This vegan salmon is made with tofu that is marinated and then pan fried and seared for the most crispy, flaky and delicious tofu salmon of your dreams!
This vegan salmon is simply amazing! I’m not going to say it’s the best tofu salmon you’ve ever tasted, because you might not have ever had salmon made out of tofu before!
But seriously once you taste this you will fall in love with it. It’s not the quickest recipe (the tofu has to marinate overnight) or the easiest (it’s a little bit fiddly) but you’ll know it’s entirely worth it when you take the first bite.
It’s loaded with flavor, ultra crispy on the outside with the most beautifully tender, flaky center.
You’ll also love our vegan fish recipe (made with celeriac), our vegan shrimp and our vegan paella.
Ingredients You’ll Need For Tofu Salmon:
Ingredient Notes
- Sliced beet – you can use pickled beets (as we did) or simply slice a beet and use 3 slices of it. Its main purpose in this recipe is to provide the color.
- Nori – this is the type of seaweed used to make sushi rolls. The easiest way to chop nori is with a scissors. So simply take a sheet of nori and chop it up into small pieces with a scissors for the finely chopped nori. The nori strips are cut to roughly fit the bottom of each piece of tofu.
- Extra firm tofu – we used two 8-ounce blocks of extra firm tofu and cut each block into two, to get 4 salmon fillets. You can use a single 16-ounce block and cut it into 4 pieces. Extra firm tofu is best and then we still go ahead and press it to get it ultra firm. If you buy vacuum packed extra firm tofu then you may not need to press it.
How To Make Vegan Salmon
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Press the tofu for 30 minutes, ideally using a tofu press, or by placing it on a plate, with a second plate on top of it and then place a heavy pot on top of that. After 30 minutes, pour off the excess water and pat your tofu dry.
- Cut each block of tofu in half if you have two 8-ounce blocks, or into 4 pieces if you have a single 16-ounce block.
- Slice a wedge of tofu off the top of each piece, by cutting diagonally from halfway on top of the piece down to the bottom corner. This will give it more of a salmon fillet look.
- Place two butter knives on either side of a piece of tofu and make diagonal cuts across the tofu. The knives will stop you from cutting all the way through the tofu.
- Repeat this for all the pieces of tofu. These cuts will help to recreate the flaky texture of a salmon fillet.
- Add vegetable stock, finely chopped nori, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, liquid smoke, beet slices, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, light brown sugar, crushed garlic, minced ginger and red pepper flakes to your blender and blend until smooth.
- Place the tofu pieces into a deep dish and pour over the marinade sauce.
- Gently turn the tofu pieces in the marinade sauce to make sure they are well coated. Be careful not to break them.
- Leave the pieces upside down in the marinade sauce (the color gets into the tofu pieces better this way), cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
- Once marinated, gently lift the tofu pieces out of the marinade sauce and place them onto a non stick baking tray.
- Dip the rough side of a strip of nori (cut to fit the bottom of each piece) into the marinade sauce and then gently stick it onto the bottom of the tofu.
- Place the tofu with the nori strip attached to the bottom, back onto the non stick baking tray, lying on its side.
- Repeat with the other tofu pieces.
- Place cornstarch into a bowl and gently roll each piece of tofu in the cornstarch, making sure it’s coated on all sides.
- Place the tofu back onto the non stick baking tray, lying on its side.
- Repeat for all the tofu pieces.
- Heat a non stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil (or extra virgin olive oil) and then add the tofu pieces, lying on their sides.
- Cook for 2 minutes until that side is crispy.
- Then flip the tofu so that the tops are face down. Cook for 2 minutes until the tops are crispy.
- Flip the tofu onto the second side and cook for 2 minutes until crispy.
- Then flip the tofu so that the bottoms with the nori strips are facing down. Cook for 2 minutes until the bottoms are crispy.
- Finally, stand the tofu pieces up on their backs. Cook for 2 minutes until crispy.
