I often tell people that I didn’t like meat when I was a kid. This is true, but most of the time I ate it when asked. One thing that I almost inevitably refused to eat though, was fish. Don’t most kids hate fish? I sure did! Except for crispy fish stick or fillets. Which makes sense, because they’re fried and all. And who can hate fried food? Not this kiddo! So I was pretty excited when I decided to create a recipe for vegan fish fillet sandwiches.
How to Veganize a Crispy Fish Fillet
Tofu is the answer. And this recipe is adapted from my crispy tofu “chicken” sandwiches. It just uses different seasonings! I’ve seen lots of recipes for crispy vegan fish where nori gets wrapped around a block of tofu. This kind of sounds like a good idea, but at the same time I can’t quite bring myself to try it. It just looks funky and I feel like all the seaweed flavor would be on the outside of the tofu, and maybe too intense (I’m not a big nori fan!). Folks who have, what did you think? Let me know! So I did things a little differently for my tofu “fish.” I marinated my tofu in a broth that includes miso for savory flavor, and dulse for oceany flavor. I’m much more on board with dulse for making things taste fishy, and I found it to worked well for making both vegan scallops and tuna salad. “What is dulse?” you may be asking. It’s little red algae flakes. They add a savory but subtle flavor and as far as texture is concerned, I can’t even tell they’re there.
How to Make Vegan Fish Sandwiches
First, whip up some tartar sauce using vegan mayo, capers, pickle relish, a bit of red wine vinegar, and dill.
You’ll be using two blocks of tofu. That seems like a lot, but you’ll only be using about ⅔ of each block, so really 1 ⅓ blocks for 4 sandwiches. Not too much! I’ll explain in a second why we do it this way. Start by pressing your tofu to get some of the moisture out. Wrap it in paper towels, followed by a dish towel, and then place something heavy on top, like a cookbook or cutting board weighted down with a few cans of food. While your tofu presses, whip up that marinade. You’ll need your miso and dulse, along with some lemon juice and garlic. Cut your tofu into slabs. Cut a third off the end of each block, so you have a big square, and then cut each square in half, thickness-wise. Now your slabs are perfectly sized to fit on buns! You’ll have some leftover tofu. Stick it back in the fridge or freezer and use it for something else. Soak your tofu slabs in the marinade for at least 30 minutes. When your tofu is almost done soaking, mix up some flour and Old Bay Seasoning in one bowl. This is for dredging. In another bowl, mix up some non-dairy milk, flour, flaxseeds, lemon juice and salt. This is your batter. Heat up some oil in a skillet. Grab a tofu slab, and dredge it in the flour mixture, then batter it, then flour it again.
Fry it up until golden and crispy.
Serve your tofu fish on buns with creamy tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato.
Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Fish Sandwiches
Where can I find dulse? Try a natural foods store, or online. Can I just leave the dulse out? You can. The tofu won’t taste quite as much like a fish fillet, but it’ll still be delicious! Where can I find miso? Try the international foods section of your supermarket, or online. Be super careful when cooking with hot oil! Never leave food unattended while frying, turn down the heat if it starts to sputter, and keep a lid handy in case a fire occurs. Don’t pour your used oil down the drain. Instead, pour it into a sealable, disposable container, like a coffee can, and trash it. You can also reuse it. Reheat leftover tofu fillets by placing them under the broiler until they crisp back up.
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