Instructions

• Cut off tops of carrots, do not peel yet, and rinse under cool water
• Place carrots in steaming basket in a large pot with appropriate level of water. Place lid on top and steam for about 10 minutes until carrots are soft when pierced but not mushy. Adjust time as needed.
• Gently remove carrots from basket and place on a board until cool enough to handle
• Remove carrot ends and skins. I used a sharp paring knife and gently ‘shaved’ the skin off. I found this the easiest method of removal. Using a vegetable peeler may work for you but for me it removed too much flesh. If removing the skin is too troublesome, just leave it on.
• Mix the sea salt, vinegar, liquid smoke, and oil together in your air-tight container you’ll use for the marination. Make sure your container seals really well so the liquid doesn’t spill while mixing and so your fridge doesn’t get stinky with the strong smell over the next few days.
• Then slice the carrots thinly. I used a sharp knife and lay the carrots horizontally (as shown in the picture above) and carefully slice strips. I first cut a slice off one side and rotated the carrot so the flat side was down to be more stable while slicing the rest of the carrot.
• After slicing, gently place the carrots into your air-tight container with the marinade in the bottom. Seal it up and gently rotate the container to coat the carrots with the liquid. Then place it into the fridge for 2 days. Add a bit more oil if the carrots look dry. They shouldn’t be dripping with oil but subtly shiny.
• At least once a day, take the container out and gently rotate the carrots to coat them evenly with the marinade. After 2 days (you can leave it longer and the flavour will be more mellow) the lox will be silky and oh so delicious.
• I find the sea salt gives it a perfect ‘fishy’ flavour but if you like a stronger flavour, you can add some chopped nori (seaweed) sheet to the marinade and carrots.