Smoky Carrot Lox
That Goldfish jingle was right—fishes are soooo delicious. Which means that they're pretty easy to overeat, especially when it comes to lox. I'm all for upping omega-3 intake, but between eating away the ocean and mercury content, it's good to take a break from our finned friends every once and a while. Surprisingly, carrots can achieve the same silky texture and smoky taste of lox with a little coaxing. Plus, your veggie friends will finally be able to fill a little brunch hole in their heart when you serve this up with bagels and schmear.
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 1 ½ hours, Yields: About 2 cups
2 cups coarse sea salt
3 large, organic carrots, unpeeled
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 375°F. While preheating, place about 1 cup of the salt into a baking dish that can accommodate your three carrots. Spread the salt until it's about ¼ inch in thickness.
Nestle your three carrots into the salt, ensuring that they do not touch the bottom of the dish. Layer the remaining 1 cup of salt on top, covering the carrots completely. This may require a little extra salt. Really make sure they're covered!
Bake carrots for 1 ½ hours. Once done, remove from the oven and cool. Using a butter knife or metal spatula, chip and brush the salt off of the carrots. It will have hardened into a crusty shell.
Slice the carrots thinly and diagonally like lox. Place into a zip top bag with the olive oil, liquid smoke and vinegar to marinate for at least 12 hours, and up to 2 days.
Serve with bagels, schmear, capers, red onion, dill, and whatever other fixings you love with lox. I'm a nut job for Kite Hill's almond cream cheese if you want to try a vegan option.
Allergens: No major allergens
Source: Adapted from "Carrot Lox" by Olives For Dinner
