My Pan-Seared Vegan Salmon is a delicious, pan-seared fish-inspired fillet that has the most amazing crispy skin and a 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. Yes, 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. 🙂
To make 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 dill and a side of rice with soy sauce, or some pasta or mashed potatoes. Or it also pairs beautifully with some vegetables such as a green salad, sautéed or glazed carrots or some garlic green beans. All yum! i truly hope this recipe gives you new and delicious fish options.
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
robin ben-chaim says
Hi, I just happened to have some vegetable soup available and made the marinade. Marinated it for two hours. Absolutely wonderful, the marinade by itself tasted good and so easy to make. I did add some regular mayonnaise to some of the leftover marinade to eat the seared "salmon" with this. Not just loved it, but perked up after eating it. Great recipe.
However, I think the longer you marinade it, it tastes even better.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Mar says
This is a delicious treat, and pretty easy to make! Don't skip the nori or cornstarch-- it's amazing how well every part of this recipe came together to simulate salmon. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much! Happy you enjoyed!
Gabi says
It was yummy!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!!
JaeSage says
Congrats on an amazing recipe! I was stunned by the amount of sodium, however. Any suggestions for reducing sodium? (Hint: I make my own Veggie Broth with no added salt, nothing but Veggie cuttings and water with a few drops of evoo.)
Sam Turnbull says
Sodium would come from the salt and miso paste mainly, so reduce or omit the salt. 🙂
Guillaume says
Hi, the recipe looks amazing, but I have a question regarding the substitution of one of the ingredients. Living in Japan, I do not have access to beet for the marinade. Is there anything I can replace it with in this recipe, and in other recipes in general? Thanks a lot!
Sam Turnbull says
The beet is mainly for color so you could sub red food colouring 🙂
Joana says
I need help.. i have a problem with tofu. I don't like cheese, and tofu to me taste like cheese.
I am in the process of becoming full vegan till new year's eve, and recipes like this one give me some curiosity... I feel like I'm missing a lot on vegan food just because I avoid tofu like it was the plague. Hehe
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Joana, I have a ton of recipes that includes no tofu at all. Check out my recipe index. I would also recommend preparing tofu so that it has a completely different texture and taste such as my Tofu Bolognese recipe. Almost all tofu haters love that recipe! Hope that helps!
Stefan Russell says
Second time I've made this and was superb. Just doesn't feel like eating tofu. Sam is a genious recipe creator and I make quite a few of her recipes.
I served with mash potatoes and broiled asparagus with a garlic cream and dill sauce. Perfect for a Saturday night
Thank you Sam Turnbull
Sam Turnbull says
Aww shucks, thank you Stefan!
Meli says
Turned out amazing. I added a bit too much beet so it came out much darker on the outside but the inside was still a beautiful light pink and absolutely delish. I sub'd the cornstarch for tapioca flour which worked very well. I I decided to pan sear and topped with a nice heap/ dollop of vegan dill aioli.
Thank you for the recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Fantastic! So happy you enjoyed!!
Heather says
Ok, I am OBSESSED with this!! I have seen this recipe and saved it many times to make it; however, I finally got around to making it! This is THE best tofu recipe I have ever tried and sooo similar to salmon! I pressed my tofu for 24 hours and marinated for 14 hours, so good! Salmon is what I miss most - so thank you sooo much Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Heather! I'm thrilled you love it so much! 🙂
Cornelia Guest says
Yummy! I substituted the "salmon" for actual salmon in a NYTimes recipe, just broiling the fried tofu for a minute and a half. It was terrific.
rachel says
hi! i’d love to make this but i have a big texture issue with tofu, does this have more of an actual salmon texture or is it still closer to tofu texture?
Mirth says
Hi Rachel, the thinner you slice it (as per instructions) the closer the texture will be to the flakiness of salmon. Perhaps also make sure you marinate it a bit longer. I find it’s a pretty reasonable approximate and it’s delicious but you may just have to give it a go as texture sensitivity can be a very individual thing…good luck!
Kathryn says
This recipe is sooooo good. I can’t quite remember what salmon tasted like but this is amazing! There’s quite a lot of prep involved but it’s so worth the effort. I’m going to try it later with a lemon picatta sauce and some garlic potatoes.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it Kathryn!!
Toni Wing-Jenkins says
Pre vegan I used to buy salmon burgers at Costco. I loved them. I used the marinaded tofu as a base for burgers and it was pretty good. Next time I’ll add sautéed celery and onions and use breadcrumbs or cracker meal. Bur the marinaded tofu worked great!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed!
Toni Wing-Jenkins says
I admit it. I miss salmon. I was pescatarian before I became vegan.. I've wanted to try this recipe, but was afraid of disappointment. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED! It was fabulous. I baked it and the texture took a while to get almost right. I'll scroll through the comments and see what other bakers did. Thank you so much!
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful Toni! Thrilled you loved it so much 🙂
Meg says
We had this tonight and it is outstanding! Really fun recipe and so SO tasty. I made it with the nori skin -- everything was so crispy and flavorful, and it went perfectly with roasted asparagus. I used pickled beet and was worried the color wouldn't come out right, but it looked just fine -- in fact, exactly like pan fried salmon, in my opinion. Next time I'll try it with beet powder instead of a raw (or pickled) beet, as some commenters suggested, just to make it a little easier. Thanks for a delicious and inventive recipe, Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it, Meg! 🙂
Nicky says
I have a question: if you don’t use the nori sheet, do you still coat in cornflour? Many thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes you still coat it in cornstarch. ENjoy!