Vegan Niçoise Salad with Grilled Tofu

Press the tofu between two plates lined with kitchen paper, weighting with a heavy pan. Slice into 1 cm planks. Whisk together the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, and smoked paprika in a shallow dish. Add the tofu in a single layer.

Cover and marinate the tofu for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the baby potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes until a knife slides through without resistance. Drain and set aside.

Blanch the green beans in the same boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until vivid green and just tender with a slight bite, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water for 1 minute. Drain and pat dry.

Whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, grated garlic, and maple syrup in a small bowl until emulsified. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside.

Heat a cast-iron skillet or heavy grill pan over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Lay the tofu planks in a single layer — do not crowd the pan — and sear for 3-4 minutes without moving, until a deep mahogany crust releases cleanly from the pan.

Flip each plank and sear the second side for 3 minutes until equally crusted. Remove from heat and rest on a board for 2 minutes.

Toss the warm potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Arrange potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, radish slices, and red onion in distinct sections across a large platter. Lay the tofu planks over the centre.

Spoon the remaining dressing over the entire platter, scatter with torn parsley, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt.