Show of hands: Who wants to try my newest creation? It's a delicious, pan-seared fish-inspired fillet that has the most amazing crispy skin and tender, flaky inside. The flavour is mild but full-bodied umami with hints of butter, nuts, and the ocean. It pairs beautifully with a squeeze of lemon and melts in your mouth with every bite. Have you guessed it? Are your hands still up? If so, I present to you: Vegan Salmon! Oh, yeah.
OK, so I'm really getting into adding to my growing list of vegan seafood recipes (see: Vegan Lobster, Vegan Crab Cakes, Vegan Scallops, the list goes on!) Admittedly, Vegan Salmon took a few attempts before I felt like I really nailed it. The biggest challenge was getting the flavour balance juuuust right and, after multiple attempts, I can say that red marinades look very strange and not always very appetizing.. especially when you have 3-4 going simultaneously and your kitchen counter is a bunch of bowls filled with red liquid and tofu fillets floating in them!
But hey, that's recipe writing for you! It's not always easy and glamourous and can get pretty weird and messy while you take a few kicks at the can. But when the end result is this delicious, you put up with what can (at times) feel like a chaotic kitchen! I hope everyone enjoys these Vegan Salmon fillets!
How to make vegan salmon:
To prep the tofu: Prepare the tofu fillets 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 in for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
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 serve hot with a wedge of lemon.
Serve this vegan salmon with a side of rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, and some veg sug as a salad or garlic green beans. Yum!
Bon Appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Vegan Salmon! Pan-seared Fillets
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
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, (such as canola or vegetable), plus more if needed
- lemon wedges for garnish (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 in for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
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 serve hot with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
Nutrition
Liz says
Would this work in a salmon Wellington recipe? Thinking of Christmas dinner
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it myself, but I think it would work well 🙂
Marla O says
Wow, Sam, you knocked this outta the park!!! We really enjoyed your phish fillet recipe and honestly I wasn’t sure how this could possibly taste much different, or even like salmon. But it does! Maybe even better 😉 Especially with the “skin” all crunchy! For a long time we were pescatarians, but had to stop after seeing “Seaspriracy”. So happy to be able to enjoy phish again thanks to your ingenuity (hugs!)
I’m saving leftovers for sushi tomorrow, and am going to put another slab of tofu into the remaining marinade so it can sit for a few days. This time I’m going to cut the tofu into larger but thinner squares so I can make salmon burgers!
Kennedy says
If you’re making a “fish” based sushi, you should also try a tuna substitute that I swear by for my sushi. There are many slight renditions of the recipe, just google “vegan tomato tuna sushi” and I’m sure you’ll find it. It’s a game changer for sure. I’d recommend a 6-hour marination period.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's so wonderful, I'm so thrilled you love it so much Marla O 🙂 Love the idea of salmon burgers!
Lynn says
I though it was okay, doubt I would make again though, for the effort. Maybe the corn starch coating could use some salt (maybe seasoned salt?)... 4 stars for your valiant effort and creativity.
helan says
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! So happy you enjoyed it, helan 🙂
Sena says
Sam! You are gifted! This is absolutely amazing! We had it for dinner tonight, and I don't want to eat anything else so that the taste can linger. I'm savoring every burp. LOL! My husband keeps swearing and saying how impressed he is! Hahaha! Salmons are the last animals I ever ate, and this tastes exactly how I remember them...minus the harm. This will be one recipe we repeat often. Thank you for your creativity and talent!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you so much Sena! So thrilled you love it so much 🙂
Kathryn Gannon says
This really made me laugh. Why does your husband keep swearing? He sounds funny.
Kristi Holsinger says
Loved! Had extra marinade so I added new tofu and froze. Will that negatively affect the texture when I defrost and prepare?
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it! Tofu changes texture when frozen. It get's quite spongey. So yes it will change the texture, but maybe you will enjoy it 🙂
Sue says
Recipe looks great and I can’t wait to give it a try. Quick question: I don’t use oil when I cook so do you have any suggestions on how to cook them without it. I have an air frier - if so, how long and at what temp? Or, could I use Aquafaba? I have read that aquafaba can be a substitute for oil in some recipes; however I have never tried it so I don’t know if it would work for this recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Sue! For many of my recipes, including this recipe, I provide instructions in the notes section of the recipe on how to make it oil-free. Enjoy! 🙂
Amanda says
LOL I love how this has suddenly become a vegan seafood appreciation blog!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! I'm still working on a few more vegan seafood recipes too! 🙂
Eve-Marie says
Made this last night - Sam you are a genius! We couldn’t get over how much this tasted and looked like salmon. I feel like that happens whenever I make your recipes though, so am not surprised! Next time I will press the tofu longer because we like a more”well-done”salmon texture, but other than that it was perfect!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful Eve-Marie! So thrilled you loved it so much 🙂
Chelsea says
Would vegan butter work in place of the oil for frying it? Cannot wait to try!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, but be careful as it might burn.
