Vegan smoked salmon

This vegan smoked salmon is incredibly like the real thing! It’s smoky, it tastes like the sea, the colour is practically identical, and even the texture is similar. You could even be forgiven for thinking it was smoked salmon at first glance (and first taste). Well, I’ll tell you this… It’s actually better than smoked salmon! Why? There are no antibiotics or harmful bacteria like listeria in it, it wasn’t raised in filthy tanks where parasites like Anisakis run rife, and it wasn’t stolen from other animals like bears, river otters, wolves, and orcas who depend on salmon to survive.

This vegan smoked salmon recipe is ocean-friendly, cruelty-free and 100% vegan! Get ready to blow minds! I don’t think you’ll fool anyone into believing it’s real smoked salmon – that’s not the intent – but your guests will love it nonetheless! They’re guaranteed to be impressed that you can make something as eye-catching and tasty as this with a vegetable. And it’s far easier to make than you would think.

About this recipe

This sophisticated-looking vegan smoked salmon was made with humble carrots. It’s the cooking method and the flavourings that are so ingenious. Well, on second thoughts, they’re not actually – they’re basically the same as those used when making smoked salmon. But who would have thought of using carrots? I’m going to be honest here – it wasn’t me. But… after finding out that people were making vegan smoked salmon from carrots, I decided to do some research and have a go myself.

I’ve seen some packets of vegan smoked salmon alternatives on sale in supermarkets. I didn’t buy any because, first of all, they were crazy expensive, and secondly, they didn’t look appetising at all. A quick look at the ingredient list on the back was enough for me. One had no less than 17 ingredients, four of which were E numbers. No, thank you. The next had four ingredients: carrots, rapeseed oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Much better. The price tag was a serious deterrent, though: 10 Swiss francs for 130 g. That’s 76 francs per kilo – for CARROTS! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Swiss franc exchange rates, that’s equivalent to £68, $86 or €79. Needless to say, I left it on the shelf.

By now, I was armed with a basic ingredient list, which I knew I would need to tweak. What about the texture and smoky flavour? How can you get carrots to smell and taste like smoked salmon and have a similar texture and colour as well? You’re about to find out!

How to make vegan smoked salmon with carrots

The best way to cook the carrots

The carrots can be cooked in several different ways; steamed, boiled, baked or roasted are the most common methods used.

Smoked salmon, however, is neither steamed nor boiled, so those methods were out as far as I was concerned. Smoked salmon is first cured: This typically means it is filleted and then coated with salt. The salt helps to draw out moisture from the fish, preserving it and adding flavour. So, I decided to slow-cook my carrots in a salt crust in the oven. That’s not really roasting, which is, by definition, cooking food in the oven at a high temperature so that it browns. We need to slow-bake the carrots at a lower temperature and avoid browning at all costs. This way of cooking them yields carrots that are firm yet tender and silky smooth when sliced.

How to create the Flavour profile

As far as achieving the flavour of smoked salmon is concerned, you can mimic the taste of (very fresh) fish with algae. The smoky effect can be achieved with either liquid smoke or smoked paprika.

I opted for a few drops of liquid smoke and an algae oil which I found at the Fiera dell’Artigianato (a craft and artisan food fair). This amazing oil does four jobs in one. It’s also 100% vegan and cruelty-free.

• Firstly and most obviously, it provides the oiliness of smoked salmon. Most vegan smoked salmon, gravlax, or carrot lox recipes use some kind of oil, most often olive oil or sunflower oil.
• Secondly, like salmon, it’s rich in omega-3 (DHA+EPA) because it’s obtained from the same source as where fish get theirs: algae. In this case, a microalgae called Schizochytrium sp.
• Thirdly, using this oil means you can do without adding algae like nori to get that taste of the sea.
• Last but not least, it has a natural, delicate lemon flavour, which means you don’t need lemon juice.

How to make vegan smoked salmon

Ingredients

You’ll find the exact quantities of each ingredient in the recipe card below.

carrots

The carrots you use should be firm and fresh. Short, fat ones are best because when you slice them, they look more like smoked salmon. Whatever you do, don’t use wizened ones. Avoid using thin carrots – they’re a nightmare to peel and look nothing like smoked salmon. Go for the fattest and freshest carrots you can find. They shrink during cooking.

salt

You’ll need a few handfuls of salt for the salt crust. Coarse salt is far better for this job, but you can use fine salt if you don’t have coarse. Don’t worry; the salt won’t be wasted – you can reuse it for cooking pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.

You’re probably wondering, “But won’t the carrots be too salty?” No, The carrots are peeled afterwards, and the salt doesn’t penetrate beyond the skin. Even less so if you use coarse salt. You won’t need any additional salt in the marinade because the carrots will have just the right amount of salty flavour from the salt crust.

oil

You can use any kind of delicately flavoured oil for this recipe. Avoid using oils that have a strong flavour, like some olive oils. I use the oil I mentioned above, Nutra Olisear, by NUTRA-BE srl. You can order it on their website: www.nutra-be.it (if you live in Italy) or www.nutra-be.com (for all other European countries). I am not promoting the company, and these are not sponsored links. There are similar oils available on the market pretty much everywhere, I believe. I actually bought the oil as a vegan omega-3 supplement rather than an ingredient in the kitchen. But when I decided to make carrot smoked salmon, I realised it would be perfect for the job. You can substitute the oil I recommended with a delicately flavoured oil of your choice. Add a few drops of lemon juice, and you’re good to go!

liquid smoke

I used natural hickory grill smoke (100% liquid smoke), which I bought online here in Switzerland. If you click on the link, it’ll take you to the Galaxus online shop, where you can buy it if you live in Switzerland. Liquid smoke is available pretty much everywhere, I believe. Before making this carrot “salmon” recipe, I’d actually never used liquid smoke before. I bought it to experiment on.

