Learn how to make vegan fish fillets with tofu, seaweed and rice paper! With perfectly crispy skin and a flake-y soft fish like texture this is the perfect plant based fish alternative for any dish!
Seafood, specifically fish was probably the most difficult food to give up when I first adopted a vegan lifestyle because it is such a staple food in Japanese culture. I've been wanting to recreate an easy, basic and versatile tofu fish fillet alternative for some time now and finally came up with a recipe that I'm super excited to share today! This fish fillet isn't only visually fish-like, but also has that crispy skin I really wanted to achieve since my favourite part about cooked fish was always the crispy skin.
Using a few easy tehqniues, I've come up with my version of a fish fillet thats made with staple ingredients! First, let's talk texture. For that 'flakey' like texture and appearance I borrowed Sam's (itdoesnttastelikechicken) tofu fillets techqniue of slicing it across the tofu. I combined it with my Jabara Cucumber cutting techqniue and added an extra step where we flip it and slice diagonally in the SAME direction for extra flakiness.
The crispy skin idea came from my rice paper dumplings that you guys have been loving! The rice papers get super crispy when pan fried in a little oil and it does a wonderful job at sticking to the nori and tofu with a little bit of starch slurry.
Okay, now does it have the texture of real fish? Obviously... no. It has the texture of extra firm tofu (or firm tofu), but with the flaky-texture, crispy skin and flavour of seafood it's a
Ingredients (& Substitutions)
- Extra firm tofu: Extra firm tofu works best here to ensure the fillets stay intact. However, you can also use firm tofu for a softer texture, just be extra gentle when slicing and cooking. Pressing the tofu will help absorb more of the marinades flavour so don’t skip it!
- Dashi broth: you can use homemade kombu dashi broth or mix 1 packet of kombu dashi granules with 1 cup of water.
- Ajinomoto: gives a stronger umami-fish like flavour. Mushroom stock powder can be used as a substitute.
- Rice vinegar: for flavour and to remove more of the tofu flavour.
- Sugar: for flavour
- Nori: for the skin and also gives it an extra boost of that fish and seafood like flavour.
- Potato starch: used to ensure the rice paper sticks and to make the non-skin side some texture. You can substitute with corn starch if needed.
- Rice paper: for the crispy skin! If you don't have rice paper, you can still achieve a crispy skin by coating it with potato starch instead. This creates more of a flakey-fried texture (like tempura), but still very delicious.
How to Make Vegan Tofu Fish Fillets
- Prepare tofu: Remove tofu from the package and then press to remove excess moisture out. Slice the tofu into desired shapes and pieces. To get a fish-like shape, slice the block ¾ length wise and then using the tip of the knife, carve out a fillet shape. Keep the other ¼ for extra. If making a fish shape, you'll have a total of two pieces. Then slice through the entire block once you have achieved your desired shape. If you do not care for the fish-like shape, slice into 4 rectangles. Slice the tofu diagonally ⅓ way through ⅛-1/4 inch apart. Flip and slice diagonally in the SAME direction.
- Make the marinade: Add the kombu dashi broth, msg, rice vinegar and sugar to a shallow container and mix. Add the pieces tofu fillets and then tear one sheet or nori on top. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the crispy skin: Remove the tofu from the container and pat dry. Cut a piece of nori that fits on top of the tofu fillets. Cut the same size piece of rice paper. Place the nori on top of the tofu. Mix potato starch with 3-4 tablespoon of water. Briefly dip the piece of rice paper and place on top of the nori and press down to ensure it sticks.
- Cook: Heat a pan with oil over medium high heat. Place the tofu fillet rice paper side down. Use a spatula and press gently down a few times and cook for 1 minute or until golden brown and crispy. Dust a little bit of potato starch on the side facing up and then flip. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until brown and crispy. Pan fry the other two sides (you can dust more potato starch on the other sides if you prefer). Remove from pan.
- Serve: If adding sauce, be sure to add it on the plate (or on the side for dipping) and then the tofu fish on top to keep the ‘skin’ crispy. Serve and enjoy!