Julia says
I've made this recently, yum.
Today I'm using it to make sushi. I'm sure it will be amazing.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you love it so much 🙂
Hannah R. says
Brilliant recipe! My husband and I enjoyed this so much! Really hit the spot and satisfied my rare craving for salmon. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
YAY!! 🙂
Cesar says
I made these the day before yesterday, and it was sooooo good! It got a really good salmon flavour, and it surprised me how similar it was in texture as well. I served it to my parents, who are both non-vegan, and they loved it - they even said that they would prefer it to real salmon fillets in the future! So there will be no more dead fish in our household (;
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I just have one question: When cutting into the fillets, the tofu was still very white on the inside, compared to how yours look pink all the way in on the pictures. Does this mean the marinade didn't go all the way in (if it was even supposed to)? Could I prevent this by next time letting the tofu fillets lay in the marinade for a longer time? (This time I let them rest in the marinade in the fridge for 45 minutes).
Sam Turnbull says
Wow! That's amazing that your parents prefer it to real salmon!! So thrilled you love it so much. To make sure the marinade gets into all the layers, you may need to marinate longer or gently separate the slices so that the liquid can flow through. Mine was still white in the very core, but pink most of the way through. 🙂
Malinda says
I used a 1 tsp of beet powder because I didn't have a beet & I have to say I will be making this again so good!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Alex says
Heya, how big is the nori sheet? Thanks!! Can't wait to try 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
It's the kind you use to make sushi rolls, so approximately 8" x 7". Enjoy!
Silver says
Amazing! Been vegan for seven years and the only thing I sometimes missed was salmon, well this recipe totally hits the spot! I served both your tofu filet and the salmon to my hubby and we both prefered the tofu filet, simply because the salmon was almost *too* real tasting, haha! Anytime I have a salmon craving, I will be whipping up this delicious recipe, thanks for sharing your wonderful creations with us Sam x
S says
This turns out amazing and so eerily similar to real fish!
Whoever is reading this, you gotta try it!
It's also very simple and easy to make and to me, affordable.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hahah! I love that! 🙂
Claire says
Thank you. I love cooking, but I'm not creative at all so I need people like you out there in the world to help me!! This was really fun to make, and tasted very good. It's not salmon, obviously, but it was yummy and very nutritious. My country-ass boyfriend loved it - he's a recent tofu convert. Thanks again, we had a delicious dinner and I think the way you developed this recipe was extremely clever.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Jon says
This looks so good. Is there a suitable substitute for the beet? Is it for colour or flavour?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Jon, it's for colour mainly. You could omit it, but your tofu will not look like salmon. Enjoy!
Kendra says
Can I use a canned beet?
Sam Turnbull says
The colour won't likely be as potent so you will need to use more but it should work. ENjoy!
Julia says
So so good. I added a teaspoon caper brine.
Thanks for this.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed!
Susan Pearson says
Just had this for lunch with Sam's tartar sauce from her book. What can I say AMAZING!!!!! Also had her Carbonara for lunch yesterday - also AMAZING!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
So thrilled you loved it, Susan 🙂
Karen says
Made the leftovers into a salmon salad with vegan mayo, red onions , Dill and a splash of lemon juice. It brought me back to the days of canned salmon salad! such a great vegan substitute
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!!
lea says
....find myself contemplating how to morph this recipe to a pseudo canned vegan salmon...I think it needs more than just mashing it up.... What do you think?..... Knocked it outta the park.....Sam.....
lea says
Me again...so I had my pseudo salmon salad. I did just mash up the marinated tofu with a little extra marinade (no cooking involved) and added it to my salad.... I am a happy camper..... It was deeeelicious!!
lea says
Sam....Sam....Sam....so good......supper last night, lunch and supper tonight...Sam...Sam..Sam.....still have some left......wonder what I will have for lunch and/or supper tomorrow???? .....
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! 🙂
Ruby says
This is by FAR the best phish recipe I’ve tried. It’s definitely a keeper. The only thing I did different was 1/2 caper brine 1/2 ACV. Now that I know it tastes so good I would take the time to fuss with the cuts to get the flakiness. Thank you Sam!!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! thrilled you loved it so much Ruby 🙂
Mark says
Amazing! Absolutely Amazing! Used this a topper on a vegan Caesar salad. Last meal worthy...
lea says
You have reminded me of my all time favourite salmon salad that I haven't had for well over a decade....the thought of it.... The recipe is marinating in the fridge as I type...cannot wait!....(but I will....)
Sam Turnbull says
Hahah! Amazing!!!
Chris Flor says
Are you kidding me?
I tried/fried these today, marinated them since last night and I can't believe how delicious they tasted, also how beautiful they looked with the nori skin. I want to eat this every day for years now!
