Tofu Salmon? Salmfu? Tomon? Tofu that is designed to look and taste like salmon but is definitely not fish? Whatever you want to call it is fine with me, but I can tell you that it's what it tastes like that's important. This sticky garlic vegan salmon is coated in a sweet, tangy, slightly spicy garlic sauce. Crispy on the outside, flaky tender on the inside, with a gorgeous taste of the sea. Served on a bed of fluffy steamed rice or on rice noodles, you aren't going to believe how amazing this vegan salmon is!
This isn't my first vegan salmon recipe. I posted this recipe for pan-seared vegan salmon fillets served with wedges of lemon a little while ago, and this recipe went mini viral! Not only does it look cool, but so many people were blown away by the taste and texture that this has become one of my most popular recipes!
So today, I wanted to show you another way of preparing and enjoying this vegan salmon. The tofu is prepared in the same way as in the first recipe, it is cut to be flaky, marinated in a mixture of seaweed, vegetable broth, beet, and other seasonings (trust me on this), and then it is pan-fried in a cornstarch coating for a crispy skin. But this time, instead of serving it with wedges of lemon, you whisk up a very simple sticky garlic sauce which is so delicious, that when I served this to my husband Adam, he said it was the best thing I've ever made!! (And that's keeping in mind that I've written almost 700 recipes at this point).
You can't deny how deliciously flaky tender that looks! For the fishiest taste and to get the colour of the marinade to penetrate deep into the tofu, I recommend marinating the tofu for 1 to 2 nights in the fridge. I love this too because it makes it super quick to finish preparing. Just whisk up the sauce, fry the tofu, cook the sauce and add the tofu back in (all of this takes 15 minutes or less), and then serve over rice. The perfect easy and very special dinner. Vegan seafood lovers unite! This one is for you.
How to make Sticky Garlic Vegan Salmon:
Prepare the tofu by draining it, and then pressing it for 15 to 30 minutes. I love using my Tofuture tofu press, but you can also follow these instructions for a DIY tofu pressing method. Pressing the tofu squeezes excess water out so that the tofu can suck up more of the marinade and become more flavourful.
Cut the tofu in half lengthwise, and then in half lengthwise again making 4 long skinny strips of tofu. Take one piece of tofu and place a chopstick on either side of the tofu to stop you from cutting all the way through, so the slices remain intact. Slice the tofu partway through repeatedly about ⅛" apart to give the tofu a flaky texture. Repeat with the other tofu slices. Be careful handling them as they will be fragile. Tip: I like to cut the slices on a slight angle to be more similar to how fish flakes.
Add all of the marinade ingredients together in a blender. Blend until smooth as possible. Place the tofu in a resealable bag or dish and cover it with the marinade. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge. For best results, I like to let it marinate for 1 - 2 days in the fridge.
Add all of the sticky garlic sauce ingredients to a small bowl or large measuring cup and mix well. Set aside.
Put the cornstarch into a wide bowl or baking dish. If using the nori, cut the nori into strips roughly the same size as the tofu pieces. Gently remove a tofu piece from the marinade (be careful as it will be fragile). Dunk a strip of the nori into the marinade, then stick it to the back of the tofu. (Covering the nori in the marinade will help it stick to the tofu). Dredge the tofu with the nori attached in the cornstarch, covering all sides of the tofu. Repeat with all the tofu pieces.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot add the cornstarch covered tofu. Fry 2 - 4 minutes per side until lightly golden all over. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.
Add the sticky garlic sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the vegan salmon pieces and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.
Note: the vegan salmon will have a crispy skin, but the longer it sits in the sauce the softer it will get, so make sure to serve this dish right away for the best crispy texture.
This time I served the sticky garlic vegan salmon on a bed of rice, but any kind of rice noodle, or udon noodles would also be lovely. If you want to add some veggies, steamed broccoli or sauteed spinach or kale would be a lovely side.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Sticky Garlic Vegan Salmon
My Notes:
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 1 block 350g/ 12.3oz extra-firm tofu drained, pressed, and sliced (see step 1)
For the marinade:
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 sheet nori torn into pieces
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 small raw beet 20g/ 0.7oz (about the size of a walnut)
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
For the sticky garlic sauce:
- ¼ cup agave or maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if preferred)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (optional for spice)
- 6 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
To cook the vegan salmon:
- 1 sheet nori (to make a skin, optional)
- ½ cup cornstarch more if needed
- 2 tablespoons light oil for frying, (plus more if needed)
- chopped fresh cilantro and sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
- cooked rice or noodles for serving (optional)
Instructions
To prep the tofu:
- Prepare the tofu by draining it, and then pressing it for 15 to 30 minutes. I love using my Tofuture tofu press, but you can also follow these instructions for a DIY tofu pressing method. Pressing the tofu squeezes excess water out so that the tofu can suck up more of the marinade and become more flavourful.
