I feel it is my duty to make the most of fig season, and this fig salad with smoky tofu is a great way to celebrate figs. I love figs’ taste, texture, and the beauty they bring to any dish. There are of course many desserts that showcase figs, but they are fantastic in main dish salads. There are many classic salads that pair figs with things like mozzarella and ham. Here, I replicate some of those flavours and textures with smoky, marinated tofu. The marinade is sweet, salty and smoky and perfectly compliments the figs and greens.
Key ingredients and substitutions
The marinade: I used chinkiang vinegar, but you can substitute sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar. You can substitute the coconut aminos with soy sauce.
The salad: I used rocket (arugula) for the greens. Watercress or radicchio or a mix of these would also be great. This is not a salad for a mild lettuce – you need the bitterness to balance the sweet notes. When it is not fig season, you could also use melon, for a different take on this salad.
Fig salad with smokey tofu
Ingredients
For the marinaded tofu
- 3 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar Substitute sherry or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos substitute soy sauce
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 block tofu Use smoked tofu if you have it
For the salad
- 1 packet rocket
- 5 fresh figs
- ½ Red onion
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- Balsamic reduction to taste, to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F.
- Tear the tofu into rustic pieces. You can, of course, dice it, but I think the tearing it looks more interesting, and the marinade sticks well to the rough surfaces. Add the tofu to a baking tray
- Mix the marinade (vinegar, maple syrup, coconut aminos and smoked paprika) in a small bowl. Our the marinade over the tofu, and toss to coat. If you have time, you can leave this to marinade. It is not essential.
- Bake the tofu for 20-30 minutes, tossing once or twice.
- Meantime, finely slice the red onion. Prepare the figs. You can simply halve them, but I like to open them by cutting a cross in the top of each, and gently pressing the bottom to open the fig.
- When the tofu is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly. Arrange the greens and sliced onion on a platter. Add the figs, and place the tofu between the figs. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the salad, and finally give a drizzle of balsamic reduction