Faux Salmon (Carrot Lox)
Think you need a fish to enjoy a good lox bagel? Think again. This faux salmon takes humble carrots and turns them into a briny masterpiece.
INGREDIENTS
3 large carrots — peeled and then thinly sliced with the peeler
1 tsp of sea salt.
¾ cup of hot water.
1 tsp of nori granules — just blend a nori sheet in a spice grinder or blender until fine. We want the taste of the sea, not an actual seaweed salad.
3 tbsp of caper brine — liquid gold right from the jar.
2 tbsp of rice vinegar.
1 tbsp of white miso paste.
3 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari.
1 tsp of lemon juice.
1 tsp of garlic powder.
1 tsp of smoked paprika
¼ cup of olive oil — a generous pour never hurt nobody.
THE PREP
Place your carrot strips and the 1 tsp of sea salt into a pot, cover them entirely with water, and bring to a boil. Let them boil for 5 minutes until they are fork-tender. Not mushy! They need to hold their shape, or you'll just be making salty carrot baby food.
Immediately transfer the carrots to an ice-cold water bath to stop them from continuing to cook. Allow them to cool for 2 minutes, then gently place them onto a wire cooling rack to drip dry.
Meanwhile, in a container or small bowl, whisk together the hot water, nori granules, caper brine, rice vinegar, miso paste, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, smoked paprika and your olive oil. Whisk it like you mean it.
Put the dry carrots in a container and pour the marinade over it.
Place the container in the fridge and allow it to marinate for a few hours. Honestly, overnight is best. The longer you leave it, the more the carrots absorb that briny goodness and take on the texture and consistency of real lox.
When you are ready to use it, remove your carrot lox from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
Serve with lemon like you mean it.