During my recent trip to London, I tried 3 different vegan fish and chips dishes. They were all good-ish, but none of them were great. The most interesting vegan fish I tried was made from a banana blossom, but banana blossoms aren’t easily available here in Toronto. The other two I tried were both called tofish and chips where the “fish” was made from tofu. These were both only ok. They both used nori (the same seaweed that is used to make sushi rolls) as a kind of fish skin, which was pretty neat. But the tofu itself was way underseasoned and lacked texture.
The good news? I knew I could improve on this greatly to make a tofish and chips that had a ton of flavour and a cool flaky texture. Home cooking for the win!
For the texture, I was inspired my friend The Easy Vegan where he sliced blocks of tofu very thinly to give a flaky-like texture. I took his method and adjusted it slightly to make it my own.
For the flavour, I first pressed the tofu to get as much water out as possible, then I made an umami-packed marinade, letting that soak into the tofu overnight. The thin slices on the tofu had the added benefit of enabling the marinade get deep into the tofu to make for the most flavourful vegan fish and chips.
And to finish it off, just like at the restaurants, I added a piece of nori on top of the tofu before dipping into batter before frying for a kind of skin that has the taste of the sea.
The result: the best tofish and chips I’ve ever had! Hands down. Hands down to pick up your fork and knife so you can eat more tofish.
Flaky flavourful tofish in a crispy beer batter (the beer is optional). Serve it with some homemade chips, I used my recipe for crispy baked french fries, but I cut the fries a little thicker for that chip vibe. Then serve it with vegan tartar sauce (page 144 in Fuss-Free Vegan), and slices of lemon. Or use whatever your favourite accompaniments are.
To make tofish and chips (vegan fish and chips): drain and press the tofu for 20 minutes or longer. See my guide on how to press tofu for more info.
Once the tofu is pressed, slice the tofu into four slices about 1″ thick. To make the flaky texture, take one of the tofu pieces and slice the tofu part way through repeatedly about 1/4″ apart. It’s helpful to use chopsticks on either side of the tofu to stop from cutting all the way through the tofu so the slices remain intact.
I like to cut the slices on a slight angle for that extra fishy texture. This technique not only makes the tofu look like fish, but it provides the flaky texture, and it lets the marinade soak through the tofu for maximum flavour!
Mix together the vegetable broth, lemon juice, white miso paste, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a flat dish or resealable bag. Add the tofu slices, being careful to handle them gently so they don’t fall apart. Let marinate for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as a few days covered in the fridge. I usually marinate it overnight in the fridge.
To make a fish-like skin I use nori sheets (the same sheets of seaweed you use to roll sushi). Cut rectangles about the same size as the four tofu pieces.
To make the batter, in a medium bowl mix together the flour, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Add 1 cup of soda water or beer and mix. Add up to 1/4 cup more liquid as needed to reach a thick pancake batter consistency.
For frying the tofish, I prefer to do a shallow fry where only a small amount of oil is used. I’m personally not a big fan of deep frying as it can be quite dangerous. But if you are comfortable you are welcome to deep fry this tofish. Either way, always be extra careful when working with hot oil!
To shallow fry, pour enough oil to generously coat the bottom of a heavy skillet or pot. Put over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and ready for frying, take a piece of nori and place it on the side of the tofu that doesn’t have cuts. Hold the nori on the tofu and dip the tofu into the batter to coat. Gently place the battered tofu directly into the hot oil, being careful as it may spit. Repeat with the remaining tofu slices. Fry 2 – 3 minutes per side, turning as needed until the batter is golden and crisp all over. 
Drain on paper towel. Serve hot with chips, a squeeze of lemon, and tartar sauce.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
The "fish" is made from tofu with a special technique that makes it flaky and full of flavour, all fried up in a homemade beer batter.
- 1 block (420g) firm tofu, drained and pressed (see step 1)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 - 1 1/4 cups soda water or beer
- 1 sheet nori, cut into pieces (see step 4)
- oil for frying
- 1 recipe Crispy Baked French Fries, cut slightly thicker to make a heartier chip
- 1 recipe Vegan Tartar Sauce (Page 144 in Fuss-Free Vegan)
- 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
Prep the tofu: drain and press the tofu for 20 minutes or longer. See my guide on how to press tofu for more info. Once the tofu is pressed, slice the tofu into four slices about 1" thick. To make the flaky texture, take one of the tofu pieces and slice the tofu part way through repeatedly about 1/4" apart. It's helpful to use chopsticks on either side of the tofu to stop from cutting all the way through the tofu so the slices remain intact. See the photos in the post for a visual guide.
Mix the marinade: mix together the vegetable broth, lemon juice, white miso paste, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a flat dish or resealable bag. Add the tofu slices, being careful to handle them gently so they don't fall apart. Let marinate for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as a few days covered in the fridge. I usually marinate it overnight in the fridge.
Make the batter: in a medium bowl mix together the flour, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Add 1 cup of soda water or beer and mix. Add up to 1/4 cup more liquid as needed to reach a thick pancake batter consistency.
Cut the nori: to make a fish-like skin I use nori sheets (the same sheets of seaweed you use to roll sushi). Cut 4 rectangles that are about the same size as the four tofu pieces. Set aside.
Fry the tofish: pour enough oil to generously coat the bottom of a heavy skillet or pot. Put over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and ready for frying, take a piece of nori and place it on the side of the tofu that doesn't have cuts. Hold the nori on the tofu and dip the tofu into the batter to coat. Gently place the battered tofu directly into the hot oil, being careful as it may spit. Repeat with the remaining tofu slices. Fry 2 - 3 minutes per side, turning as needed until the batter is golden and crisp all over. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot with chips, a squeeze of lemon, and tartar sauce.