- The tofu is now done. You can gently turn them in the pan a few more times to make sure they have a fatty coating. This will mimic the fattiness of salmon.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a sprinkle of ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and chopped cilantro with lemon wedges on the side.
It’s also divine with vegan tartar sauce.
Some veggie sides would be divine with this as well, such as vegan creamed spinach, vegan broccoli salad or vegan cauliflower cheese.
Chef’s Tips
Marinate the tofu pieces upside down. This is so that the marinade can get into the slices and lightly color the insides and also get flavor into the tofu.
Fry the tops and sides before you do the bottom with the nori ‘skins’ on. We start by frying them on their side, then on the tops and then on the other side and only then do we fry them on the bottoms with the nori ‘skins’. The reason for this is that frying the sides and tops helps to seal the nori skin in on the edges so that by the time you fry the bottom and directly fry the nori, it is much less likely to come off and just sticks all the more to the bottom of the tofu.
Gluten free. To make these vegan salmon fillets gluten free simply use tamari or a gluten free soy sauce.
Make Ahead, Storing and Reheating
Make ahead: This tofu salmon works great as a make ahead option as most of the prep happens ahead of time: preparing the tofu, making the marinade sauce and marinating the tofu overnight. When you’re ready it’s just a case of placing the nori strips on the bottom of the tofu fillets, rolling them in cornstarch and pan frying until crispy on all sides.
Storing: Keep leftover vegan salmon fillets in a container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days.
Reheating: Reheat the vegan salmon fillets in the microwave or in the frying pan. They can also be reheated in the air fryer to crisp them up again.
More Vegan ‘Seafood’ Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Salmon
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (450g)
Marinade:
- 1 cup Vegetable Stock (240ml) or Broth
- 1 Sheet Nori Finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 3 Slices Beets Pickled*
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger Minced
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Coating:
- 1 Sheet Nori Cut into strips roughly the same size as the tofu fillets
- ½ cup Cornstarch plus more if needed
Frying:
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Serving:
- Ground Black Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Chopped Cilantro
- Lemon Wedges
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 30 minutes, ideally using a tofu press, or by placing it on a plate, with a second plate on top of it and then place a heavy pot on top of that. After 30 minutes, pour off the excess water and pat your tofu dry.
- Cut each block of tofu in half if you have two 8-ounce blocks, or into 4 pieces if you have a single 16-ounce block.
- Slice a wedge of tofu off the top of each piece, by cutting diagonally from halfway on top of the piece down to the bottom corner. This will give it more of a salmon fillet look.
- Place two butter knives on either side of a piece of tofu and make diagonal cuts across the tofu. The knives will stop you from cutting all the way through the tofu. Repeat this for all the pieces of tofu. These cuts will help to recreate the flaky texture of a salmon fillet.
- Add vegetable stock, finely chopped nori, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, liquid smoke, beet slices, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, light brown sugar, crushed garlic, minced ginger and red pepper flakes to your blender and blend until smooth.
- Place the tofu pieces into a deep dish and pour over the marinade sauce. Gently turn the tofu pieces in the marinade sauce to make sure they are well coated. Be careful not to break them. Leave the pieces upside down in the marinade sauce (the color gets into the tofu pieces better this way), cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
- Once marinated, gently lift the tofu pieces out of the marinade sauce and place them onto a non stick baking tray.
- Dip the rough side of a strip of nori (cut to fit the bottom of each piece) into the marinade sauce and then gently stick it onto the bottom of the tofu. Place the tofu with the nori strip attached to the bottom, back onto the non stick baking tray, lying on its side. Repeat with the other tofu pieces.
- Place cornstarch into a bowl and gently roll each piece of tofu in the cornstarch, making sure it's coated on all sides. Place the tofu back onto the non stick baking tray, lying on its side. Repeat for all the tofu pieces.
- Heat a non stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil (or extra virgin olive oil) and then add the tofu pieces, lying on their sides. Cook for 2 minutes until that side is crispy.
