I generally avoid frying things, because fried foods don’t always agree with me but I do break that rule occasionally – I am only human and like most humans I find fried things to taste delicious. I broke my no frying rule recently on quite a few occasions when perfecting this recipe for tofish tacos and I have no regrets. These tofish tacos turned out great and we devoured every iteration with great pleasure.
To make plain tofu reminiscent of fish, I marinated it in a simple kombu stock first, then rolled it in crushed nori for more sea flavour and that combination worked rather well, I then coated this marinated tofu in a simple beer batter and fried it till puffy and golden on all sides. I made a simple cabbage slaw and a chipotle flavoured mayo to go with the tofish and I lightly charred my corn tortillas for extra flavour. These tofish tacos went down really well in my house and I hope you will enjoy them just as much.
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
TOFU: I used well pressed firm tofu for this recipe. I used a brand of an already pressed tofu called Tofoo as it’s more straightforward to use. You can press your own tofu using a special tofu press or wrapping it in layers of a clean kitchen towel and weighing it down with something heavy.
SEAWEED: I used two different types of seaweed: kombu and nori to infuse the tofish with the flavour of the ocean. I used a piece of kombu to create a simple broth to infuse the tofu and then I used toasted seaweed (the type that is used for wrapping sushi) to roll the tofu in it before frying. Both are easy to get in Asian stores or well stocked supermarkets.
FLOUR: I used a mixture of plain flour and cornstarch (commonly known as corn flour in the UK) to make the batter. If making this dish gluten-free, substitute plain flour with a good gluten-free flour mix. Cornstarch is gluten-free as no need to change anything.
BEER: A carbonated liquid helps the batter stay light and crispy. I used pale ale beer, but if you want to avoid alcohol sparkling water is a great alternative.
SPICES: A couple of spices add flavour to the batter, I used paprika, cumin and garlic powder but you add also try ground fennel, coriander and cayenne pepper for bit of heat.
TORTILLAS: I like to use corn tortillas for tacos and singe them just a little bit over my gas burner just before serving.
CABBAGE: I made a simple cabbage slaw – with the addition of some radishes, spring onions / scallions and coriander – to accompany the tofish. I used young white cabbage, but any cabbage shredded thinly will work just as well.
RADISH: I like peppery flavour and firm texture of radishes, as well as their vibrant pink colour. I added some directly to the slaw and also quick-pickled some in diluted lime juice and used that quick pickle to serve the tacos with.
MAYO: I used shop-bought vegan mayo to dress the slaw and to create a simple chipotle sauce.
CHIPOTLE: I used chipotle paste to flavour the mayo and give it a bit of a spicy kick. The potency tends to differ between brands so add it, in small increments, until your taste buds are happy with the level of heat.
LIME: I used lime, both the zest and juice, to flavour the slaw and the mayo. I suppose lemon could do at a push, but lime works better in this cotext.
HOW TO MAKE IT?
1) MAKE THE SLAW
Shred cabbage really finely, thinly cut radishes, spring onions and coriander and bring it all together with a simple mayo dressing. Season well and set aside. Season the rest of the mayo and spicy it up a little by adding some chipotle paste to it and a squeeze of lime. Adjust to your taste.
2) MARINATE TOFU IN KOMBU
Prepare a quick broth by simmering a piece of kombu in some salted water. Submerge tofu in that solution, simmer for 5 minutes than leave for as long as you can to infuse it with flavour.
3) COAT TOFU
Next coat tofu pieces in ground up nori, then in some flour and finally in beer batter (not in photos).
4) FRY & SERVE
Pour oil into a work or a tall pot. Bring it to temperature – to check of the oil is at the correct temperature drop a little but of batter into it, if it sizzles as soon as it hits the oil, the oil is ready. Add only 2-3 pieces of tofish at a time – you do not want to overcrowd the pan – fry until golden on all sides then remove from the oil and allow it to drain on some paper towels. Fill each tacos with some slaw and a piece of tofish. Serve with a drizzle of chipotle mayo, quick-pickled radishes and fresh coriander.
SLAW & CHIPOTLE MAYO
- 120 g / 4.3 oz cabbage, thinly sliced
- 150 g / 5.3 oz radishes, divided
- 2 spring onions / scallions, thinly sliced
- bunch of coriander / cilantro
- 2-3 tbsp vegan yoghurt, cashew cream or vegan creme fraiche
- 120 g / ½ cup vegan mayo, divided
- zest and juice of 1 juicy lime (about 4 tbsp)
- 2-3 tsp chipotle paste, adjust to taste
- salt & pepper
TOFISH
- 20 g / 0.7 oz piece of kombu
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 400 g / 14 oz firm or extra firm tofu
- 4-5 nori sheets, ground
- 16 g / 2 tbsp cornstarch, potato starch or tapioca
- 180 g / 1½ cup plain or GF flour mix flour, plus a little more
- 240 ml / 1 cup beer or sparkling water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- oil for frying
- 10-12 corn tortillas
SLAW & CHIPOTLE MAYO
- Slice cabbage thinly using a sharp knife or a mandoline. Set 5-6 radishes aside and cut the rest into matchsticks. Combine them with sliced cabbage, sliced scallions and a good handful of finely chopped coriander.
- Dress by adding 2 tbsp of mayo and 2 tbsp of vegan yoghurt, cashew cream or vegan creme fraiche to the bowl, season with lime zest and about a tablespoon and a half of lime juice and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining mayo with chipotle paste and about one and a half tbsp of lime juice. Season to taste. Set aside.
- Finally, this is optional but I like to cut the remaining radishes really finely, season them and marinate in 2 tbsp of lime juice and 2 tbsp of water. I use this as a pretty garnish on top of my tacos.
TOFISH
- Cut tofu into 1.25 cm / 0.5″ batons. I used already pressed tofu (Tofoo), but if using regular tofu simply squeeze the moisture out gently and you are good to go.
- In a medium pot combine 480 ml / 2 cups of water with 1 tsp of salt and a large piece of kombu. Add tofu and bring the pot to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes then switch off the heat and allow tofu to sit in the kombu-infused solutions until cool.
- Grind nori sheets in a high speed blender or coffee/spice grinder.
- Just before you are ready to fry, transfer ground up nori sheets to a large plate, pour some flour to another plate and combine 120 g (1 cup) of flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, salt, baking powder, smoked paprika, cumin and garlic powder in a medium sized bowl.
- Pre-heat 240 – 480 ml (1-2 cups) of oil in a wok or in a tall pot and prep a drying rack (or a plate) lined up with paper towels.
- Slowly whisk in about 240 ml (1 cup) of beer or sparkling water to the bowl with flour until you get a runny batter.
- Test the oil by dropping a little bit of batter into the wok, if it sizzles immediately upon hitting the oil you are ready to fry.
- Coat each tofu piece in nori, then coat it in flour, finely coat it in beer batter using two forks. Lower the tofu into the oil using two forks and allow it to fry until golden on all sides. Drop a few pieces of tofu in at the same time but be mindful of not overcrowding the pan. Once fried, lift the tofu out of the oil and place it on the prepared drying rack.
- While the tofu is frying, warm the tacos in a low oven or char them briefly over a naked flame until just a little charred but still pliable.
- Assemble the tacos by adding a bit of slaw first, followed by a piece of tofish, a drizzle of chipotle mayo, lime-pickled radishes and fresh coriander.