Vegan Lemon Butter “Halibut” and Asparagus

|Updated Dec 18, 2022

Broke Bank Vegan

To emulate fish varieties like halibut, extra-firm silken tofu is lightly coated in a potato starch mixture, then fried until golden and crispy on the edges. It’s served over a bed of asparagus with a non-dairy lemon butter drizzle. The end result is vibrant, flavorful, and healthy!

Note: If you're avoiding fish this is a great option, if you're avoiding soybean choose a different option.

Broke Bank Vegan

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Cost: $10.17 recipe | $1.69 serving

Lemon Butter Tofu & Asparagus

Serves 6

Ingredients

Tofu

2 packages of extra-firm silken tofu ($3.64)
¼ cup potato starch ($0.08)
2 teaspoons garlic powder ($0.02)
3 teaspoon nori flakes ($0.01)
A pinch of sea salt & lemon pepper ($0.03)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil ($0.22)

Asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil ($0.11)
2 bunches of asparagus, ends trimmed ($4.89)
Sea salt & pepper to taste ($0.02)

Lemon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil ($0.11)
¼ white onion, thinly sliced ($0.06)
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced ($0.17)
½ cup vegetable broth ($0.04)
1 medium lemon, juiced ($0.17)
¼ cup non-dairy butter ($0.58)
2 tablespoons parsley, dill, or both, minced ($0.02)

Instructions

Tofu

Drain and cut the tofu in half lengthwise, then place the fillets under a cutting board with a heavy object on top for about 30-40 minutes (a cast-iron skillet works great for this).
Optional: Once pressed, gently slice the tofu down the middle and at angles to look more like a flakey texture.
In a bowl, mix cornstarch, garlic powder, nori flakes, sea salt, and lemon pepper, and preheat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium.
Carefully coat both sides of each tofu fillet with the corn starch mixture, then cook until golden brown, approximately 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and keep warm in your oven at 200 degrees F.

Asparagus

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet over medium. Cook the asparagus, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes. Season with sea salt & pepper, then transfer to a platter and keep warm in the oven at 200 degrees F.

Lemon butter

In the same skillet over medium, add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil, then sauté the onion and lemon slices, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add vegetable broth and lemon juice, then cook until the mixture is reduced by about half. Turn the heat off and add in the vegan butter, stirring constantly until it melts.
Mix in the parsley, dill, or both, and season with sea salt & pepper to taste.
Serve the asparagus and tofu while warm with a drizzle of lemon butter. Enjoy!

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Notes

This recipe can also be made with regular firm tofu.
If you can’t find lemon pepper, substitute it with regular black pepper.
It’s important to use a non-stick skillet for the tofu as it will really stick to other materials.