Vegan Old Bay Tofu "Fish" Cakes

Vegan crab cakes made with tofu instead of crab meat!
Vegan crab cakes made with tofu photo by Dirkr / Getty Images
Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 10 servings

Looking for a tasty way to make vegan crab cakes or fish cakes? These vegetarian and vegan crab cakes are a great vegan fish substitute and really do taste kind of fishy, thanks to the unique combination of white wine, nutritional yeast, lime juice, and Old Bay seasoning. They're a great vegetarian and vegan substitute if you're missing seafood.

In this vegan crab cakes recipe, tofu is spiced with Old Bay seasoning, then coated with seasoned bread crumbs to make a mock fish patty and fried in a bit of oil. Old Bay seasoning is a fairly unique blend of several spices, so it wouldn't be easy to use a substitute. However, plenty of crab cake recipes just use fresh parsley, mustard powder, and salt and pepper, so if you were to insist on omitting the Old Bay seasoning, that would be one way to do it. 

Serve your tofu fish cakes with a vegan tartar sauce or a cocktail sauce. Enjoy your vegan crab cakes from tofu!

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil, or canola oil or vegetable oil, plus more for frying

  • 1/2 cup onions, diced

  • 1 carrot, finely diced

  • 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 pounds firm or extra-firm tofu, crumbled

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

  • 1/8 cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay or sauvignon blanc

  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided

  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

  • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, finely ground

  • 3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

  • All-purpose flour, for breading

  • Unsweetened soy milk, for breading

  • 1 tablespoon oil, for frying

Steps to Make It

  1. Sautee the onions and carrots in olive oil or another high-heat oil such as canola oil, until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Set this mixture aside an allow to cool.

  2. Crumble the tofu into a large bowl and add the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, dry white wine, one teaspoon of salt, white pepper, and lime juice and combine well. Stir in the sauteed vegetables. Chill this mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

  3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Old Bay seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Spread the flour into a separate bowl, then pour the soy milk into another wide and shallow bowl.

  4. Using about 1/4 cup of the tofu mixture at a time, form small patties. Gently coat the patties with flour, then dip in soy milk. Next, coat well with the seasoned breadcrumbs. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

  5. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Cook your tofu fish patties in a thin layer of oil until golden brown on each side, about 4-5 minutes on each side.

  6. Serve your Old Bay tofu crab cakes with a tartar sauce or cocktail sauce, or, if you're cooking for kids, ketchup is just as delicious. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
215 Calories
8g Fat
23g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 215
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 917mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 2mg 10%
Calcium 312mg 24%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 263mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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