What I love about this vegan fish recipe is how versatile and customizable it is. Once you create the fillets, you can season and sauce them up with whatever you like! You can also make a salmon version just by adding in a touch of beetroot or carrot juice for that colour. I paired mine with soy butter but I also love marinating it in a miso sauce and broiling it in the oven. You can also grill these up and give it a torch for extra flavour!
More vegan seafood recipes:
- Vegan Unagi Donburi
- Vegan Teriyaki Salmon
- Tomato Tuna Donburi Rice Bowl
- Vegan Kaki Fry (Fried 'Oysters')
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
If you recreate this Vegan Tofu Fish recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Vegan Tofu Fish
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Learn how to make vegan fish fillets with tofu, seaweed and rice paper! With perfectly crispy skin and a flake-y soft fish like texture this is the perfect plant based fish alternative for any dish!
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz pack of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 1 cup kombu dashi broth*
- ¼ tsp ajinomoto, optional or substitute mushroom stock powder
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (5ml)
- 1 tsp sugar (5g)
- ½ tsp salt (2g)
- 2 roasted nori sheets (seaweed)
- 1 piece of rice paper
- 1 ½ tbsp potato starch (10g), plus more for dusting
Soy Butter Sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan butter (15g)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (30ml)
Instructions
- Prepare tofu: Remove tofu from the package and then press to remove excess moisture out. Slice the tofu into desired shapes and pieces. To get a fish-like shape, slice the block ¾ length wise and then using the tip of the knife, carve out a fillet shape. Keep the other ¼ for extra. If making a fish shape, you'll have a total of two pieces. Then slice through the entire block once you have achieved your desired shape. If you do not care for the fish-like shape, slice into 4 rectangles. Slice the tofu diagonally ⅓ way through ⅛-1/4 inch apart. Flip and slice diagonally in the SAME direction. Add salt to both sides of the fish and set aside.
- Make the marinade: Add the kombu dashi broth, msg, rice vinegar and sugar to a shallow container and mix. Add the pieces tofu fillets and then tear one sheet or nori on top. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the crispy skin: Remove the tofu from the container and pat dry. Sprinkle salt over both sides of the tofu fillet. Cut a piece of nori that fits on top of the tofu fillets. Cut the same size piece of rice paper. Place the nori on top of the tofu. Mix potato starch with 3 tablespoon of water. Briefly dip the piece of rice paper and place on top of the nori and press down to ensure it sticks.
- Cook: Heat a pan with oil over medium high heat. Place the tofu fillet rice paper side down. Use a spatula and press gently down a few times and cook for 1 minute or until golden brown and crispy. Dust a little bit of potato starch on the side facing up and then flip. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until brown and crispy. Pan fry the other two sides (you can dust more potato starch on the other sides if you prefer). Remove from pan.
- Serve: If adding sauce, be sure to add it on the plate (or on the side for dipping) and then the tofu fish on top to keep the ‘skin’ crispy. Serve and enjoy!
Soy Butter Sauce
- Heat vegan butter over low heat. Add the soy sauce and mix to combine. Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
- *Or use 1 packet of kombu dashi granules mixed with 1 cup of water
- Helpful Equipment: tofu press, scissors
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
Keywords: vegan fish, tofu fish, fish fillet
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Diana says
the best vegan salmon recipe I've ever tried, the hardest part in this recipe is for the tofu to get marinated and it's mandatory to wait 3hours, i was impatient yesterday and did not leave it to infuse enough, was tasty, but i made it again today and waited 3 hours, it's amazing, the seaweed skin is so good.
★★★★★
Sarah Hoffer says
This was by far the best and easiest tofu fish recipe I have made. I’ve been plant based for 4 years and have had a lot of trial and error meals but this was a win from the start. Definitely will be making this again!
★★★★★
Gokcency says
I just tried this recipe today and not only did my kitchen smell amazing, the flavor and texture were incredible! I love how satiating and flavorful this was and my non-vegan husband loved it too! Highly recommended recipe.
★★★★★
Sarah says
Such a wonderful recipe! We’ve been plant based for about 4 years and have had a lot of trial and error with vegan fish recipes but this one is AMAZING. Definitely making this one again!
