Learn how to make easy Vegan Fish Fillets with baked Tofu, seaweed and crunchy crumb topping à la Bordelaise – served with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, dairy-free hollandaise sauce and dill, this dish is incredibly delicious and 100% plant-based!
Vegan Tofu Fish Fillets à la Bordelaise
If you like the popular German “Schlemmerfilet à la Bordelaise” but are looking for a plant-based alternative without fish, be sure to give this recipe a try! The crunchy bordelaise crust is prepared similarly to the original recipe with panko breadcrumbs, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, but it is vegan as it contains no dairy butter, milk or eggs.
Tofu as a fish alternative
Just as in the recipe for vegan salmon fillets, I again chose tofu as a fish alternative for this plant-based feast. The consistency of tofu won’t be like real fish, but when you eat this dish all together, it comes very close to the original in terms of taste.
In addition, tofu is very suitable due to its nutritional values, since it contains a lot of protein and no carbohydrates, just like fish. The nori seaweed gives it a pleasant fishy taste (like sushi) without being too fishy. Furthermore, you can drizzle some vegan algae oil over it before eating, so that you also get the essential omega-3 fatty acids covered without eating fish.
Ingredients for Tofu à la Bordelaise
- Natural firm tofu
- Nori leaf
- Vegan butter or margarine
- Onion
- Garlic
- Paprika powder
- Nutritional yeast flakes or vegan Parmesan cheese
- Panko breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs
- Parsley and dill
- Lemon or lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
How to make vegan tofu fish fillet
As always, I recommend checking out these step-by-step instructions and the recipe video first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Cut tofu and nori into fish fillets
First, cut the tofu block in half lengthwise and place side by side in a small baking dish. Trim the nori sheet so that it fits on top of the two tofu fillets and then place on top.
Step 2: Make the panko topping
Melt the vegan butter in a pan and sauté the diced onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic and sauté for a minute. Lastly add paprika powder, nutritional yeast flakes, panko bread crumbs, parsley, dill and lemon juice and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and let cool briefly.
Step 3: Bake the tofu
Spread the breading evenly on the tofu fillets and bake at 428 °F (220 °C) for about 15 minutes. Then turn on the oven broiler and bake for another 2-3 minutes until the panko topping is crunchy and golden brown.
Vegan Side dishes for Tofu Fish
Just like the classic Schlemmerfilet, Tofu à la Bordelaise tastes best with hearty side dishes like mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, vegan hollandaise sauce, cucumber salad with fresh dill and lemon slices! By the way, you can also serve the Bordelaise crust on oven-roasted vegetables, casseroles or baked potatoes! Here are many possibilities of what you can whip up from the basic Bordelaise recipe.
How can I store and reheat leftovers?
The Vegan Schlemmerfilet tastes best when it comes straight from the oven and the tofu breading is still warm and crunchy! If you still have some left over, you can store the remaining Tofu à la Bordelaise covered in the refrigerator. Then simply heat it up briefly in the oven or in an air fryer, until the breading becomes crispy again.
This crunchy Tofu à la Bordelaise recipe is:
- Easy to make
- Fish-free
- Gluten-free
- Healthy
- Protein-rich
- Rich in iodine and omega-3
- Delicious
- A great plant-based alternative to fish
- Perfect for lunch or dinner for the whole family!
More Vegan Fish Recipes to try
- Carrot Lox
- King Oyster Mushroom Scallops
- Watermelon Tuna
- Tofu Salmon Fillet
- Tofu Fish Nuggets
- Chickpea Tuna Salad
If you try this vegan fish fillet recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your Tofu à la Bordelaise and share it on Instagram or Facebook, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Bon appetit! 🙂
Crunchy Tofu Fish Fillets à la Bordelaise
Author:Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 7 oz (200 g) tofu
- ½ nori leaf
For the crunchy topping:
- ¼ cup (60 g) vegan butter or margarine
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp paprika powder divided
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes or vegan Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup (60 g) panko bread crumbs or breadcrumbs
- ½ bunch parsley and dill mixed
- ½ lemon juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve (of choice)
- mashed potatoes
- creamed spinach
- vegan hollandaise
- lemon slices
- parsley and dill or other fresh herbs
- vegan omega-3 oil optional
Instructions
*Note: Feel free to check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures above!
- Preheat the oven to 428 °F (220 °C) and prepare a small baking dish.
- Cut the tofu block in half longways so that you have 2 flat pieces. Cut the nori sheet so that it fits onto the two tofu fillets.
- Place the tofu fillets side by side in the small baking dish and place the nori sheets on top. Set aside.
- Heat the vegan butter in a skillet or non-stick pan over medium and sauté the onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic and sauté for another minute. Lastly add paprika powder, nutritional yeast flakes, panko bread crumbs, parsley, dill and lemon juice and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and allow to cool briefly.
- Spread the panko breading evenly over the tofu fillets and press down gently (this works best when you use a baking dish that is as large as the tofu fillets or you first press the breading mixture into a container lined with plastic wrap as shown in the recipe video).
- Bake the tofu à la Bordelaise for about 15 minutes. Then turn on the oven broiler and bake for another 2-3 minutes until the coating is golden brown and crispy.
- Then remove the tofu from the oven and serve with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, vegan hollandaise sauce, lemon slices and fresh herbs as desired. Once the tofu is lukewarm, you can drizzle some vegan omega-3 oil on top if you like.
- Enjoy your meal!
Notes
- The Bordelaise crust can also be served over vegetables, casseroles or baked potatoes!
- More helpful tips and information about the recipe are mentioned in the blog post above!
IF YOU HAVE PINTEREST, YOU CAN FIND ME HERE AND PIN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE, IF YOU LIKE! 🙂
©Bianca Zapatka | All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please link back to this post for the recipe. More info here. Thank you for supporting biancazapatka.com!
Disclosure for affiliate links with asterisk (*):This page may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information here.
Liebe Bianca, seit meiner Kindheit liebe ich den Schlemmerfisch, bin allerdings schon länger auf der Suche nach einer pflanzlichen Variante. Wirklich tolles Rezept!! Vielen Dank dafür!
Ganz liebe Grüße
Betty
Prima, das freut mich sehr! 🙂 Vielen Dank dein Feedback, liebe Betty!