Vegan fish is a fun and easy recipe with tofu and nori seaweed seasoned with lemon, olives, tomatoes, capers, and garlic, then wrapped in parchment paper and oven-baked.
This recipe is excellent for an original and delicious dinner with family and friends; it’s packed with Mediterranean flavors, and everyone will love tofu served this way.
You can expect vegan fish to be tender, lemony, juicy, and with a subtle sea flavor thanks to the nori sheet.
Table of Contents
Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet. It’s low in cholesterol and saturated fat.
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What is Vegan Fish?
Thanks to its neutral flavor and impressive nutritional profile, tofu is an excellent meat and fish replacement.
As you saw in our vegan curry, tofu tikka masala, orange tofu, vegan butter chicken, and tofu cacciatore, you can easily swap tofu for chicken.
It also works as a substitute for chewier pieces of meat; think of BBQ tofu, baked tofu, and marinated tofu, and even as an egg substitute like in our vegan egg salad and tofu scramble.
But with this vegan fish recipe, you can use firm or extra firm tofu slices and nori sheets (the black seaweed used for sushi and in our vegan tuna) to replace a tender white fish fillet.
Our vegan fish is heavily inspired by the Italian recipe of “pesce al cartoccio,” so you can be sure you’ll love its flavor!
The tofu is lined with nori, then wrapped in parchment paper with olives, capers, lemon slices, garlic, and cherry tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil, salt, and black pepper, and baked in the oven.
The dish is served still wrapped in parchment paper, and it creates a beautiful surprise effect when you unwrap it.
You’ll love the inebriating aroma and recognizable flavors, the bright color palette, and the surprise effect of this unusual yet familiar recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions for Vegan Fish
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Tofu
You’ll need firm tofu or extra firm tofu to mimic the texture of baked white fish.
Avoid silken or soft tofu, which are too soft for this recipe.
Nori seaweed
Nori seaweed is sold in thin, dark green sheets in most supermarkets and is the same seaweed used to wrap sushi.
It adds a very mild and delicious sea flavor that perfectly mimics fish.
If you can’t find nori seaweed or dislike its taste, leave it out. The vegan fish will still be delicious but won’t taste like fish.
Cherry tomatoes
You can use any small tomatoes like cherry, plum, and date tomatoes.
Lemon
Lemon adds freshness to the recipe. You’ll need a fresh lemon, preferably organic, as we also use the peel.
Olives
You can use black olive, green olives, or a mix.
For a fancier dish, opt for taggiasche olives, Gaeta olives, or Kalamata olives.
Capers
Capers are a key ingredient in the original Italian recipe for baked white fish, so we recommend adding them here, too.
They add so much flavor to this dish. You can use either pickled capers or the ones that come in salt. In this case, wash away the salt.
Garlic
Fresh garlic, crushed or thinly sliced.
Parsley & Oregano
They add a fresh, herby flavor and are delicious with tofu and with the other ingredients. They complete the Mediterranean flavor palette.
Substitute fresh dill, thyme, rosemary.
Salt and Black Pepper
We recommend sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to Make Vegan Fish
1. Cut the tofu, nori, and parchment
US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Preheat the oven to 360°F or 180°C.
Take the tofu out of the package and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Cut the tofu block into about 1/3 of an inch or 0.8 cm slices with a knife.
We recommend cutting 4 or 8 slices, depending on the size of your tofu block, so you can easily make 4 fish fillets.
Cut the nori sheets with scissors into as many pieces as tofu pieces and of the same size.
Then, cut 4 pieces of parchment paper. They should be as large as half the size of a standard oven baking tray.
2. Build the vegan fish fillet
Place the sheets of parchment paper on a clean worktop.
Then, arrange the nori slightly on one side of the parchment and the tofu on top of the nori.
Note: With this recipe, we recommend making 4 fish fillets, which is 4 servings.
The size of the vegan fish fillet depends on your block of tofu, so you’ll need to adapt our instructions, taking that into account.
For example, if your tofu comes in small blocks like ours, you can combine two slices to make one vegan fish fillet, as we do in the picture below. You might use one slice per fillet if your tofu block is larger.
Season the tofu with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Cut the lemon into 4 thin slices, then each slice in half.
Arrange 2 half slices of lemon on each fish fillet.
Then, on each fish fillet, add 3 cherry tomatoes (cut in half), 10 olives, 7 capers, 1 crushed clove of garlic, and a pinch of dried oregano.
Season each tomato with a pinch of salt and pepper and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.
3. Wrap and bake the vegan fish
Wrap the vegan fish fillet with the parchment paper. Seal the edges by folding and crushing the rim with your fingers.
Arrange flat on a baking tray and bake at 360°F or 180° C for 30 minutes.
Tip: the wraps might inflate as steam is released from the ingredients. That’s normal, and if it happens, it means you did a good job wrapping!
