vegan carrot lox

adapted from Love and Lemons

Ingredients: 

4 large carrots
Sea salt, for coating
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Juice of half a lemon

Freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475°. Line a medium baking dish with parchment paper. Coat the bottom with about a 1⁄4-inch layer of salt. Place the whole carrots in the dish and sprinkle with a good amount of salt (you won’t be eating all this salt in the final result). 

Roast the carrots until easily pierced with a fork, but not mushy. The timing will depend on the size and freshness of your carrots. Check starting around 40 minutes. Very large carrots can take 60-90 minutes. This step can be done in advance. 

For the marinade combine the olive oil, rice vinegar, paprika, lemon juice, and several grinds of freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl.

Remove the carrots from the oven and let cool. With your hands, rub off any excess salt. Use a knife to slice a thin strip off one side of the salty skin. Then with a peeler, peel the carrot into ribbons. If the peeler gets snagged on the soft carrot, slice pieces thinly with a sharp knife. 

Place the strips in the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate and marinate for 15-30 minutes. The carrot lox can be refrigerated in the marinade for up to four days.

Serve with bagels, vegan cream cheese, cucumber slices, capers, chives and/or dill. 

Serves 4