I just had friends over, we played music and then had dinner on the balcony to celebrate our full vaccinations and everybody was baffled how good it tasted and looked.
My twist: I panfried them in one of those ridged grill pans in deepfrying oil that had already been used multiple times and as expected that made the flavor super rich!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! What an amazing review! Thanks Chris!! And congrats on being fully vaccinated! 🙂
Dominique Vaillancourt says
OMG Sam ! This is a GAME CHANGER ! I am certain that I could serve this to meat eaters and they would be stumped ! The texture is exactly the same and the corn starch gives it a crispiness that is out of this world ! I had to eat two slices because I could not stop at one ! Thank you so much ! This is going to be a STAPLE for me ! ❤️❤️❤️
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful! So thrilled you love it so much, Dominique!
Sarah says
YUM!! I have to say, I was forced to modify as I didn’t have certain ingredients on hand, but what I made was incredible! Can’t wait to try the exact recipe posted. I didn’t have white miso, so I used dark (which affected the colour) and I also didn’t have a beet, which I think is pretty important for colour and flavour, but instead I added a sun dried tomato (it didn’t do much to help the colour though, lol). I also used tapioca starch instead of corn starch. Not sure how this affects things?
My final product was more of a brownish colour, but after I cooked it up, I can tell you it was phenomenal!
I might eat the whole block of tofu right now!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it Sarah 🙂
Lori says
Hello. Should the beet be raw or steamed/cooked? Thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Raw 🙂
sara says
Hi Sam 🙂 Instead of cornstarch is it ok to use tapioca or arrowroot? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes either of those should work well 🙂
Leila Andino says
I'm definitely trying this recipe, it is fabulous! Do you think I could use red miso paste instead of white and achieve similar results?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes you could! Red miso is often saltier a bit stronger in flavour so just be ready for that 🙂
Vicki says
You say to press the tofu for only 15-30 mins. So using your tofu you have pressed, in the fridge, doesn't work?
Sam Turnbull says
You can absolutely press it longer if you wish, it will just be firmer 🙂
Ciel says
Thank you for this dreamy recipe !
Do you think it's possible to replace the beeetroot with beetroot powder?
If so, wjich quantity would you use?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes! A few people have tried that with 1 teaspoon of beet powder and said it worked out wonderfully 🙂
Maarit says
Hello,
Do you think this would work in a smoker? If I fry it first.
Sam Turnbull says
Frying the tofu in cornstarch makes for a crispy skin. I think if you smoke it after the cornstarch fry it will likely lose it's crispy skin, so instead I would just skip the frying and smoke it instead and see how it turns out.
Sandra says
That looks delicious! However, in my country I've never seen a walnut-sized red beet; they're usually the size of a fist. Could I buy a jar with pre-cooked beets and use a chunk of that..?
Jessica S. says
I was wondering if we could use beet powder instead?
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it myself, but you're welcome to give it a go 🙂
amber says
i made this for mother’s day with 1 tsp of beet powder and red miso and it turned out wonderfully ❤️
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!!
Sam Turnbull says
I would just use a small piece of the larger beet and yes the rest for another dish. That's what I did 🙂
Sandra says
Well, if somebody wants to try: Using pre-cooked beet worked fine, though the colour didn't get quite as red as on the pictures 🙂 I would decrease the vinegar a bit though, because the beet was already soaked in vinegar.
I also made a bunch of this salmon and put a nori sheet on only half of my salmon "sticks", to try which one i like more. I gotta say, the nori sheets make it much more like real fish - so for those of you who still want to try it out, definitely use a nori sheet as a "skin"!
Will definitely cook this again 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it Sandra!
Huong says
Thank you Sam
It looks good recipe
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks so much!
lovethescents says
I really shouldn't be rating this before trying but reading the ingredients and method makes me think this is DEFINITELY delicious and easy. Will have the family make this for me for Mother's Day 😀 😀 Thank you, Sam, for always coming up with so much GENIUS! [adding that I am going to cook with konnyaku today for the first time and it has a verrrrry fishy texture and scent. Have you ever cooked with it? I bet it would be a cool squid or white fish substitute....]
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you're exctied and happy Mother's day! I haven't cooked with that before... let me know how it turns out 🙂
Kathy Benjamin says
So awesome and inventive!! You're brilliant!
Sam Turnbull says
Awww thank you!
Scotf says
Is anyone else dying to trying this in a sushi roll?!!????
Sam Turnbull says
Oh yes!
Relaena says
Hello! This is brilliant!!! Can’t wait to try it! When you get a moment, please provide the link to the ‘ instructions for a DIY tofu pressing method.’ Thanks very much!
Gina Caracci says
The DIY tofu press link is in the instructions before the recipe, but here it is 🙂
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/ultimate-guide-pressing-tofu/
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Relaena, I've updated the post, but you can also get the link here. 🙂