This vegan salmon recipe has a wonderful fishy flavor thanks to a secret ingredient—nori! It has a beautiful pink color, flaky flesh that replicates the look of salmon, and is surprisingly easy to make!
Drain and press tofu for 15-30 minutes to remove excess water. Use a tofu press or wrap tofu block in paper towels and place between two cutting boards with heavy objects such as cans on top.
Meanwhile, prepare the marinade. Add the broth, beet juice, miso paste, vinegar, and soy sauce to a high speed blender. Roughly tear 1 full nori sheet to help it fit into the blender (save the other nori sheet for later). If you want a smoky flavor, add the optional smoked paprika now.
Blend on high for about 1 minute until the nori sheet is fully incorporated into the marinade.
When the tofu is ready, transfer to a cutting board and slice the tofu block in half lengthwise, then slice in half lengthwise again to get 4 even rectangles.
One at a time, place two chopsticks or metal straws, one on each long side of a piece of tofu, and carefully slice diagonally on top every 1/8-inch wide, using the chopsticks or straws to prevent from cutting all the way through. This replicates the flaky salmon look as well as allows more marinade to absorb.
Transfer tofu to a large shallow dish cut-side up in a single layer and pour over the marinade. Make sure that the tofu is completely covered. It’s ok if the tofu floats. Tip: When covering the tofu with marinade, gently spread open the slices to allow more marinade to absorb. Using a larger shallow dish so that the tofu isn’t squished together helps. Allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes or overnight, covered in the refrigerator.
When tofu is done marinating, preheat oven to 350°F if using this cooking method. If air frying, no need to preheat air fryer.
Cut the last nori sheet to fit the bottom of the tofu salmons to replicate the “skin” (you may not need the entire nori sheet for this, feel free to save what you don't use to add to salads or sushi bowls). Remove tofu from marinade and set each tofu salmon cut-side up on top of the nori sheets. The moisture from the marinade acts as a glue to help it stick.
Optional: Spray the tops with a little oil or alternatively, you can brush some olive oil on top, and gently push it into the slices of the tofu to help replicate the oiliness of salmon.
By Oven: Transfer vegan salmon to a baking tray lined with parchment paper with the nori sheet side down. Bake in the oven on the top rack for 20-25 minutes until the top starts to crisp up.
By Air Fryer: Transfer vegan salmon to the air fryer basket with the nori sheet side down. Air fry at 350 degrees F for 10-13 minutes until heated through.
Notes
Tip - If you chose to marinate overnight, you may need to cook a little longer. For baking, add 5-10 extra minutes until the top starts to crisp up. For air frying, add 3-5 extra minutes.Serving suggestion - Serve with capers, lemon wedges, and fresh dill.What to do with leftover marinade? - This recipe makes plenty of marinade to make sure that the tofu gets fully submerged. You can reuse it for more vegan salmon if you have extra blocks of tofu to cook up. You could also add it to a curry to give it a fishy flavor, or Pad Thai since that typically contains fish sauce.