By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- About 1 hour and 15 minutes, mostly unattended
- Rating
- 4(302)
- Notes
- Read community notes
"Escabeche" means brine, or pickle. Change the ingredients of this brine, or marinade, to change the type of cuisine.
Featured in: Giving Tofu the New Look It Deserves
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2blocks firm or extra-firm tofu
- Salt
- ½cup olive oil
- ¼cup red or white wine vinegar
- 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1small shallot, minced
- Ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
364 calories; 34 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 502 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Set the tofu block on one of its sides and cut it in half so that you have two rectangles, each about 1-inch thick. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 4 triangles about 1-inch thick.
Step
2
Spread the tofu on a large baking sheet lined with parchment and transfer to the oven. Cook undisturbed until the triangles develop a browned crust and start to separate from the pan, 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how dry you want them. You can increase the temperature to 400 degrees for the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking to brown. Sprinkle with a little salt and transfer the tofu to a platter or gratin dish.
Step
3
Whisk together the oil, vinegar, Dijon, shallot and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the vinaigrette all over the tofu, and toss to make sure every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to a day. Serve cold or at room temperature.
- To make Provencal Tofu Escabeche, skip the vinaigrette and instead, combine in a skillet over medium heat 1½-cups chopped tomatoes, ⅓-cup chopped pitted olives, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, ⅓-cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, ground black pepper and a small pinch of salt. Cook until the mixture is warm and proceed as directed with the rest of the recipe.
Ratings
4
out of 5
302
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Cooking Notes
E
Best and easiest way to make delicious tofu-- less mess and less calories than frying it, but the effect is the same. My go-to basic for everything from stir fries to salads!
HK
I typically press even before putting in the oven with great results, however it's likely the oven takes care of the moisture but may need more time without pressing beforehand. I often bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Baking tofu is my favorite way to prepare it for firm texture, though it's easy to overcook and become dry if not watching, and it firms up a bit as it cools after removing from the oven.
Deb Amlen
This is delicious! Love the idea of roasting the tofu until it's crispy on the outside, and the brine is delicious. I didn't have a shallot, so I used a bit on minced onion.
bonseyb
Made with Martha Rose Shulman’s tofu marinade recipe. Roasted for 45 minutes at 300 and 15 minutes at 400. Marinated for 2 hours out of fridge. Served with Thai stir fry. This is the first time I have liked tofu after trying many things. Thanks! Will make again often.
Barbara Smith
This is great! Tasty topping for an arugula–cuke–avocado –toasted walnut salad on a hot evening.
Kmchelper
This will be a go-to recipe for sure! I used the tofu in a sandwich, my husband ate it as a salad ingredient. My step son said it was the best tofu he'd ever eaten.
Emily
I used red wine vinegar, and had to add more at the end because it didn't taste acidic enough. Also, I wish I had bought firm tofu versus extra-firm! I had to poke holes into these tofu bricks for it to absorb more flavor. Otherwise, this opened my eyes to the world of baking tofu!
Caitlin Shannon
I haven't made this yet, but it would be inspirational for the recipe to share ideas for what to serve with this tofu.
Polly
The recipe doesn't mention pressing. Should you press the tofu before cutting and putting in the oven, or is the oven process in lieu of pressing?
dominiquelemagnifique
I prepared this as a snack for my grandkids (7 & 5), following their tennis lesson and they really liked it.
I packed it leaving the vinaigrette out, but its taste had impregnated the tofu overnight. Will certainly repeat!
Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor
One block is usually 14 oz.
Marilyn Armbruster
Next time I will cut the mustard amount in half. Otherwise, roasting the tofu makes such a difference. I will try the variations here as well.
Alex Blocker
Same. Even after soaking overnight, the vinaigrette didn't really permeate the tofu. Twelve hours later I tossed the tofu and vinaigrette with cabbage and ate as a salad. It was fine, but not particularly interesting and without any noticeable "pickled" quality.
RodaC
I did not enjoy this. I ended up with rubbery pieces of tofu drenched in salad dressing.
Cinci
Made as directed ( as many readers claim we should) and turned out stiff and wouldn’t absorb the vinaigrette. Guess it’s time to try some of the alternatives/or reject this recipe.
jj1
Followed directions and ended up with stiff unappealing pieces resembling what I imagine Broiled Hockey Puck might taste and look like. Maybe I overcooked, but not inspired to try this again. (BHP from a Tom Lehrer song).
swest
Very delicious! The advanced baking makes a huge difference. I'll use this method from here on. Very easy and straightforward. Prepared an undressed salad on the side which was perfect since the marinade is basically a vinaigrette. A big Vegan hit with friends. Highly recommended for vegans and non vegans alike.
Charles M
I halved the recipe, used pre-sliced Jenny's tofu, froze the tofu, and thawed it in the oven. Instead of eating cold, I pan-seared the tofu and threw some chard in the pan. Was awesome!
Christine
Loved this recipe — I added a bit of soy sauce (1-2 tbsp) and red pepper flakes to the marinade but otherwise kept recipe as is. Lovely subtle flavors, and much less work than tofu usually is (I didn’t press).
.collective wisdom
Made with Martha Rose Shulman’s tofu marinade recipe. Roasted for 45 minutes at 300 and 15 minutes at 400. Marinated for 2 hoursBest and easiest way to make delicious tofu-- less mess and less calories than frying it, but the effect is the same
Jane
Not only is this healthy and screamingly easy, it's a great way to use up leftover pickle brine and oil.
bonseyb
Made with Martha Rose Shulman’s tofu marinade recipe. Roasted for 45 minutes at 300 and 15 minutes at 400. Marinated for 2 hours out of fridge. Served with Thai stir fry. This is the first time I have liked tofu after trying many things. Thanks! Will make again often.
Laura
Really nice preparation for tofu. The marinade listed here is great, but the basic preparation instructions produce tofu with a nice firm texture that can be added to stir fries, soups and makes a good substitute for paneer.
Jon
A strange recipe. The roasting technique is great, but the marinade definitely just tastes very bland from the olive oil. The mustard didn't add anything. Had to eat it with habanero sauce to add a kick. Will try again with the Provencal Tofu Escabeche recipe and see if thats any better!
BEVERLY A SAUER
I am puzzled. Only one other reader thought the slow baking process created hard little blocks of tofu that did not absorb the marinade and had an oily aftertaste. Normally, i sauté tofu for 4-5 min per side and use it with a variety of marinades and sauces (Thai peanut, Chinese, tahini lemon, etc. ). There is also a recipe for ‘vegan feta’ which marinates uncooked tofu in a similar vinaigrette with the addition of white miso and nutritional yeast with much better flavor.
Elizabeth
Made the Provencal version - delicious! I used one block of tofu sliced into 12 pieces and baked about 30 minutes at 375. We'll definitely make again.
Caitlin Shannon
I haven't made this yet, but it would be inspirational for the recipe to share ideas for what to serve with this tofu.
Marilyn Armbruster
Next time I will cut the mustard amount in half. Otherwise, roasting the tofu makes such a difference. I will try the variations here as well.
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