- Cut the tofu in half lengthwise, and then in half lengthwise again making 4 long skinny strips of tofu. Take one piece of tofu and place a chopstick on either side of the tofu to stop you from cutting all the way through, so the slices remain intact. Slice the tofu partway through repeatedly about ⅛" apart to give the tofu a flaky texture. Repeat with the other tofu slices. Be careful handling them as they will be fragile. Tip: I like to cut the slices on a slight angle to be more similar to how fish flakes.
For the marinade:
- Add all of the marinade ingredients together in a blender. Blend until smooth as possible. Place the tofu in a resealable bag or dish and cover it with the marinade. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge. For best results, I like to let it marinate for 1 - 2 days in the fridge.
For the sticky garlic sauce:
- Add all of the sticky garlic sauce ingredients to a small bowl or large measuring cup and mix well. Set aside.
To cook the vegan salmon:
- Put the cornstarch into a wide bowl or baking dish. If using the nori, cut the nori into strips roughly the same size as the tofu pieces. Gently remove a tofu piece from the marinade (be careful as it will be fragile). Dunk a strip of the nori into the marinade, then stick it to the back of the tofu. (Covering the nori in the marinade will help it stick to the tofu). Dredge the tofu with the nori attached in the cornstarch, covering all sides of the tofu. Repeat with all the tofu pieces.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot add the cornstarch covered tofu. Fry 2 - 4 minutes per side until lightly golden all over. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.
- Carefully use paper towel to wipe away access oil from the pan or use a new pan. Add the sticky garlic sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the vegan salmon pieces and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles. Note: the vegan salmon will have a crispy skin, but the longer it sits in the sauce the softer it will get, so make sure to serve this dish right away for the best crispy texture.
Nicole says
Holy crazy! This was amazing. Husband and kid approved and demanded again! Well done, Sam! Appreciate your hard work.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! Thrilled you love it so much Nicole 🙂
Sue says
Finally made this and we loved it - especially the sauce! Thanks for another winning recipe Sam.
Elizabeth says
Were the two teaspoons of cornstarch that was in the marinade recipe supposed to be for dunking tofu into? That wasn’t clear so I added cornstarch to Marinade sauce but wasn’t sure how much to use to coat it.
Elizabeth says
I take it back. I found it after properly reading through gah! It was amazing by the way!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh amazing! Happy to hear it 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Elizabeth, the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch are supposed to go in the sauce along with all of the other ingredients. The extra 1/2 cup cornstarch under the "to cook the vegan salmon" ingredients is for coating 🙂
Lee says
Hey Sam
I discovered that the only ingredient I don’t have is the turmeric. Can I substitute something else for it?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Lee, it's just for colour so you are welcome to omit it if that doesn't bother you 🙂
Yuli says
Doubled the marinade and the tofu (always double with Sam's recipes even if it's the first time making them ), cooked half of the batch today as instructed and left the other half marinate for another night, it was sooooo yummy!! I may have added more beetroot than instructed so my end result was closer to red than to pink haha
The sauce is delicious and garlicky (we love garlic), the tofu was tender and delicious, so good paired together! My BF is not a fan of tofu or mock-seafood 90% of the times, but he ate 2 of this one I know he genuinely loved it because he ate the rice first (he eats the best part of the meal last), thank you for another keeper 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha that's amazing! So happy to hear that!
Alocasia says
Really looking forward to trying this recipe. I don't have fresh beets but I do have beet powder. Any idea how much I can substitute of the powder for the color?
Sam Turnbull says
I've never worked with beet powder so I am unsure but you could add it until it looks like a similar colour to the marinade in the photos. I imagine it won't take much. Hope that helps!
Alocasia says
The beet powder worked perfectly. So glad you had pics of the color. The tofu has been marinating overnight and has a salmon pink hue. I'll be cooking it tomorrow. The marinade is amazing. Have you used it with anything else?
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Alocasia. I've only used the marinade with my pan fried vegan salmon recipe. No where else. 🙂
Rachael says
I’m wondering the same about the beat. I tend to stain things when I try to work with beets. If it’s just for color, could it be omitted? If it’s for flavor, could a golden beet be substituted?
Sam Turnbull says
It is mainly just for colour, so if that's not important to you then you can skip it. Your salmon will be on the yellow side instead. 🙂
Charlene says
Absolutely delicious! Marinated it for 24 hrs.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed Charlene!
Kendra says
How critical is the raw beet? Could it be a canned one if it is just for the color?
Sam Turnbull says
It is just for colour mainly. Canned will work ok but is likely less potent in colour so you may not have the extact colour. But if that's not important to you then no big deal!
Peggy LeBlanc says
can I used a precooked beet ?
Sam Turnbull says
Precooked beet won't likely be as rich in colour but it should still work pretty well. Enjoy!
Deb Z says
My mouth is watering. Cannot wait to try this one. Thank you SAM! You rock. Will come back and rate this after I try it.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha wonderful! I hope you love it 🙂