★★★★★
Tam says
Saw this on Instagram and had to try it. Process is pretty simple since most of it is letting the tofu marinade. I'm also lazy and didn't bother to cut the tofu into the shape of a fillet. The taste and the "skin" are SO GOOD! I can't get over it how delicious it is!!! The only thing is the tofu doesn't mimic real fish texture, but that "skin" is pretty convincing! Highly recommend others to try this!
★★★★★
Amina says
Delicious!
★★★★★
Tam says
Saw this on Instagram and had to try it. Process is pretty simple since most of it is letting the tofu marinade. I’m also lazy and didn’t bother to cut the tofu into the shape of a fillet. The taste and the “skin” are SO GOOD! I can’t get over it how delicious it is!!! The only thing is the tofu doesn’t mimic real fish texture, but that “skin” is pretty convincing! Highly recommend others to try this!
★★★★★
Ashleigh says
This recipe is absolutely 10/10! Can’t wait to make this over and over again, so fun to make!
★★★★★
Nina says
I made this as "fish" sticks and it turned out so yummy, please keep up the good work! I'm a recent vegan and Asian food was everything to me and thanks to your blog I don't miss fish.
★★★★★
Leticia says
soo crispy & filling!! very easy and quick to make too
★★★★★
al may says
I love this recipe. I tried it yesterday and the skin was so crispy and tasted like fish. Will make it again!
★★★★★
Ben says
This was the first time I've tried making a dish with kombu, the tofu tasted really nice after marinating overnight and the skin crisped up really well!
★★★★★
Carol says
This was just delicious! Totally looks like salmon. Texture was very similar. Easy to follow recipe and quick to make.
★★★★★
Petitzouzou says
First "fish" recipe i made...and it was successful ! Incredible look and so tasty and crispy !!!
Thankyou for the recipe.
★★★★★
Velle says
This recipe is super easy to make. I have tried it and I just finished eating 1 1/2 cup of rice 🙈. Must try!
★★★★★
Diana says
Amazing recipe! Easy and fun to make 👌
Petitzouzou says
It was my first "fish" recipe...and it was so delicious !!!
Look so real, and yummy flavour and crispy !
A success at home !
★★★★★
Diana says
Amazing recipe 🔥 love it 😍
★★★★★
Alana says
So yummy! and so much fun to make!
★★★★★
Valerie @foodiewithoutborders says
A really fun recipe! Particularly liked the crispy "skin", thank you Lisa for your creativity!!
★★★★★
Jake Poulin says
great recipe! east to make, delicious and fun to serve
★★★★★
Winter says
SOOOOO YUMMY! This was my first recipe I tried from Okonomi Kitchen and I will be back for more. My meat eating wife also thought this was sooo yummy. I did leave this to marinate overnight and used the leftovers in some homemade ramen 10/10 recommend. 🙂
★★★★★
Vee says
Loved the nori skin! A delicious recipe to prove the tofu skeptics wrong ❤
★★★★★
Felicia Cox says
I haven’t had meat since 2012 and I have never liked seafood— being vegan has helped me want to try new things and this recipe was by far my favorite meals that I’ve made so far!! @VeganTastesGood
★★★★★
Mano says
Blown up my colleagues by telling them it wasn't fish, they thought it was!
The texture is better than a real fish (firmer) and the taste is on point!
I couldn't find dashi so I soaked black dry mushrooms in water and used it instead, works too!
★★★★★
Tricia Lim says
I am in the Philippines and I have to sort the ingredient for almost a month to make this, especially the vegan kombu granules. What I love about this is that it is pretty to follow and results were amazing! My whole vean family was so happy because lately they had missed fish and this recipe made them forget about the real thing. This recipe is a keeper and you should try this!
★★★★★
Michi says
I'm blown away by this recipe. Texture and flavor are very close to the real thing. 10/10 would make this again to confuse my omni friends.
★★★★★
Dianis says
For the first time after many years I am eating "fish" hahaha, it was the easiest and fastest recipe I have ever made. Now I want to eat it all the time. Greetings from Mexico
★★★★★
Anna Röd says
This recipe was yummy! I tried it last week and I feel I finally found my salmon substitute, I’m going to try it in a casserole as well!