Serving Suggestions
Serve each wrap on a separate plate. Have some chopped parsley ready to sprinkle on the vegan fish once unwrapped.
If you serve this to children, unwrap the fish so trapped steam can escape.
You’ll love to see people’s smiles when they open the vegan fish wrap.
You can serve vegan fish as a delicious main course with one or more side dishes.
For example, we think you’ll love it with:
Tips
Nori sheet: adding one piece of nori sheet under the tofu is a great way to recall the sea flavor. Also, the nori sheet looks a bit like the skin of a fish, making this dish super realistic in taste, texture, and look.
Tofu: don’t press the tofu; we need moisture to create steam while the tofu cooks.
Fresh herbs: I use fresh flat-leaf parsley, but feel free to use any other Mediterranean fresh herb, such as rosemary, oregano, or dill.
Storage & Make Ahead
Make ahead: While you can keep leftovers for a few days, this recipe is best eaten right after baking.
Refrigerator: Remove the vegan fish from the parchment paper and put it in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: This recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Reheat: Warm leftovers in the microwave for 2 minutes.
More Vegan Protein Recipes
Or have a peek at our best high-protein vegetarian meals.
More Tofu Recipes
With our recipe, you’ll love cooking with tofu. Here are some ideas for weeknight–friendly dinners:
- BBQ tofu
- Marinated Tofu
- Baked tofu
- Tofu stir fry
- Tofu meatballs
- Tofu soup
- Tofu cream cheese
- Kung pao tofu
- Braised tofu
For many more tofu ideas, check out our tofu category page.
Vegan Fish
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tofu firm or extra firm, cut into 1/3 of an inch or 0.8 cm slices. You'll want 4 or 8 slices.
- 1½ sheets nori seaweed cut like the tofu pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 thin slices lemon cut in half, 8 pieces in total
- 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 40 small olives black or green
- 28 capers
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 pinches dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360°F or 180°C.Pat 16 ounces tofu dry then cut it into ⅓ inch or 0.8 cm slices.We recommend cutting 4 or 8 slices, depending on the size of your tofu block, so you can easily make 4 fish fillets.Cut 1½ sheets nori seaweed with scissors into as many pieces as the tofu and of the same size.Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper, as large as half the size of a standard oven baking sheet.
- Place the 4 parchment paper pieces on a clean worktop.Arrange the nori slightly on one side of the parchment and the tofu on top of the nori to make 4 fish fillets.
- Season each fish fillet with a drizzle of olive oil, two pinches of salt, and a twist of pepper.Top each fillet with 2 half slices of lemon, 3 cherry tomatoes (halved), 10 olives, 7 capers, 1 crushed clove of garlic, and a pinch of dried oregano.Season each tomato with an extra pinch of salt and a few drops of oil.
- Wrap the vegan fish fillet with the parchment paper. Seal the edges by folding and crushing the rim with your fingers.Arrange flat on a baking tray and bake at 360°F or 180° C for 30 minutes.
- Serve each wrap on a separate plate. Have 1 tablespoon parsley ready to sprinkle on the vegan fish once unwrapped.If you serve this to children, unwrap the fish so trapped steam can escape.You’ll love to see people’s smiles when they open the vegan fish wrap.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this vegan fish recipe, you might also enjoy:
Please let me know what a nori sheet is and if I can substitute it for another type of sheet. Alsavailable in most super markets or where else. I do not shop online.
Thanks,
Hi Joy,
thanks for your message. Nori is a type of seaweed. You can find it in most supermarkets, usually in the Asian or Japanese aisle. You can replace it with another type of seaweed. Its purpose is to add fish flavor to the tofu.
If you can’t find it then I would just leave it out. However, the tofu won’t taste like fish without nori.
I hope this helps.
Have a lovely day.
Nico
The simplicity and elegance, just as I first learnt to love the italian cuisine! We are returning to this one regularly. Thanks so much!
Hi Naja, I’m so happy you like this recipe, it’s one of our regular weekday recipes too! Thanks for coming back to leave and comment. Cheers, Nico
I can’t remember the last time a recipe made me so happy. It’s perfect!!! Thank you and greetings from germany <3
Aww, Paola, thank you for sharing! We are so happy to hear you liked the tofu ๐ Cheers, Nico
I make this time and time again and it has become a family favourite. Thank you!
I am so happy your family likes this! Thanks for letting us know, Anne.
ciao Nico – ti seguo dall’Ethiopia dove vivo e lavoro. Non trovo l’alga di base. Cosa posso usare al suo posto? Grazie. Filippo
Ciao Filippo, puoi non metterla se non la trovi, viene bene anche senza ๐ Ps. anche altri tipi di alga andrebbero bene, ma se non trovi la nori credo che farai fatica a trovarne altre.