You can create delicious vegan smoked salmon from carrots and few simple ingredients. The result is surprisingly convincing faux salmon with the texture and fishy flavor of the real thing.

Supplies

Salmon:

2-3 carrots ( the bigger the better)

1tbsp liquid smoke or mix smoked paprika + soysauce ( I used the paprika/soysauce this time)

Seaweed ( You can use any kind or mix. I used salted seaweed and crumbled seasoned seaweed snack sheets)

1tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp vegetable oil ( Any kind. I used a coconut and sunflower mix)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp apple cider or rice vinegar

2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce ( Kikkoman makes this)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp sea salt

SERVING

For Sushi:

Sticky Rice, Sushi Powder Vinegar, Wasabi, Seaweed sheets cut into strips, Soysauce

For Lox:

Bagel, Vegan Cream Cheese, Capers, Fresh Chives or Dill

Step 1: Peel and Cut Carrots

Clean, peel and slice carrots. For sushi cut thicker slices and for lox, cut thinner slices. I used a cheese cutter for the lox you could also use a spiralizer with a flat blade.

Step 2: Boil Carrots

Soft boil your cut carrots for 6-8 minutes with some of the seaweed. You can add the seaweed in a cheesecloth pouch or one of these spice infuser things ( the green tube). Cook longer for thick slices and a shorter time for thin slices

You want your carrots to be tender but not mushy. They should still hold their shape.

After you drain you carrots transfer to an ice bath to stop them from cooking then set aside to dry.

Step 3: Mix Marinade and Add Carrots

In a coverable dish, mix the marinade ingredients - liquid smoke or smoked paprika + soysauce, more seaweed, maple syrup, vegetable oil, lemon juice, apple cider or rice vinegar, vegetarian oyster sauce, garlic powder, sea salt.

Because I used salted seaweed, I did not add extra sea salt this time.

Add your carrot slices to the marinade, cover and let marinate for as long as possible - overnight gets the best results, but still delicious if you can't wait that long. :)

Step 4: Serving

For Sushi: Mix sticky rice with sushi powder vinegar and form into sushi shaped balls. Add a swipe of wasabi to the top of each. Lay your thick sliced "salmon" over the rice and wrap with a strip of seaweed sheet. A little dot of wasabi on the bottom will help the seaweed stick together.

(I used pre-prepared sticky rice because it's much easier and this is not a recipe for sticky rice).

Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.

For Lox:

Smear a bagel with vegan cream cheese, add the thinly sliced "salmon" and top with capers, dill or chives ( or whatever you like on your lox bagels). Voila!

Enjoy your meatless, cruelty-free and healthy smoked salmon!