Vegetarian Lox Rice Bowls

The first time I made "Shalom Japan’s Lox Bowl" (NYT Cooking; subscription required), I made it with smoked salmon, and roe, per the recipe. It was wicked good, with a seductive blend of contrasts: salty and sweet and smoky; chewy and crunchy and creamy and flaky.

As you may know, I adore smoked salmon. However, I have recently come out of denial (sob) about the environmental impact of eating fish, so I wondered whether I could make the dish vegetarian.

This week I made a vegetarian version, and I swear it loses almost nothing when you leave out the fish. Because guess what? Someone has invented "Vegan Carrot Lox" (Love and Lemons), and it is pretty impressive! 

My carrots took almost an hour to roast, and then it took me a while to create the strips with my peeler, so ignore the prep/cook times listed on the recipe, and budget your time accordingly (you can make it ahead; it keeps up to four days). And I had two issues with the salt. One is the salt wouldn't stay on top of my carrots until I gave them a whiff of cooking spray, so do that. The second is regarding the salt quantity, which is staggering. I really don't think you need a quarter-inch on the bottom of your pan. I'll use less, next time.

Was this really going to work, I wondered? It did!

So that's your lox substitute. As far as the roe, what you're looking for is tiny salty flavorful kernels, and your capers will do that for you. The only thing left is to make this recipe vegan by substituting the mayo, and I'll investigate that for the future.

Are you drooling? I'm drooling.

I sometimes make some fast and simple recipes, and to be clear, this isn't one of them. But it is worth the effort, when you have time. I'm already putting it back on the calendar.

It's worth the effort not only culinarily, but also environmentally. Practically every day, scientists present us with more evidence that the Earth is in deep doo-doo - this week, for example, we learned that the "World risks runaway Antarctic ice melt if Paris targets not met," which translates to unprecedented, catastrophic flooding, and displacement of potentially tens of millions of people who live close to sea level. 

This all scares the bejeezus out of me. I hope that you will urge everyone you know to take climate change seriously, recognize its urgency even when it's not readily apparent, and to do what we can to slow it (such as by minimizing your meat and dairy consumption. I'll keep being here for your inspiration on that front).

It is also critical to vote for leaders at all levels who prioritize the environment, because individual actions simply won't be enough; we need policy change to fight the climate crisis. When is your next election? My town has one next week, for the town council. I'm voting (via drop box!) and my top candidate is the current chair of my town's Environmental Commission. Next time you get a chance to vote, ask the candidates how they will use the power of their office - local, county, state, or federal - to address climate change.