Vegan Smoked “Salmon” Carrots

This faux smoked “salmon” is made possible by marinating roasted carrots overnight in a blend of smoky herbs and spices.

Back in the day, my daughter loved a book called, Bing Go Picnic! It’s a fun little book about Bing, who makes plans to have a picnic with his friends, only to have it rain when they’re ready to go. Instead of going outside for their picnic, they decide to have their picnic at home under the table.

I’m not sure why this book became one of her favorites; but eating under the table was something we had a lot of fun doing together. Here’s a photo of my daughter enjoying a little picnic under the kitchen table. Isn’t she adorable?

We enjoyed eating all sorts of fun foods under that tiny table in my tiny townhouse; but one of our favorites was placing feather-light strips of smoked salmon on top of toast with a shmear of cream cheese. Not only did we both enjoy the time we spent together, but it was a really fun way to eat our favorite foods. In what ways do you make eating fun?

So pardon the interruption, but I feel the need to state the obvious. Before my husband convinced me that I wanted to live a plant-based lifestyle, I enjoyed eating all kinds of fish prepared a lot of different ways on a weekly basis. After being introduced to sushi, I came to the realization that I enjoy raw fish the most – and I passed my love for sushi and smoked salmon on to my daughter at a very early age.

Now that I eat a very different way, I am learning new ways to enjoy old favorites. Some of it is remarkable and some of it is kinda gross. For instance, I tried grilling watermelon to mimic tuna. Sadly, it looks good but still tastes exactly like watermelon to me. So if you have a good plant-based “raw tuna” recipe, I’m all ears. Please share in the comments.

This mock smoked carrot concoction mimics smoked salmon surprisingly well. I’ve made lox with these smoked carrot slices for my now vegan daughter a few times now and she claims that it’s just as tasty as the “real thing” we used to enjoy. I tend to agree. When placed on toast or a toasted bagel with cream cheese, dill, and capers, this really is reminiscent of lox, in appearance and taste. But then again, that’s precisely why I absolutely love this stuff! It’s a different and tasty (if not sneaky) way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. It is also a lot less expensive and has a lot less sodium than smoked salmon.

Please don’t think that you can actually fool anyone into thinking that they’re eating salmon. It’s obvious that they are carrots. But, these are very versatile and tasty carrots – you can use these tasty morsels in a lot of amazing dishes, including my Vegan Philly Roll with cream cheese and cucumber; Spicy Salmon Sushi Roll, Tropical Crunch Uramaki, a smoked carrot sushi stack featuring layers of sushi rice, avocado and cucumber; my Spicy Salmon Sushi Stack, a sushi bowl with sushi rice, edamame, slices of avocado, radish, and cucumber; and of course, smoked carrot lox.

If these photos don’t tantalize your taste buds and tempt your sense of adventure, I’m not sure what will.

So here’s the deal. These smoked carrots are super super easy. But you have to make this at least the day before you want to serve it, preferably two days before. So, there’s a bit of advanced planning involved. But if you’re preparing this for a party or before a large holiday meal, this is the perfect dish since you can do it way in advance – the earlier the better!

And if you’re like me, you probably already have all the ingredients you need. You may need to purchase some nori (square sheets of dried seaweed), which you will find in the Asian section of your grocery store. Otherwise, this is a fairly straightforward list of staple ingredients.

These carrots are best when roasted long and slow in the oven. It depends how thick the carrot slices or peels are – they should be soft (not mushy), tender, and maintain their form.  However, I’ve also found that these smoked “salmon” carrots cook perfectly in the Instant Pot for 3 minutes on High Pressure.  Allow pressure to release naturally. 

Ingredients

• 3-4 large carrots
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• 1 sheet nori, torn in strips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place 1 1/4 cup water in a steamer or double boiler on the stove and bring to a low boil.
3. Wash and peel carrots.
4. Using a vegetable peeler, peel strips of carrot (carrot strips).
5. For the carrot pieces that are difficult to strip with a peeler, use a knife to cut thin slices (carrot slices).
6. Steam the carrot slices in the steamer basket for 5 minutes.
7. After 5 minutes, add the carrots strips/peels and steam for 8-10 minutes, or until soft.

1. Combine all remaining ingredients (including the steaming water) with the carrot strips.
2. Place in an oven-proof baking dish and cover with glass lid or foil.
3. Bake in the oven for 60 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
5. Stir gently to ensure the marinade covers all of the carrot strips.
6. Cover and refrigerate in an air-tight container for at least 24 hours though 2 days is better.
7. Use in any recipe that calls for smoked “salmon”. Suggestions include lox, sushi, poke, etc.
8. Keep refrigerated in an air-tight container for a week.

Notes

Nori are sheets of seaweed used to roll sushi. They have a very ocean-like scent that smells pretty fishy when wet. It lends to that authentic fishiness that makes this recipe work.

I like using the carrot water at the bottom of the steamer pot after steaming the carrots. It’s already hot and works great. Just be sure you have 3/4 cup to 1 cup carrot water for your marinade.

To make it easier to peel and cut the carrots, I use a bowl turned upside down on the cutting board. This allows me to apply the right amount of pressure while using the peeler on the carrot without hitting my knuckles on the cutting board.

I steam the carrot slices for five minutes before adding the carrot strips to ensure all carrot slices (slightly thicker) and the thinner strips are all cooked properly. When they’re all mixed up together, it just adds to the look and texture of the mock smoked “salmon”.

These carrots need to roast in the oven long and slow to avoid being crunchy. As they relax in the refrigerator in the marinade they will be soft and tender but should still hold their form. It truly depends on how thick the carrot slices or carrot peels are. However, I’ve also found that these smoked “salmon” carrots cook perfectly in the Instant Pot for 3 minutes on High Pressure.  Allow pressure to release naturally.