Smoked paprika as a substitute for liquid smoke

If you don’t have any liquid smoke or don’t want to use it, you can use smoked paprika instead. I haven’t tried using smoked paprika because I got the exact flavour I was hoping for with a few drops of liquid smoke. Seasoning is always a question of personal taste, so if you opt for smoked paprika, stir it into the oil and taste it. I would also filter it through cheesecloth to eliminate the solid particles. Smoked paprika grains can be quite bitter, so that’s another good reason for filtering them out – as well as not wanting red flecks all over your carrots.

How to make vegan smoked salmon

Method

You’ll find step-by-step instructions with photos in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Make a salt crust

• Wash the carrots. Don’t trim or peel them!
• Put a thin layer of (preferably coarse) salt in the bottom of an oven dish large enough to accommodate the carrots comfortably.
• Lay the wet carrots onto the bed of salt. Wetting them helps the salt to stick to the skin. Sprinkle more salt over the carrots until they are covered in a layer of salt. The salt won’t stick to the sides, but that’s OK. Completely burying them in salt is unnecessary.

Slow-cook the carrots

• Put the carrots on an oven rack rather than a solid tray so they don’t burn underneath. Place them in the lower half of the oven and slow cook them for 60 – 90 minutes (depending on size) at 180 °C.

How to peel and slice carrots to make vegan smoked salmon

• Remove the carrots from the oven. When they are cool enough to handle, break off the salt crust and peel them. The best way to peel them is with your fingers. Potato peelers are never sharp enough, and they also remove too much of the flesh. Peeling the carrots will become harder as they dry out. I recommend putting them in a plastic bag for half an hour. This creates condensation, and the skin rehydrates, making them much easier to peel. I found this out quite by chance. Another tip is to slip a sharp knife under the skin – this makes peeling them easier.
• Once you have peeled your carrots, you need to slice them. You can do this by hand or on a mandolin. I slice mine by hand – it’s actually surprisingly quick and easy. Try to slice them so that they are a similar thickness to smoked salmon.

Infuse your carrots with a smoky marinade

• Now it’s time for the seasoning. Mix the oil and liquid smoke in a small bowl. Drizzle or brush the oil over the slices of carrots so they all come into contact with the marinade. Put the slices of carrot smoked “salmon” in an airtight glass container and place it in the fridge to marinate. I recommend leaving your vegan smoked salmon to absorb those flavours for at least 24 hours, if possible longer, before serving. Your vegan smoked salmon should have an oily sheen – if necessary, add a little more oil.

How to garnish and serve vegan smoked salmon

Now, here’s where it gets really interesting! You can serve your vegan smoked salmon in so many different ways! Some of the suggestions below will have your guests talking for months about your creations!

• Cut out little discs of bread or toast and top with smoked carrot “salmon” (and vegan cheese if you want) to serve as an appetiser, along with a glass of white wine.
• Spread vegan cheese on the bottom half of a bagel or bread roll and then top with strips of vegan smoked salmon, thin slices of red onion, capers, and fresh dill. This is a great lunch or brunch idea.
• Make a poké bowl with ingredients of your choice. It’s perfect for lunch or a summertime evening meal. I love this fake smoked salmon on a bed of sushi rice. I then top it with ingredients like avocado, green beans, edamame beans, shredded red cabbage, cucumber in yoghurt dill sauce, broccoli, asparagus and wakamé algae.
• Serve it Norwegian style with tofu “scrambled eggs” for breakfast or brunch.
• Make a sourdough bread sandwich with vegan cream cheese, smoked carrot “salmon”, slices of red onion, capers, and a delicious vegan sour cream, mustard, “honey” and dill sauce.
• Create vegan smoked salmon involtini by spreading a generous layer of vegan cheese on slices of smoked carrots. Roll them up like Italian involtini and serve them as an appetiser or first course.
• Make it part of a mixed hors d’oeuvres platter, brunch, or buffet spread, along with other tasty morsels like vegan tuna paté, grilled courgettes, sautéed red pepper strips, grilled aubergines, and focaccia.
• Let your imagination run wild and make vegan smoked salmon sushi rolls and nigiri.
• Make it part of a vegan charcuterie board.

How to store vegan smoked salmon

You can store this vegan smoked salmon for 5 or 6 days in an airtight glass container in the fridge. The longer it stands, the more flavourful it will be. It’s perfect for making ahead because it is one of those things that actually improves in taste over time.

Can you freeze vegan smoked salmon?

To be perfectly honest, I would advise against freezing this vegan smoked salmon. It keeps so well in the fridge that it kind of defeats the purpose of freezing. However, if you do need to freeze it for some reason, a short freeze shouldn’t alter the texture too much. If you freeze it for a week or so, it will be perfectly fine. Avoid freezing it for long periods, though, because you are bound to be disappointed when you defrost it.

I’m sure you’ll love this vegan smoked salmon recipe, and your family and friends will be amazed at your skills! Some people actually like it more than smoked salmon because it doesn’t have that overpowering fishy smell.

If you try this recipe and like it, I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below, or take a quick pic and share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook @vegan_hot_stuff – I love seeing your re-creations!

Before you go, maybe you’d like to have a look at some other delicious vegan recipes…

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