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 ¼" 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 ¼ 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.
Tofish and Chips (vegan fish and chips)
Ingredients
For the tofish:
- 1 block (420g) firm tofu, drained and pressed (see step 1)
- ½ cup vegetable broth or water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 - 1 ¼ cups soda water or beer
- 1 sheet nori, cut into pieces (see step 4)
- oil for frying
Add ons:
- 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
Instructions
- 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 ¼" 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.
- 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 ¼ 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.
Nutrition
Toni says
Do you think I could press the tofu, slice and freeze it ahead of time and it would still turn out good? I only ask because I have an excess in tofu and I don't want it to expire (and I know some people freeze their tofu for better texture when it use it for other recipes). 🙂 Looking forward to making this!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
You can definitely freeze tofu but it hasn't been tested for this recipe. The texture may not come out the same but let us know if you give it a try!
Cristina says
Another win for Sam! I made the marinade and the tofu here and left it for 1.5 days and then used it in a nicoise salad - unbelievably good! The thing I miss most being vegan is fish, and this is 100% spot on. Better if you can find delicate but firm tofu in Asian stores, not your average Cauldron tofu block. I was going to do the salmon one but the vivera guys sell a very good one in the UK. But for white fish, this is the winner! I will try it next in salsa verde and then with garlic and peppers. Thanks Sam!!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Great suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
Sabina says
I added one nori sheet, pulverized, also in the marinade but the taste at the end was a
bit bland. Next time I would add fresh garlic (1-2 cloves) and more salt (1 tsp).
The batter is also a lot, half of it would be enough. Hey but thank you for sharing this
recipe!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Sabina says
You are welcome!
Laganja says
This was actually so good. We ate this vegans and non-vegana served next to a real fish one and it was so good tbh
The cuts in the tofu really take it the extra mile
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!!
Ben Tchang says
Hello! I am currently marinating the recipe. How long do you guys think is ideal to marinate for? I will do ~1.5 days and see how it turns out.
Tiff Stevens says
I have some vegan fish sauce that might be nice to use, any tips on how to incorporate this?
Kim Burke says
Disgusting! I've never had fish but my husband loves fish, so I tried this recipe. I hated it and he loved it. haha! So, great recipe. Be sure to use a good quality FIRM tofu.
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha!
Sue says
I'd love to try this recipe but since I'm allergic to lemon juice I'm wondering how it'd taste without it. Do you think substituting vinegar would work?
Sam Turnbull says
That should work fine, enjoy!
Louise says
Hi Sam! Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe! It looked tasted and had the same texture as fish. A triumph!! I have pictures - so great. We didn’t ever think we would ever get out fish and chips craving satisfied. You’ve done it! Thank you
Marina says
This was super delicious! The recipe was easy to follow, the amounts in the recipe are on point, and the taste was really good and a bit like ocean or fish. Slicing the tofu is a very nice detail, it makes the tofish look like real fish when you cut it on your plate. Will definitely make again!
Samantha says
This recipe looks fantastic! However, I’m trying to watch my oil intake. Would it be possible to bake this in the oven instead of fry??? Perhaps with a slightly reduced amount of soda water/beer?
Sam Turnbull says
I would recommend my tofu fillets recipe instead 🙂
Robert Pennington says
Made it in the oven this evening and we both loved it!
Slightly modified "batter", less wet as you suggested, cornflour instead fo flour, plus a little lemon juice and a tiny amount of oil, but otherwise same spicing.
210°C for 20 minutes.
Af says
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Lawrence says
Great recipe! Question- when I went to flip the tofu in the pan, all the batter just fell right off and so I had tofu w crispy batter prices on the side. Is there a trick to getting it to stick? Did I not fry long enough? Any tips appreciated!
Sam Turnbull says
You just have to be very delicate with it and use a very good non stick pan. My favourite to cook with is a good cast iron skillet. Hope that helps! 🙂
COURTNEY BROWN says
Sounds like the panand oil weren't hot enough....
Cassidy says
Sam, another absolutely killer recipe!! I made this last weekend and I currently have another round marinating in the fridge! This really nailed my need for fish and chips. Thank you for your consistent rad creations!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Cassidy 🙂
Jane says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but had a question before I do. I have no interest whatsoever in having anything that resembles fish skin in my food. . Has anyone ever tried putting fish sauce in the marinade. If so how much and how was it ?
Troy says
Jane. Do you mean vegan fish sauce?
Tate says
This is an A+ recipe! It tastes and feels almost exactly like fish. The diagonal slices are what make it look just like a filet! The process was easy, but used enough techniques and the outcome was so impressive that it really made me feel like I was a fancy chef, haha. I didn’t have potatoes so I made this fried fish and put it over rice with a spicy sweet Asian sauce and green onions. Before I was vegan I loved fish n chips, so next week (if I can wait that long) I am going to get some malt vinegar, make a tartar sauce and your chips and have a proper plate again! Thank you for your genius and generosity in sharing this rad recipe.
Laura Dinges says
Made this tonight and it was really good! The fried batter and tartar sauce definitely "made" the recipe and kind of helped fool you into thinking hey this is kind of like fish! As well as the sliced marinated tofu mimics the texture well (no chance of dry overcooked fish with tofu lol).
The biggest issue I ran into was slicing the tofu into 1" thick pieces- I couldn't figure out a good way to do that using my block of tofu. I'm not sure where exactly you're located, but if outside the USA maybe the tofu format is different? Including pics of how you cut the block would be helpful! Anyways what ended up happening is my pieces were about 1.5" thick, and then plumped up even more after soaking up marinade, which resulted in biting into a pretty thick chunk of tofu, which I think less tofu to more batter ratio probably tastes better. So next time I might make like 8 3/4" pieces, which would work as I had lots of extra batter. Thank you!
Kate says
Hi there,
This looks great. Do you think it could be prepped and frozen post-marinade or better yet post-batter and then cooked when required? Thanks so much!
Sam Turnbull says
I don't recommend freezing this dish as freezing tofu dramatically changes the texture. 🙂
cazzie says
Made this as a birthday dinner for my ommi partner it was a big hit he said the flavors were all their. I marinated the tofu for 24 hours and sprinkled norri flakes in the batter instead of using a sheet of norri. will defiantly make this again.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