Not gonna lie. One of the things that was difficult for me to give-up was smoked salmon.
My uncle, an avid fisherman, would take his fresh catch to a local smokery. He’d serve the candied salmon as an appy at family gatherings, and never fail, I’d eat nearly a whole package.
His smoke recipe was the best. A perfect balance of smokey, salty, and sweet.
After going vegan, I gave up on the hope that I’d ever be able to replicate the texture and flavour of smoked salmon.
Enter: CARROTS.
With 4 simple ingredients, Erin from Olives for Dinner created an INSANE carrot ‘lox’ recipe that is sure to be a hit with you and your lox-loving loved ones!
I was skeptical. How could carrots (among all other things) mimic fish?!
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I began washing my carrots, loading them into a sea salt-lined pyrex tray, covering them completely in sea salt (this took about 1.5 small boxes of salt to thoroughly coat ~8 large carrots), then slow-roasted at 375º for about 1.5 hours. (There are a few visuals on YouTube you can check out)
After they are baked and cooled-off, I used my hands to gently peel the carrots (I thought that leaving a bit of skin looked pretty authentic, so didn’t go overboard). Then chopped into jagged pieces.
The marinade is super easy. Liquid smoke + Oil (I used avocado oil) + Coconut vinegar (I easily found this at my local grocery store, but I assume you could try out a different acid?).
I doubled her recipe, and added maple syrup (to mimic my Uncle’s candied smoked salmon) and slightly more coconut vinegar.
Erin’s recipe says to marinate for 3+ days (to tenderize), but time wasn’t on my side. In less than 24 hrs, I was super content with the results.
One note of caution: the recipe is super salty due to the slow roasting process. NO need to add salt to the marinade.
The carrots are still delicious on their own, but even better when the saltiness is balanced. I served-up on Earth Balance buttered crostini with Tofutti vegan cream cheese and fresh dill.
Heaven!
If you were a fan of lox in your ‘past life’, this recipe will satisfy ALL your cravings!
Make sure to check out Erin’s blog and @olivesfordinner on Instagram.
❤
kind coconut blog 