These amazing tofu and samphire parcels make for an amazing low-effort dinner for a weeknight when you simply can’t be bothered to cook. Try them to beat a fish craving!
Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano
We love that this meal is super easy and super healthy at the same time. There are a lot of plant-based meals out there which simply aren’t easy to cook. This makes them inaccessible, and you can’t make positive dietary changes because of that.
Also, the meal is completely packed with proteins, along with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This is another benefit as so many healthy options take a lot of effort to cook as well. Instead, you can easily cook this wonderfully healthy dish in no time!
Finally, we love that this meal has a nice fishy note to it. So many vegan recipes focus on replicating meat, but few focus on replicating fish. If you struggle to forego fish sometimes, then give this recipe a go!
How To Make Tofu and Samphire Parcels
First of all, we need to prepare the tofu. We’d suggest doing this by scoring the tops of the blocks with parallel "V" cuts. You want to aim to cut about two-thirds of the way through the tofu. A great way to ensure this is to place some chopsticks on either side of the tofu steak. That way, you’ll always cut to the level the tops of those sticks reach, without getting through the tofu to the bottom.
Turn the tofu pieces upside down, and then squeeze some lemon juice onto the unscored base of the steaks. Supplement that lemon juice with a sprinkle of salt, and palace a piece of nori, cut to size, on the base of the steaks. The moisture of the lemon juice will help the seaweed stick to the tofu.
Get a large piece of parchment paper and place it over a deep oven dish. Bearing in mind what we’re about to do, it would be worth scrunching up the paper and then unfurling it again - it can help to form parchment paper to whatever shape you might want if you do that first. This is also a good thing to remember when you’re trying to line a baking dish with parchment paper.
Distribute the pieces of samphire (which you have carefully pashed and patted dry) on the paper sheet, and then place the tofu pieces over it. Season the food in the paper with salt and pepper, before scattering some lemon slices over it, along with a pat of butter and the white wine.
Bundle everything up, and pop it in a 200˚C/390˚F preheated oven for fifteen minutes.
Open the parcel up, and then set the grill mode for another five minutes. This step is optional, but we’d really recommend it - it gives the dish some great extra flavours!
Now, you can serve the tofu right away! Once you’ve portioned up the tofu, pour the cooking juices over it, and then finish the meal with a crunchy side salad.
Tofu & Samphire Parcels Recipe
Ingredients:
1 block Tofu (medium firm, pressed)
100 g Samphire
2 Lemons (unwaxed)
1 Nori Sheet (half cut)
2 tablespoon White Wine
1-2 Garlic Clove(s) (crushed)
2 tablespoon Vegan Margarine (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt
Method:
1. Cut the pressed tofu in 2 portions (or 4 if you like to make smaller ones) and score the top with parallel cuts down to ⅔ of the pulp (tip: placing a pair of chopsticks to the sides of the tofu steak will help not getting through to the bottom).
2. Turn the tofu pieces, squeeze some lemon juice to the bottom (unscored) a sprinkle of salt and place a piece of nori sheet cut to size. The moisture of the lemon juice will help the seaweed stick to the tofu.
3. Get a large piece of parchment paper (baking paper) and place it over a deep oven dish.
4. Distribute the samphire (carefully washed and pat dry) on the paper sheet, and place the tofu pieces over it.
5. Season with salt and pepper, scatter some lemon slices over it, a pat of butter and the white wine. 6. Bundle it up and pop in a 200°C (390°F) preheated oven for 15 minutes.
7. Open the parcel and set the grill mode for another 5 minutes (optional).
8. Serve right away with its juices and a crunchy side salad.
Others recipes for vegan fish and seafood can be found at the following links:
- Potato, Rice and Nori Bake
- Vegan Lobster Sandwich
- Sea Flavoured Courgette and Blossom Pasta
- Vegan Calamari
- Vegan Simple Seafood Pasta
- The BEST Vegan Salmon
- Vegan Mushroom Soba Ramen
- Banana Blossom Fish Cakes
- Tasty and Rich Miso Soup
- Homemade Vegan Fish Sauce
- Thai Style Vegan Drunken Noodles
Mindy
We don’t have Samphire readily available in the US. Any substitutions?
Adriana Z.
Hi Mindy.
I would use blanched green asparagus (boiled 2-3 minutes in water), or the thin ones straight into the parcel, if you're lucky to find them 🙂