Tofu Piccata Recipe
Pan seared crispy tofu in a butter lemon caper sauce, served over mashed potatoes for a cozy, plant-based main dish.
Ingredients
For the Tofu Piccata
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided , dairy-free butter for vegan version
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 16 ounce package extra firm tofu, sliced into 1/2" inch thick slices
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Mashed Potatoes
- 1 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
- water
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, plus more for serving
Instructions
For the Tofu Piccata
- Drain tofu. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, then add the tofu slices. Cook for 3 minutes, then drain, pat dry and set aside.
- Put the flour, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper into a shallow bowl. Place the tofu into the flour, coating all sides and tapping off any excess. Place on a plate and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu, in batches, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Set aside but do not drain the oil/butter from the skillet.
- Into the pan, add in the remaining tablespoon of both butter and olive oil along with the lemon juice, broth and capers. Return to stove and bring to simmer, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Cook for at least 5 minutes; the sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks. Add the tofu pack into the skillet and stir in the parsley.
- To serve, place tofu on top of the mashed potatoes and pour sauce to coat. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
For the Mashed Potatoes
- Place the potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and cooked through. I test this by taking my paring knife into one of the potatoes, if it slips easily into the knife, they are tender.) Drain well in a colander or sieve.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the 4 tablespoons of butter and ¾ cup milk until warm and melted, but not boiled. Set aside.
- Add a small amount of potatoes in a ricer and in batcher, rice the potatoes into the same pot you used to cook the potatoes. Add in the warm milk and butter mixture into the potatoes, stirring with a wooden spoon until creamy.
- Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt (and pepper, if desired) Taste, adding more salt/pepper as desired. For creamier potatoes, add in another few tablespoons of melted butter or milk, but I like this slightly firmer potatoes to hold up to the piccata sauce.
Notes
For timing, I boil the tofu and potatoes at the same time. Then, while the tofu is searing, I make the milk and butter mixture. While I'm making my piccata sauce, I rice the potatoes and then stir in the butter/milk mixture to the potatoes right before serving.
If you don't have poultry seasoning, sub in ½ teaspoon dried sage, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme and ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
Nutrition
Serving: 4servingsCalories: 512kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 14gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 965mgPotassium: 770mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 774IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 3mg