No Fish Smoked Salmon

Who doesn't love smoked salmon? 

A decadent treat, the rich and smoky cured fish is the perfect accompaniment to our poached eggs, cream cheese bagels or rolled up in sushi. 

But with all the great qualities, it is decidedly un-vegan, which poses a problem for plant-based folk who have had to go without it.

But what if there is such a thing as....vegan smoked salmon? You can probably guess where we are going with this....

With just a few ingredients, cooked carrot strips can actually be transformed into an authentic plant-based salmon. The smoky taste (liquid smoke), the fishy aroma (nori algae) and some fat are important for this. Gosh ! that smoky, salty flavour bomb in my mouth simply blew me away.

Ingredients:

• handful of fresh dill
• 1 large sheet of nori
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp brine from capers
• 1 tsp smoke liquid, optional
• pinch of salt
• 3 medium carrots

Method:

Using a peeler, peel the carrots into ribbons width ways and add them to a saucepan full of boiling water on a medium-heat. Simmer for 3 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

To make the marinate, roughly chop the dill and use a scissors to cut the nori into small pieces, then add both to a large flat-bottomed bowl/pan along with lemon juice, olive oil, capers, caper brine, liquid smoke and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Drain the carrots, rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the water before adding the carrots to the marinate. Stir through so the carrots are coated in the marinade and set to one side for a minimum of 1 hour or preferably overnight so the flavours absorb into the carrots.

Serve with vegan cream cheese and some fresh rockets