Vegan Fish + Chips w/ Beer Battered Tofu Fillets and Dairy Free Tartar Sauce
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Fish + Chips
Fish + Chips!!! Vegan!!! Yes.
An incredibly easy + delicious vegan recipe for any starters or consistent go-to meals. I love this dish because its 1. ABSOLUTLEY INCREDIBLE. 2. Really easy to make. 3. Has beer in it (so you know its damn good). 4. Will make the vegans and non-vegans alike go “ooooooooo ya, that’s damn good.”
I was really pumped to take on this challenge. Before going vegan/vegetarian, I had very little fish ever. Some fish sticks. Any time I can recreate a dish I never really got a chance to enjoy in my life, it is pretty awesome.
Our fish fillet is a pretty simple extra firm tofu that has been dried out. It is then battered in a delicious beer batter mixture and then pan fried in a pot. It turned out amazing! Made this for the family, and they were like “wow we love you again.”
For the "chips," we did baked russet potato coins that were smothered in fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sea salt. Baking them kept the dish a bit more healthier in comparison to frying anything.
The key to this dish is the batter though. I spent a good deal of time learning about fish batter from the UK that makes this dish a staple there. The key is to add beer slowly to a batter and whisk it in as the beer slowly pours in...then let it rest...then batter it up and pan fry.
Well, let's get into it!
Ingredients:
`Fish Fillets
14 oz extra firm tofu, drained + pressed
1.5 cups organic unbleached flour
Spices: 1 tbl baking powder, 1 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp Old Bay
12 oz beer (I used Miller High Life...want something that has a neutral flavor and is tan to brown)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup oil, for frying (safflower oil or canola oil)
Tartar Sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tbl pickle relish
1/4 tbl parsley dried
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Chips
2 large russet potatoes, sliced thin
1.5 tbl safflower oil (or other neutral oil)
Spices: 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp sea salt, pinch or two of pepper, 1 tsp Old Bay, 1 tsp nutritional yeast
Equipment You'll Need:
Mixing Bowls . Oven Pan . Silpat or Parchment Paper . Deep Pot or Pan . Tea Towel . Mandolin (optional) . Whisk . Spatula
Before You Cook:
Preheat oven to 425F
Line oven pan with parchment paper or silpat
1. Start by wrapping the tofu in a tea towel o thin, clean dish towel. Place a castiron pan on top of it or other heavy pot/pan. This process helps draw out the water and dry the tofu.
2. Next, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and Old Bay in a medium bowl for fish batter.
3. Next, slowly pour in 12 ounces of beer into the flour while whisking at the same time. Once all beer is whisked in, cover, and place into refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes to set.
4. Using a mandolin or knife, slice the russet potato into thin slices. I used the thickest setting on my mandolin (approx. 1/4 inch). If you a knife, cut very thin.
5. Once all the potatoes are sliced, mix it with the other ingredients - oil, spices, etc.
6. Place onto a parchment-lined baking pan and bake for 25 minutes at 425F.
7. Mix together all the tartar sauce ingredients and set in fridge until recipe is ready.
6. While the potatoes bake, slice your tofu half lengthwise and then again across the side to create four pieces. Cut those pieces into two triangles. Take each piece and dredge the tofu in the 1/4 cup cornstarch. You want a nice thin layer on the tofu.
7. Next, place 1/4 cup canola or safflower oil in a deep pot or pan over medium-high heat. Get the oil to 180F. Warm for about five minutes. Once the oil is warmed, test by dropping a tiny piece of bread in the oil. If it floats at the top, you’re ready. Take each piece of tofu and place into the batter, coat fully, and drop into the pot.
8. Cook each piece for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. You can do about 4 fillets per batch, so place another 1/4 cup oil in once the first batch is done. Set on paper towel-lined plate when done. Use a spatula to remove and flip after cooking on each side.
9. Serve up the chips + fish with tartar sauce. Enjoy!
