Vegan Fish Fillets
These vegan fish fillets feature a super tender and flaky texture and come with a slightly crispy skin! Each fillet packs 8g of protein, and the best part? They’re ready to enjoy in less than 45 minutes! This is one of the closest fish alternatives I’ve ever tasted!
Ingredients
Fish Fillets
- 8 large (100 g) TVP slices
- 1 tsp dried wakame or dulse flakes
- 5.6 ounces (160 g) firm tofu
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vegan fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 and 1/2 tsp (6 g) sugar
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried dill (or 1/2 tsp fresh dill)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp (5 ml) white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp (40 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 nori sheet
Black Pepper Sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) oil
- 2 small shallots
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
- 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1 tsp (2 g) cornstarch
Instructions
- Soak the TVP slices. Add the TVP slices to a large bowl or plate and cover with boiling water. Let them sit for about 30 minutes or until the slices are soft. You can soak the TVP slices overnight in the refrigerator as well.
- Drain them. Drain the TVP slices and squeeze them to remove as much water as possible. Rinse them 2-3 times and squeeze them again. Don’t worry if you slightly mash them, it’s okay. Set aside.
- Rehydrate the seaweed. Add the wakame (or dulse) to a small bowl and cover with hot water. Allow the seaweed to rehydrate for at least 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Blend the tofu. Pat the tofu dry using kitchen paper towels. Next, transfer it to a food processor and add the vegan fish sauce, sugar, onion powder, black pepper, dried dill, garlic, vinegar, salt, and rehydrated wakame/dulse. Process for 20-30 seconds or until smooth.
- Add the TVP. Next, add the rehydrated TVP slices to the food processor and process for about 5 seconds or until the TVP is evenly sliced and the mixture has a flaky texture. Note: Do not process for too long, or you will lose the texture of the TVP.
- Add the flour. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the flour. Mix until it forms a paste. It should hold together when you squeeze it between your hands, but it should still be slightly crumbly.
- Assemble. Cut the nori sheets into rectangles of about 2×4 inches (5.5x10 cm). Then, measure about 6 tablespoons of the tofu mixture and shape it into a thick rectangle of the same size between your hands. Press the mixture firmly onto a sheet of nori. Repeat with the remaining nori and tofu mixture.
- Pan-fry. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, carefully transfer your fish fillets to the skillet with the nori sheet facing down. Shallow-fry for 4-5 minutes or until the nori sheet is crispy. Flip the fillets and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced shallots and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the remaining ingredients. Next, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, ground black pepper, water, and cornstarch. Pour into the skillet and let simmer for about 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the fish fillets. Finally, add the vegan fish fillets and toss to coat with the sauce. Cook for another minute and serve immediately!
- You can store these fillets for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Do not over-process.
It's essential that you do not over-process the TVP slices, as this can cause them to lose their flaky texture. Usually, a quick processing time of 4-5 seconds or just a few pulses is enough. Ideally, the TVP should be sliced into 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) pieces - not smaller!Air fry.
Instead of pan-frying the fillets, you can air fry them. To do so, preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). In the meantime, generously brush the fillets with oil before arranging them in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 14 minutes, flipping them once halfway through air frying.Serve with a sauce!
Although the fillets are already seasoned, they truly shine when served with a sauce. You don’t have to stick to the black pepper sauce I’m sharing; feel free to choose any sauce you like. Consider serving them with garlic butter sauce, lemon parsley sauce, or white wine sauce!Regarding the nutritional information
Keep in mind that calories per fillet may be a little bit higher than noted since the fillets are pan-fried with oil.Nutrition
Serving: 1 fillet (without sauce) | Calories: 111 kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.3 g | Protein: 8.8 g | Fat: 3.7 g | Sodium: 129 mg | Potassium: 19 mg | Fiber: 2.1 g | Sugar: 2 g | Calcium: 49 mg | Iron: 2 mg
