carrot "Lox" ("salmon")

Fish and seafood were something that was not the easiest for me to give up and I do crave its fresh and salty taste from time to time. Because of this, I am relentlessly on the lookout for good vegan substitute recipes. 

I was skeptical at first about using something as simple as a carrot to make something so exquisite in taste and texture as a preserved salmon substitute. But now I am definitely a fan. Not to mention that since going vegan I constantly use carrots and before I never had them in my fridge because I simply didn't know what to do with them. 

So really if nothing else this recipe is a great way to incorporate carrots into your meals and that is already a plus. 

I like this recipe so much that sometimes I just eat the stuff straight out of a jar. But there are many other ways to enjoy it, the most obvious one is in a sandwich or on a bagel. Spread some mayo on the bread and add some green onions and capers as well as fresh dill and you will have yourself a banger. 

Carrot "salmon" is a huge hit in Germany and many other Western countries but actually, this recipe makes me think of celebrations in Ukraine. It is very common, at least in Poltava, to serve open-faced sandwiches with white baguette, butter, and cured salmon as a snack for any occasion but especially New Year's Eve. On this night such baguette sandwiches often feature red caviar which is the one time a year that people like to splurge on it. And the salmon sandwiches are a great substitute when caviar is a bit above your budget but you still want that salmon taste. 

Tips and notes:

• Use the bigger carrots for nicer-looking "salmon" strands. 
• Try to make sure that all of the carrots are covered in the marinade for best results. To achieve this I like to turn the jar upside down in the fridge.

Vegan Carrot "Lox" ("Salmon")