This recipe was one of my biggest discoveries after entering the plant based world because it is one of those where if it was prepared by someone else I would start conspiracy theories in my mind whether this person wants to trick me into eating real fish and just says it is vegan - it is that similar to fish for me 😁
I did find it in some website which I don't remember anymore but I still want to share this recipe as I make it during all special dinners such as Christmas, Easter, etc., so that I wouldn't need to survive at my family or visiting someone just by eating fries and salad 😂
And this leaves less place for "anti-vegan" comments as it is so simmilar to whatever everyone else is eating 😎
It is quite difficult to describe how exactly to put the tofu together for this recipe so at the end of the post I am including a short video where you can see instructions how to build up a single fish fillet.
You will need (for about 12 small fish fillets):
- 2 packs of tofu (360 g.)
- 1 or 2 seaweed "nori" sheets (used for sushi). If you have you can use already shredded sheets ("nori" sprinkles)
- 24 wooden toothpicks
- Sunflower or other oil for cooking
For the batter you will need:
- 60 g. wheat flour
- 60 g. corn flour
- 0,5-1 tablespoon of spices for fish (depending on how much salty and rich flavour you want)
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 150 ml. cold water
Instructions:
- Cut the tofu into three parts (dividing the longer edge into three parts) to get rectangles about 3 cm wide and 5 cm long) and cut them 3-4 times from the side (so that the shapes are still the same rectangles only thinner).
- Dry the tofu pieces with a paper towel by pressing to remove the liquid. It is enough to press a few times - do it with all the pieces of tofu.
- Shred the nori sheet with a coffee grinder, hand blender or just finely chop it with a knife. If you want a stronger seaweed flavor in the fillets, you can use two nori sheets.
- Press each piece of tofu on one side into the shredded pieces of nori sheet and place on top of each other (the side covered in nori sheet facing up). The last piece can be placed upside down so that the top is not covered in seaweed. Arrange 4-5 pieces on top of each other in "stacks".
- Carefully cut each stack in half lengthwise (so that the pieces of tofu remain about 1-1.5 cm wide and about 5 cm long). Pierce each stack with a toothpick at both ends so that nothing would fall apart.
- Mix the ingredients for the batter (if very liquid, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add water. The batter should be thick enough to prevent it from falling off the fillets immediately).
- Heat the oil in a pan (should be at least 0.5cm or 1cm deep). Dip each fillet into the batter and add to the heated oil. If a lot of batter falls off before baking, you can put another spoonful of batter on the fillet in the pan.
- Bake on both sides for a few minutes until brown. Put cooked fillets on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Serve with potatoes, mayonnaise sauce or as you like!
Short video for more clarity how to put everything together:
Enjoy!