Press the tofu for 30 minutes, ideally using a tofu press, or by placing it on a plate, with a second plate on top of it and then place a heavy pot on top of that. After 30 minutes, pour off the excess water and pat your tofu dry.
Cut each block of tofu in half if you have two 8-ounce blocks, or into 4 pieces if you have a single 16-ounce block.
Slice a wedge of tofu off the top of each piece, by cutting diagonally from halfway on top of the piece down to the bottom corner. This will give it more of a salmon fillet look.
Place two butter knives on either side of a piece of tofu and make diagonal cuts across the tofu. The knives will stop you from cutting all the way through the tofu. Repeat this for all the pieces of tofu. These cuts will help to recreate the flaky texture of a salmon fillet.
Add vegetable stock, finely chopped nori, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, liquid smoke, beet slices, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, light brown sugar, crushed garlic, minced ginger and red pepper flakes to your blender and blend until smooth.
Place the tofu pieces into a deep dish and pour over the marinade sauce. Gently turn the tofu pieces in the marinade sauce to make sure they are well coated. Be careful not to break them. Leave the pieces upside down in the marinade sauce (the color gets into the tofu pieces better this way), cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
Once marinated, gently lift the tofu pieces out of the marinade sauce and place them onto a non stick baking tray.
Dip the rough side of a strip of nori (cut to fit the bottom of each piece) into the marinade sauce and then gently stick it onto the bottom of the tofu. Place the tofu with the nori strip attached to the bottom, back onto the non stick baking tray, lying on its side. Repeat with the other tofu pieces.
Place cornstarch into a bowl and gently roll each piece of tofu in the cornstarch, making sure it's coated on all sides. Place the tofu back onto the non stick baking tray, lying on its side. Repeat for all the tofu pieces.
Heat a non stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil (or extra virgin olive oil) and then add the tofu pieces, lying on their sides. Cook for 2 minutes until that side is crispy.
Then flip the tofu so that the tops are face down. Cook for 2 minutes until the tops are crispy.
Flip the tofu onto the second side and cook for 2 minutes until crispy.
Then flip the tofu so that the bottoms with the nori strips are facing down. Cook for 2 minutes until the bottoms are crispy.
Finally, stand the tofu pieces up on their backs. Cook for 2 minutes until crispy. The tofu is now done. You can gently turn them in the pan a few more times to make sure they have a fatty coating. This will mimic the fattiness of salmon.
Serve with a sprinkle of ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and chopped cilantro with lemon wedges and vegan tartar sauce on the side.