatula to keep it from sticking. Then quickly scoop up the cheese with the spatula and place it on your bottom bun.
- Then just add your Tofu Filet, Tartar sauce, top bun and dig in!
Notes
AIR FRYER OPTION
You can totally air fry this recipe! Just do a single dredge (so flour, wet, breadcrumbs). Preheat the air fryer to 380° F. Spray the filets and air fryer with cooking spray so they don't stick. Make sure not to crowd the air fryer, you don’t want any pieces touching. Air Fry for 5 minutes at 380° F, then flip and spray them again, and repeat the process until they are at your desired doneness.bake option
To bake these, simply add them to a lightly greased or parchment / foil lined baking sheet (or a wire rack lined baking sheet is even better). Bake them in a 375° F oven for 12 - 15 minutes flipping halfway through. You can also spray these with cooking spray to help them brown. Or use the broiler for 2-3 minutes, just keep an eye on them so they don't burn! Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!