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I need to try a variation of this for something I used to enjoy when I lived in Alaska – we always just called it “lunch lady halibut”. Basically, it was broiled halibut that was covered in crushed Ritz crackers and consistently basted with butter. I can imagine leaving out the batter here and using crushed organic “Golden Rounds” from Whole foods, Miyoko’s butter, and only adding a little nori flakes into the marinade to duplicate that simple dish, then serving with a side of mashed root veggies?
I always get so inspired when I see your recipes and think of new ways that they could be made! Thank, Sam! Will definitely have to try this as-is as well as the “lunch lady halibut” route!
Awesome!! Sounds like so much fun, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Hello from Ukraine! Your blog is awesome! Thank you for your warm, friendliness and ubbelievable recipes!
Hello Anastasia 🙂 Thank you so much! Hello from Canada!
Gosh! This Tofish is superb. And I was not expecting it to be so easy to make. Thanks for this Sam, I got lots of compliments at dinner time. Greetings from Australia.
Greetings from Canada! So happy you enjoyed it, Chris 🙂
Hands down, THE BEST vegan fish and chips I’ve ever made! AND it was toddler approved by my picky 2 1/2 year old! Totally can’t wait to make again!
Oh yay!!!! Thrilled you loved it so much 😀
Made it today – yum! Added another nori sheet on top of the tofu while marinating (and took it out before the batter step). Thanks once again for the great job you are doing!
You’re most welcome, Yulca! So happy you are enjoying so many of my recipes 🙂
That’s because they are awesome!!!
When I tell omni hubby “There’s this new thing I’d like to try for dinner…”, he’s like: “Ah. Mhm. Ok. You think that’s any good?”, me: “It’s one of Sam’s recipes.”, him: “Oh, cool, great, they are always yummy!”… and then we both happily devour every last bit & print out the recipe to add it to our rotation :).
Bottom line: You totally rock (and I sound like an obsessive stalker)!
Haha! Really!? That’s so awesome! THank you 🙂
Do you have a recommendation for which oil to use?
A light oil such as canola or vegetable would be great. Enjoy!
I am making this for tonight.
I have nori flakes which I’ll spread on top of the tofu. Hopefully, that will work. Have any idea how many flakes equals one cut piece?
As the tofu marinates, will it soak up all of the marinade?
Thanks
Hi Bob, there will be leftover marinade. I would just try and pat as a nice coating of flakes onto one side of the tofu and you should be good to go. Enjoy!
What brand tofu do you use for this recipe please?
I used Sunrise extra-firm tofu 🙂
WOW! Saw this recipe this morning, and immediately started pressing the tofu…in fact, two blocks! It is pure genius that you cut the tofu on the diagonal. Looks just like flaky fish in the end. Absolutely delicious! I have tried other “tofish” recipes, and have been left wanting something else. Not this time! Because I can never leave well-enough alone, I added 1/2 tsp ground wakame (seaweed) to the marinade, to lend more fishy flavor. And the kind of tofu most readily available where we live in the US comes in the plastic tubs. I ended up cutting it into 4 sticks the long way, then turning it on its side to make the diagonal cuts. Nice, long pieces of tofish. Everything else according to your detailed and clear directions. Oh yum! Glad I doubled the recipe, because even with just the two of us, we ate almost all of this delish tofish!
As for an air fryer…well, folks who have one should try it out. To my way of thinking…er, eating…there is no good substitute for a crispy, fried-in-oil batter. You just have to splurge now and then.
Thank you, Sammy for another genius recipe!
Aww you’re most welcome, Bev!!! So very thrilled you loved it so much and enjoyed my method! And I agree, crispy fried batter is a rare, but amazing treat for me 🙂
I wonder if it would taste great if you crumbled the nori sheets into the batter. I’m not sure how you got the Nori sheets to stay on so well!
Tips please!
Hi Moe! You could try that but it would of course add speckles to your batter. It’s very easy to stick the nori to the tofu. Simple press it on the tofu and hold it in place while you dip it into the batter, then drop the whole thing directly into the hot pan. The batter will crisp up and hold it into place.
I’d love to know if you’ve tried either the oven or air fryer too! I sure don’t like the dangers of deep frying either! This definitely calls for a stout!
I tried backed as an experiment but I’m the batter mostly falls off the tofish and doesn’t really crisp up with this method. I plan on making a baked version soon tho, so stay tuned 🙂
hopefully wishing for a Youtube video so I can hear your faux limey accent doing fish and chips…lol..you kill me delightfully with your vlog!
Haha! Hopefully soon 🙂
I am wondering about the air fryer too! 🙂
I as well….
Hi Marna, I’m afraid the batter is a little too thin and it would just fall through the basket before it had a chance to “fry”. I plan on making a baked version soon tho, so stay tuned 🙂
Just wondering if you could fry these pieces in an air fryer? Maybe just spray them with a little oil first. That would cut back a lot on the total oil.
I’m afraid the batter is a little too thin and it would just fall through the basket before it had a chance to “fry”. I plan on making a baked version soon tho, so stay tuned 🙂
I haven’t made these yet, but I’ve been on the lookout for a really great unfish recipe and this is it! I don’t often get hungry for that flavor, but I guess we can all understand that it’s the seasonings our taste buds crave and not the meat underneath. Eww!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all or your efforts to bring us really wonderful and flavorful recipes.
Aww you’re most welcome! I hope you love the tofish when you try it 🙂