Vegan smoked salmon is a great alternative to traditional lox. Carrot slices and marinade are all it takes for this tasty appetizer. It is a classic for a brunch or for finger food when hosting a party. It only takes a few steps to this fantastic, plant-based alternative for smoked salmon.
Please the palate with umami
It is a really simple process from your carrot to carrot lox. A key role plays Nori seaweed. You might know this edible algae from Japanese cuisine. It has a strong and distinctive flavor and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi or rice balls and in broth. Seaweed tastes like ocean and hence our palate will tell us like fish.
Nori of good quality will give your dish umami flavor. Umami is one of the five core tastes including sweet, sour, bitter, salty and – umami. Using umami, you can actuall reduce salt in your dishes and contribute to your overall health. The Japanese translation means “essence of deliciousness”. What more can you ask for?!
When preparing your vegan smoked salmon, cut your bread rolls or bagels in half or use thin slices of rye bread. An alternative is crispbread, which is often used in the Scandinavian cuisine.
How to serve
A classic way of serving carrot lox is with horseradish. But why not add cashew cream cheese from your own cheese production! A starter kit for your own vegan cheese making is a good investment for tasty vegan dishes. The starter kit “Kein Käse” by my affiliate partner Fairment is perfect to head off with your own vegan cheese production. As it is with cheese, they always need at least a few days to mature, which means a bit of planning is needed.
When ready to serve, allow the vegan smoked salmon to come to room temperature. Top with dill, capers or with thinly sliced onions, just as you please.
Easy Vegan Smoked Salmon
Ingredients
- 3 large carrots
- ½ – 1 tsp smoked salt
- 2 tsp Tamari
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 Tbsp flax oil
- 1 Tbsp nori seaweed algae powder (* to make nori powder yourself blend 1 nori sheet in a high speed blender until it has the consistency of a powder. Alternatively tear the nori sheet into very small pieces)
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and cut them in 3 pieces.
- Take a slicer or a kitchen utensil with a slicer insert and cut these long pieces into slices.
- Heat about 1.5 litres of water in a kettle. Put the boiling hot water in a large pot on the stove and let the water continue to boil there. Place a sieve over the evaporating water, add the diced carrots and cover the sieve with a lid. Steam the carrot slices for about 5 minutes.Note: carrots should hold their shape, should be soft, but not mushy and definitely have a little bite.
- If you have not already prepared the nori seaweed powder, prepare it now. Then mix it in a large bowl with all the remaining ingredients; this is the marinade.
- Let the steamed carrots drain a little, then add them to the marinade in the bowl and mix everything well.
- Place the carrot lox in a sealable container and let it marinate in the fridge overnight. If possible, turn the pieces carefully with a spoon every few hours. Doing this, all carrots come into contact with the marinade at the bottom of the container.
- Serve the carrot lox with bread of your choice, with self-righteous horseradish spread and with fresh dill.
Notes
It is commonly made with strips of cooked carrot that are seasoned in a delicious marinade. The carrot gets a lovely texture that’s reminiscent of smoked salmon and it’s full of smokey flavor. Nori algae powder or nori algae sheets create the “fish taste” or umami taste.
Lox takes its name from the Yiddish word for salmon, which is laks. As with most marinated or smoked fish, it was originally developed as a way to preserve the fish in the days before refrigeration. Since salmon is replacedd by carrots in the plant-based cuisine, it becomes carrot lox.
