Filet O' Tempeh

Filet O' Tempeh
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Beloved filet-o-fish gets an upgrade with this vegan take on the sandwich that uses tempeh as the protein. Serve the dish with a side of chips or French fries to get your fast food fix from home.Reprinted (adapted) with permission from HOT FOR FOOD VEGAN COMFORT CLASSICS. Copyright ©2018 by Lauren Toyota. Published by Ten Speed Press, anim print of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Prep Time
7.07
hours
Cook Time
8
minutes
Servings
4
servings
Total time: 7.2 hours
Ingredients
  • 1 brick (8 oz/225 g) tempeh
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 teaspoon old bay seasoning
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 4-6 cup vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 cup cold vegan-friendly lager or ale
  • 4 whole wheat, sprouted, or sesame seed buns
  • tartar sauce (see recipe below)
  • 2 cup packed sunflower sprouts or shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, quartered, and sliced
  • 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickle
  • 2 teaspoon pickle brine
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions
  1. To marinate the tempeh, slice the brick of tempeh in half and slice each half lengthwise so you have 4 thin fillets. Combine the 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of the Old Bay, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish. Submerge tempeh fillets in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or upto 6 hours. Do not leave them longer than that or they may be too soft to handle without breaking.
  2. When you are ready to fry the tempeh, add 4-6 cups vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer and heat to 350°F or as high as 360°F on a deep-frying thermometer.
  3. To make the batter, put 1⁄4 cup of the flour in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the remaining 3⁄4 cup flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, and 1⁄2 teaspoon ground pepper with the 2 tablespoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon paprika.
  4. Take each tempeh fillet from the marinade and dredge through the flour, getting all sides well coated.
  5. When you’re ready to fry, gently stir the 1 cup beer into the flour and spice mixture. Don’t stir too much, as you want air in the batter. Coat a fillet in the beer batter and put it directly into the hot oil. You’ll probably need to do 1 fillet at a time so you don’t overcrowd the pot.
  6. Cook for 2 minutes, flipping the fillet after 1 minute, until golden brown on all sides. Using a slotted frying spoon, remove the fried tempeh fillet to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. This will help keep the fillets crispy while you continue frying. Laying them on paper towels could make the fillets soggy.
  7. Make sure the oil is still between 350°F and 365°F before frying another fillet. Repeat the beer batter and frying process for remaining tempeh fillets.
  8. To assemble the sandwiches, cut the buns in half and toast, if desired. Spread some tartar sauce on the bottom half of each bun, then add the 2 cups sprouts, a fillet, avocado slices and more tartar sauce on top.
  9. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or jar and refrigerate until using. Consume within 7 days.
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