When we first served this dish to our families (as an appetizer), their response was priceless. You almost saw everyone literally think: “how? This is smoked salmon ???” and “aren’t you vegan anymore?”.
My sister (a vegetarian) even came up with the following statement: “If I were served this at a restaurant, I wouldn’t even dare eat it.”
In other words: how something “negative” can be a very big compliment at the same time 🙂
Carrot Lox (a.k.a. marinated carrots or vegan smoked salmon)
As you can guess, it is indeed quite difficult to taste the difference between real smoked salmon and this simple (but brilliant) dish based on a special marinade and … carrots !!!
That you can actually make something like this with one of the “most ordinary” vegetables in the world. Wow.
It must be said that we certainly didn’t invent this dish – unfortunately – ourselves. Just like the term “Carrot Lox”, by the way (the original recipe with marinated salmon is called “lox”, hence). After all, we’re not that brilliant at all 😉
Of course, we have also put together our own marinade for this dish. We hope that it will also produce equally surprised faces in your circle of friends and family 😉
For the smoke taste
Oh yes, an indispensable ingredient for the success of this dish … liquid smoke! Not that it would not be delicious without this seasoning (it is “fishy” anyway), but still … that smoky flavor makes it complete. It is worthwhile to score such a bottle.
Delicious with a lot of things
Furthermore, with this basic recipe, you can do a lot. In addition to an appetizer (on a toast and with vegan “cream cheese”), it is also very tasty on a sandwich with fresh vegetables and fresh dill, for example. Or as a part/side dish of a salad/lunch or main meal.
As mentioned, the recipe is child’s play. However, give the marinating time. The longer the carrot slices “extract”, the more astonishing the taste.
Carrot lox - vegan smoked salamon
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tamari (soy sauce or coconut aminos)
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 sheet nori (seaweed) - in small pieces
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 30 ml water
- pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Peel the carrots and cut off long, wide (paper thin) strips with the peeler. Put the carrot strips in the boiling water and turn off the heat immediately. Blanch them for 5 minutes and scoop them out again. Rinse with cold water and drain. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel or kitchen paper.
- Whisk all ingredients for the marinade in a (lockable) bowl. Add the carrot strips and mix well. Cover the bowl and let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 night. For the best results you can occasionally shake the bowl again.
The rest is simple as stated: make an appetizer with it or eat it between a sandwich (eg with arugula or spinach, slices of red onion, capers, …), under a pasta with white sauce and raw celery.
Lets eat!
Are you going to trick someone? Let me know in a reaction below 🙂
