Tofish Stick with Vegan Tartar Sauce

Vegan fish sticks? Wait. What? Yes you read right! Vegan "Fish" Sticks AKA Tofish Sticks are the new hot thing; at least on my blog. Made with easy to find ingredients . Coated with a breadcrumb and seaweed mix making the super crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.

But what are fish stick with out a killer tartar sauce Im I right? This is definitely the perfect summer combo to transport you straight to the beach! I was always tempted to try a vegan fish recipe but I was never convinced since I never liked fish to begin with. Even as a child the smell of fish would totally throw me off. But I finally caved in and let me tell you I'm absolutely obsessed on how good these turned out.

Here's a little tutorial you can watch to get a glimpse of how simple this yummy sticks are!

This recipe will completely take you back to your childhood's or uni frozen fish stick dinners. I researched lot's and lot's of recipes and marinades but to keep it quick and simple I went for my good, old and trusted breadcrumb crusting but added crushed nori into the mix and it worked out perfectly.

SO HOW TO MAKE THEM?

You will need to remove the excess water from your firm tofu block to be able to bake it into a crispy stick. I do this by wrapping the block about 20 minutes before cooking in a clean kitchen towel and place a heavy chopping board on top, this will press the tofu down removing all the excess water. Then I cut them into stick and dip them into cornstarch, then milk& cornstarch mixture and finally coating them with the nori breadcrumbs. You can fry them or baked them but I prefer to bake them so they are not so oily but both methods work well. If you fry them just keep and eye on them so the coating doesn’t brun up on the hot oil cooking for only3-4 minutes each side!

So enough talking and let's leave the fish on the ocean and try this tofu stick recipes instead, no?

Tofish Stick with Vegan Tartar Sauce

Serves: 12-14 sticks

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 35-40min

Ingredients

Tofish Sticks

• 1 nori

• 600 grams Extra firm Tofu

• 1 tsp Garlic Powder

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1 cup Breadcrumbs ( I used gluten free fine breadcrumbs)

• 1/2 cup Plant Based Milk

• 1 tbsp Cornstarch+ 1/2 cup for coating

Tartar Sauce

• 1 tbsp chopped Dill

• 1/3 cup Vegan Mayo

• 1/2 Lemon Juiced

• Pinch of Salt (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Remove water excess from tofu by wrapping it with a clean kitchen towel and placing a heavy dish or chopping board on top. Let it drain for 10-20 min. ( This step will make sure your tofu gets crispy when you bake!)

3. Crush one nori sheet using a knife or your hands into small crumbly pieces.

4. Add crushed nori , garlic, onion powder and breadcrumbs into a small bowl and set aside.

5. In to separate bowls add plant based milk and cornstarch. Add one tablespoon of the cornstarch to the milk, mix and let it set 5 min.

6. Dip tofu sticks on cornstarch and cover, then dip into milk mixture and cover with breadcrumb and nori coating. Place each piece on your prepared baking sheet.

7. Brush stick with olive oil on both sides. Bake for 35-40min or until golden brown, , flipping half way through the baking time.

8. Prepare Tartar sauce by adding, vegan mayo, dill, lemon juice and salt and mix. enjoy!