Raw Vegan Smoked “Salmon”
This delicious mock smoked salmon or “lox” is made using papaya. Although it requires some time in the dehydrator, it’s fairly simple to make and the results are seriously impressive. Combined with some cashew cream cheese or mixed in with a salad, this is a real treat.
This recipe is quite special to me for a few reasons. Firstly I developed it on my raw chef course at Alchemy Academy in Bali, which was a most magical and life-changing experience. Secondly, smoked salmon was a staple in my diet growing up. I’m a tough audience when it comes to replacements, but I really get the nostalgia I had hoped for from this.
The process involves marinading the papaya in a smokey mixture before intensifying the flavours and altering the texture in the dehydrator. I had originally used liquid smoke in the recipe, however on further investigation I realised most of liquid smoke I was able to get my hands on appeared to contain some questionable ingredients that I personally wasn’t comfortable with. Instead, smoked salt and smoked paprika give the same kind of effect in this recipe. Papayas come in various shapes and sizes, so depending on the size of yours, you may want to adjust the salt slightly. For example, if you feel you have an unusually small papaya, perhaps add a little less.
Ingredients
1 medium papaya
2 teaspoons coco aminos
2 teaspoons tamari
2 tablespoons mixed seaweed flakes
1 teaspoon smoked salt
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
A few rounds of black pepper
Squeeze of lemon
Method
Begin by peeling and cutting your papaya in half. Scoop out the seeds. You won’t need them for this recipe but they are packed full of goodness so don’t throw them away!
Carefully cut your papaya into strips. You don’t want them as thin as regular smoked salmon as the pieces will shrink and become thinner when they are dehydrated. The difficulty of this task will depend on how soft and ripe your papaya is, so just do your best. Put the pieces of papaya into a medium mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, combine all of the other ingredients except the olive oil and lemon and mix well.
Pour the mixture over the papaya and carefully use your hands to ensure the marinade covered every piece. Try not to break the papaya too much.
Cover and allow the papaya to marinade for an hour in the fridge.
Prepare 1 or 2 dehydrator trays with non-stick sheets and carefully lay each piece of papaya out flat.
Dehydrate at 115 F/46 C for around 2 hours, until the surface is fairly dry to touch. You are not fully dehydrating the papaya as this would become very sweet and chewy.
Flip each piece and dehydrate for up to 2 hours more.
Put your “Salmon” pieces into a bowl and drizzle some olive oil over them. Use your fingers to carefully cover each piece. You don’t want to drench it in oil. The purpose is to recreate the oily, slippery texture of real salmon.
Add black pepper and a squeeze of lemon and then give it a taste. It should already be quite salty and intense but you may like to add a little more oil or lemon.