Mel's Tofu Fish Fingers

I didn't grow up with fancy fresh fish and seafood.  If we didn't have fish and chips on a Friday night in my Catholic childhood, the other fishy alternative was sometimes fish fingers.  Often with salad.  Dipped in a blob of mayonnaise. It has long been a dream of mine to find a vegetarian alternative.  So I was excited to see Mel posting about her Tofu Fish Fingers.

I made these some months ago so my memory is not brilliant.  Photos help me remember that I went to some lengths to press the tofu (see above).  My notes remind me that we went to a friend's place and unexpectedly stayed for dinner on the night I planned to make them, so they marinated for 30 hours.  But I can't remember how I arrived at a stir fry sauce full of molasses.  An online recipe, I am sure.

I finally made the fishfingers after catching up with friends at the botanic gardens.  In an ideal world I would have waited for dinner and served the fishfingers with chips or potato gems, just like my mum would do.  As it was, we had a grumpy hungry child on the way home from the gardens, so we shared a tub of chips at the train station. 

At home I made Sylvia's dinner, put together the dipping bowls, chased Sylvia away from them, put her into her pajamas, crumbed the tofu while E read her a story, put her to sleep, fried the fishfingers.  No fancy side dishes.  I suspect a fish finger or two might have made its way into a sandwich with mayo.  In retrospect, it is amazing I took any photos the night I made them. 

The next night I made more of an effort with the sides and made oven baked chips.  I refried the leftover fishfingers.  Everything looked rather well cooked but it tasted delicious.

The crumb coating was crispy and delightful.  Given how good the crumb coating was in my memory of fishfingers, this was important.  The taste however was not strong enough and tasted a wee bit too much of (blackstrap) molasses.   Sylvia loved them.  That is no surprise given her fondness for tofu and nori.  It is a great reason to try again.

I suspect I need to get my 'stir fry sauce' ingredients tweaked.  I also would love to try a tofu x-press like Mel's.  Next time I think I might try some more soy sauce and a less intense sweetener.  I enjoyed it but the slabs of tofu were missing a flaky fish texture.  I wonder if it would be possible to grate the tofu and then press into fingers.  Actually there are a few interesting recipes that combine vegies and flours that I might try.  So while it is not quite what I was hoping for, I am far closer to finding my ideal vego fish fingers.

Other vegetarian fish finger recipes out there:

• Beer battered tofu fish fingers - The Sweet Life 
• Faux fish fingers - Cook Vegetarian
• Old Bay 'fish' cakes (in fish finger shape) - Tal Ronnen, the Conscious Cook
• "Redwoods" style fish style fingers (made with gluten flour) - Vegetarian and Vegan Society of Queensland forum
• Tofu fish sticks - Schmooed Food
• Vegan fish sticks (with zucchini and gluten flour) - Veg Web
• Vegetarian fish fingers (with pasta, celery and boiled egg!) - Best Recipes

served with:

• Tartare sauce - Where's the Beef?
• Tofu cashew mayonnaise - Fat Free Vegan

Tofu "fish" fingers
Adapted from Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen via Veganise This!
makes about 14 fishfingers

500g firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetarian stir fry sauce (I used 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp molasses)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tablespoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 1 sheet of nori, shredded in a spice grinder (I shredded 1 sheet with scissors)

For the coating:
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup soy milk
1 and 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
4 toast slices of wholemeal bread, processed into breadcrumbs (I used fresh bread)
Peanut oil or other vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Cut the tofu into thirds lengthwise, then cut each piece of tofu into 6 even sized sticks. Whisk together the water, vegetarian stir fry sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt and nori in a deep sided dish and add the tofu ensuring that it is well coated in the marinade. Allow to rest covered in the refrigerator for several hours if possible, or at least 30 minutes.

Organise 3 bowls for coating the tofu fingers, plain flour in the first, soy milk mixed with apple cider vinegar in the second and breadcrumbs in the third.

Heat oil in a deep sided frying pan. Test the oil's readiness by placing a breadcrumb into the oil, if it sizzles the oil is hot enough. Cook the tofu fingers in batches. Fry on one side for about 3 minutes and then flip over and cook on the other side for a further 3 minutes. Remove and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil.

On the stereo:
No Earthly Man - Alasdair Roberts