This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Now that we have vegan fish, let’s make fish rolls! Introducing Vegan Braised Fish Rolls!
These “fish” rolls have the same base as our fish fillets, but are shaped in a different way and braised in a delicious and garlicky black pepper sauce. It’s tender, juicy, and flaky at the same time! Let’s do it!
HOW TO PREPARE VEGAN BRAISED FISH ROLLS
First, we start by soaking TVP slices. You want to use the ones often sold as “pork/chicken slices.” Check out this Vegan Fish Fillets recipe for more details on which one to use.
Once the TVP slices are fully rehydrated, drain and rinse. Squeeze as much water as possible and transfer to a food processor. Next, add garlic, sugar, onion powder, dried dill, and dulse, and process until you get a flaky paste. At this point, feel free to add your favorite spices! Smoked paprika would probably make a nice addition to a smoky flavor.
To make the rolls, cut nori sheets into rectangles. Place about two tablespoons of the fish mixture on the bottom of each sheet and roll it out tightly. Then, to close the rolls, slightly wet the end of the nori with diluted cornstarch. This will allow the nori to stick.
COOKING VEGAN FISH ROLLS
Cooking is done in two steps:
- Shallow-fry: Fish rolls are first fried for a few minutes in a non-stick pan. The nori sheet will slightly tighten, making the rolls hold up better.
- Braise: Shallots, green onions, garlic, and chili are sautéed for a few minutes in a clay pot or small pan. Then, we add sugar, soy sauce, ground black pepper, and water and let simmer for a couple of minutes.
Finally, add the fish rolls and simmer for another few minutes to allow them to soak up some of the sauce. The sauce is a bit sweet, quite spicy, and garlicky!
Note: If you can get your hands on Maggi soy sauce (the Thai or Vietnamese versions), your braised dish will be even tastier! It’s usually sold in Asian supermarkets. It’s not as salty as soy sauce, so you will have to double the amount, but it will add a deeper and more complex flavor.
Top with more green onions, and serve these vegan fish rolls on top of steamed rice with greens on the side. The rice will soak up the rich black pepper sauce, so good!
These “fish” rolls are flaky, chewy, and the nori sheet adds that distinct ocean flavor.
Looking for more braised dishes? Check out these Braised Tofu & Mushrooms, Braised Eggplant, or this Vegan Braised “Pork”!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, you will receive new recipes every week!
I’d like to receive more tips & recipes from Full of Plants.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Vegan Braised Fish Rolls
Ingredients
Fish Rolls
- 4 TVP slices
- 1 tsp nước mắm or soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp dried dill
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp dulse optional
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3-4 sheets of nori
Black Pepper Sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp chopped green onions
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1/4 Thai chili minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or 2 tbsp Maggi seasoning
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp cornstarch diluted in 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Fish Rolls
- Add the TVP slices to a deep plate or bowl. Pour in boiling water to cover and let it set for about 1 hour, or until the TVP is rehydrated and tender (soaking time depends on the brand and size of your TVP).
- Drain and rinse the slices a couple of times. Squeeze the slices between your hands to remove as much water as possible. Transfer to a food processor.
- Add the vegan nước mắm, sugar, onion powder, dried dill, garlic, cornstarch, and dulse if using. Process for 15-30 seconds, or until it forms a flaky paste (a bit like flaked tuna). You want the mixture to hold together when you squeeze it between your hands, but it should still be slightly crumbly.
- Cut 14 rectangles of about 2×3-inch in the nori sheets. Dilute one teaspoon of cornstarch in 2 tsp of water and set aside.
- Place about 1.5 tablespoons of the fish mixture on the bottom of a nori sheet. Dip your finger into the cornstarch water and slightly wet the top side of the nori sheet. Roll it up tightly into a roll. The cornstarch will allow the nori to stick, preventing the roll from unrolling. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets and fish mixture.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet. Once hot, add the fish rolls and sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the nori is crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Black Pepper Sauce
- Heat the oil in a medium clay pot or skillet. Once hot, add the chopped green onions, garlic, chili, and shallot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Pour in the soy sauce, sugar, water, and ground black pepper. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Taste the sauce and add a bit more water if it's too salty. Add the fish rolls and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- If you want to thicken the sauce a little bit, add the diluted cornstarch and cook for one more minute.
- Top with more green onions and serve on top of steamed rice with greens on the side!
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
FREE VEGAN RECIPES EBOOK!
Join our newsletter to get your FREE 100-page printable eBook! You’ll also get new recipes delivered by email weekly.
Leave a Comment
Sound amazing! I have done lots of your recipes thank you! On this recipe can i use firm tofu? I cannot get TVP where i live.
Thankyou for any sub ideas.
You’re welcome Francoise! I think it could work, but you might have to add a little bit of flour or cornstarch when processing the tofu to make sure it hold together well.
Thank you so much! Yes I thought that corn starch might help, I’ll try this recipe over the weekend. Thank you again!
This is easily one of the best vegan fish dishes I’ve ever tried, and worked perfectly on the first go. I was worried that my rolls looked a bit scuffy and underfilled prior to cooking, but once the nori tightened up they looked exactly like yours. The only substitution I made was to use aonori flakes instead of dulse (not available locally).
Glad you liked this vegan fish recipe James!
Thanks for your feedback and rating 😉
Looking forward to making this recipe, looks really good! It would be useful to have a weight measure for the TVP slices, is I’ve found TVP chunk and slices in different measurements. The ones I’m using I think may be smaller than yours – just judging by the amounts of the other ingredients – so when I’m cooking tomorrow I’m going to guess-timating a little.
I’ll update it with gram measurements next time I make the recipe. Hope you will like this recipe!
Hi there! I wanted to make this for dinner and I agree that my tvp slices are smaller chunks than what you’ve used. Would you mind providing the amount you used in grams? Thank you sooooo much! I also can’t stop eating your eggplant stew 😂
Hi Katy,
Sure! The 4 large slices I used weight a total of 68g.