- Then flip the tofu so that the tops are face down. Cook for 2 minutes until the tops are crispy.
- Flip the tofu onto the second side and cook for 2 minutes until crispy.
- Then flip the tofu so that the bottoms with the nori strips are facing down. Cook for 2 minutes until the bottoms are crispy.
- Finally, stand the tofu pieces up on their backs. Cook for 2 minutes until crispy. The tofu is now done. You can gently turn them in the pan a few more times to make sure they have a fatty coating. This will mimic the fattiness of salmon.
- Serve with a sprinkle of ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and chopped cilantro with lemon wedges and vegan tartar sauce on the side.
Notes
- Extra firm tofu – we used two 8-ounce blocks of extra firm tofu and cut each block into two, to get 4 salmon fillets. You can use a single 16-ounce block and cut it into 4 pieces. Extra firm tofu is best and then we still go ahead and press it to get it ultra firm. If you buy vacuum packed extra firm tofu then you may not need to press it.
- Nori – this is the type of seaweed used to make sushi rolls. The easiest way to chop nori is with a scissors. So simply take a sheet of nori and chop it up into small pieces with a scissors for the finely chopped nori. The nori strips are cut to roughly fit the bottom of each piece of tofu.
- Sliced beet – you can use pickled beet slices (as we did) or simply slice a beet and use 3 slices of it. Its main purpose in this recipe is to provide the color.
- Marinate the tofu pieces upside down. This is so that the marinade can get into the slices and lightly color the insides and also get flavor into the tofu.
- Fry the tops and sides before you do the bottom with the nori ‘skins’ on. We start by frying them on their side, then on the tops and then on the other side and only then do we fry them on the bottoms with the nori ‘skins’. The reason for this is that frying the sides and tops helps to seal the nori skin in on the edges so that by the time you fry the bottom and directly fry the nori, it is much less likely to come off and just sticks all the more to the bottom of the tofu.
- Gluten free: To make this gluten free simply switch the soy sauce for tamari or use a gluten free soy sauce.
- Prep time: The prep time includes pressing the tofu for 30 minutes.
- Make ahead: This works great as a make ahead option as most of the prep happens ahead of time: preparing the tofu, making the marinade sauce and marinating the tofu overnight. When you’re ready it’s just a case of placing the nori strips on the bottom of the tofu fillets, rolling them in cornstarch and pan frying until crispy on all sides.
- Storing: Keep leftover fillets in a container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat them in the microwave or in the frying pan. They can also be reheated in the air fryer to crisp them up again.
Hi, do you use toasted or plain sesame oil? I’m worried the flavour will be too strong if I use toasted, since there’s 2tbsp of it 😅
You should use plain sesame oil 🙂
Thanks! I only had toasted sesame oil so used a bit of that and olive oil for the rest. It looked really good and the marinade was nice but can’t say I’ll be making it again. It didn’t have that fishy or oceany flavour that I’ve been craving. Only smoked carrot “salmon” has managed that for me so far. The look with the diagonal cuts is lovely and it kinda has that fish texture when you cut it, but my mouth says it’s still just lightly flavoured tofu. If I did make it again I would cut the pieces in half again so they’re more flat and get more crispy. The cornstarch is a nice way to achieve more crispy tofu though, so thanks for that!
Thanks for sharing Ane!
This is an absolute winner. I let the tofu marinate an extra couple of days (I was too tired to cook!) The nori “skin” makes this very tasty. I will make this again.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Kate! Thanks for your great review!
Looking for a vegan hot smoked salmon substitute. Wonder if liquid smoke would get me there. I also have some lovely smoked salt. Your thoughts?
Both liquid smoke and smoked salt should add great smokey flavor!
is this dish freezer friendly?
So surprised to find this recipe as I didn’t know one could make tofu taste like fish, but it was excellent and ever so tasty. Definitely one of my go to recipes now.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Anna! Thanks for your great review!