Way back in 2014 I this post featuring my version of a vegan “smoked salmon”. I would like to think I sort of invented this – but probably not.
Now, since we have been doing our vegan pop-up dining, featuring vegan sushi, I have improved it a lot..
Here is my updated recipe and method of making vegan smoked salmon, or carrot lox as some people like to call it.
You will need some form of smoker, and a dehydrater to get the full effect.
Ingredients:
6 medium/large carrots, washed and scrubbed with ends removed.
1/2 sheet nori
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T smoked salt
1 t liquid smoke concentrate
What to do:
1 – Cut the carrots in half lengthwise.
2 – Using a mandolin make as many carrot shavings as you can get. I make some on the medium thickness and some thinner.
NB – TAKE CARE USING THE MANDOLIN!!!
3 – Get a pot of water on the stove and bring to boil. Drop the carrot shavings into the water and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes. You want the carrots to soften slightly, but not cook too much.
4 – Drain immediately.
5 – Put the nori sheet at the bottom of a bowl or flat dish.
6 – Being careful not to break the carrot shavings, spread them out on top of the nori.
7 – In a small bowl, make a marinade with the olive oil, lemon juice, smoked salt and liquid smoke. Mix well and pour ove the carrots, and try to get all shavings coated.
8 – Let this marinade for several hours. You want to get this going while the carrots are still warm, so they soak up the flavours. At some stage, wearing a glove, gently massage the marinade into the carrot shavings to ensure all get well coated.
9 – Once well marinated, I like to cold-smoke the shavings for that little extra smokiness. You can use whatever smoking method you have, or even skip this step.
10 – Lastly I spread the shavings out on a dehydrater sheet and ddy for about 45 mins to one hour. This is just to try and bring back a “leathery” texture. Do not dry for too long as the carrots will shrivel up.
Notes:
1 – Liquid smoke comes in various concentrations. Some brands are quite dilute and you will need more than specified in this recipe. If it actually says “concentrate” on the bottle, then you can follow this recipe.
2 – You need to be sure to be very hygenic with regard to handling the carrot otherwise the final product will not keep very long. So I use gloves when massaging in the marinade. I also use tongs or clean utensils to move the shavings from the bowl to the dehydrater etc.
See the finished product at the sushi evening on our Green & Vegan FB page.
Bon apetit.