★★★★★
Yoori Shen says
The ‘fish skin’ part was just amazing! It’s crispy and has nice seaweed flavour! It works really well with sauce too! Very delicious!
★★★★★
Anna Röd says
Yummy recipe! So simple but so tasty. Will definitely make this again and I feel that I have now found a perfect substitute to salmon, will make this again and try it in a casserole ❤️❤️❤️
★★★★★
Yoori Shen says
The ‘fish skin’ part was so good! It’s crispy and has a nice seaweed flavour! It works so well with the sauce!
★★★★★
Beth says
I saw this recipe via VegNews and had to try it!
It was so much fun to make and delicious! I can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Kate says
It’s like a fish!
★★★★★
Meral Avcıoğlu says
Soo delicios and worth to try! I'll do it agan for sure 😉
★★★★★
Daisy Molenkamp-da Costa says
Hey I made this yesterday and WOW it was delisious what a lovely recipe
We loved it Thanks this was yummi and we have a sauce with wasabi& soja .
Bye from the Netherlands
Daisy
★★★★★
Amanda says
Really easy to make it. The result is a bomb👊🏼
Texture, flavour, all amazing😁
Thanks for your recipes
★★★★★
Audrey says
I made this recipe for the first time. I can’t believe that tofu can look and taste like fish!
I dressed this “fish” with pickled ginger and a little squeeze of lemon and splash of shoyu. Amazing!
This recipe is a definite must try!
It’s in my permanent rotation!
Thank you for the awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Samantha A says
I absolutely loved this recipe! It has become a staple in my kitchen, I use the fish marinade for so many things now. I actually used a no fish broth by oceans halo instead of the kombu dashi broth and it turned out delicious!
Thank you Lisa for all your amazing recipes!
★★★★★
Shoku says
I made it with this recipe and it turned out so goood 👌🏻 Thanks for sharing ^_^
★★★★★
Sanya says
Finally got to try this recipe and I love how it came out! The slicing method is absolute genius and omg that seaweed skin is so good whut😭
This was the most proper meal I've made for myself. The whole process was actually really fun because I was excited to see how it would turn out.. definitely did not disappoint. Will cut the tofu into more of a fillet shape next time!
Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes. Your content is so inspiring and really empowering. Thank you for sharing it with us 🤍🙏🏼
★★★★★
Debbie says
This recipes is so simple and delicious and really really satisfying without being too heavy. So good, will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Meizhen says
This recipe is really easy and has a amazing yummy taste, thank you for your creativity to make this manu. I really saw this menu by accident on tiktok and i put it on my fav so fast and now i followed every way they’ve n I’ll try ur next menu for sure, they all look so good🤤
★★★★★
Jackie says
My new go-to recipe! I am allergic to fish/seafood but love searching for seafood/fish alternatives. I stumbled upon this recipe and it's so tasty! The best part is that it uses ingredients that 9 times out of 10 I usually already have in my kitchen.
Thank you for your constant creativity and innovation. ALL of these recipes are always SO packed with flavor, too. I'm hooked.
★★★★★
Alice says
It’s not so easy but worth the effort🌸
★★★★★
Qrisham says
Wow this was so delicious!! 🤩 Thank you Lisa for sharing this amazing recipe. I sliced the tofu to give it a fish shape which was really fun and mimicked the real deal. I’ll be doubling the tofu next time 🤗 After our meal my husband said it was unreal. He absolutely loved it. Pinned this recipe for another night ❤️ Ty again !!
★★★★★
Sasza says
Happy Christmas Okonomi and thank you for sharing this recipe,
I've made it as well, and it was delicious.
Arigato!
Jeanny says
Loved this recipe! It was super easy to marinate the tofu, and it genuinely tastes seafoody. Also, the nori-rice paper skin was genius! It was very crispy & added lots of delicious flavor to the tofu fish. I'll definitely be making this again~😁🌸
★★★★★
Jenn Morris says
So good! I will definitely make this again.
★★★★★