Our colleague Hannah Kaminski of Bittersweet Blog is a vegan author and recipe developer, so we were surprised when she sent an email with salmon sushi.

Except it’s not, as she calls it, fish-free salmon sushi: It’s cantaloupe!

Yes, there are “real” vegan sushi substitutes. We recently reported on Ocean Hugger Foods, which has created the first-of-its-kind alternative to raw tuna (more).

But this one is strictly—and deliciously—April Fools!

Here’s her recipe:

RECIPE: FISH-FREE SALMON SUSHI

Ingredients

 
Variations

[1] Cantaloupe nigiri sushi. Photos © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog.

[2] Cantaloupe maki (rolls).

1. CUT the cantaloupe in half, scoop and out discard the seeds. Slice those halves into four wedges each, carefully “filleting” the fruit to remove the peel. Place all eight cleaned wedges into a large, shallow container.

2. PLACE the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender and thoroughly purée, until completely smooth. Pour this marinade all over the melon, making sure that all pieces are fully submerged. You may need to move things around so that you have complete coverage.

3. SEAL the container and place on a flat surface in your freezer. Allow the whole thing to fully freeze; at least 12 hours, but ideally 24 hours or longer. If you want to save the “salmon” for a later date, just leave it at this stage until you’re ready to serve it.

4. ALLOW the tuna to fully thaw, either in the fridge or at room temperature. Drain away the excess marinade. You can save the marinade and reuse it if you like, since there’s no potential bacterial contamination as with raw fish or meat.

5. THINLY SLICE the edges as desired for sashimi or nigiri, or cube for maki or poke.
 
 
APRIL FOOL’S DAY HISTORY

The origin of April Fools’ Day, sometimes called All Fools’ Day, is obscure. The most accepted explanation traces it to 16th century France.

Until 1564, the Julian calendar, which observed the beginning of the New Year in April, was in use. According to The Oxford Companion to the Year, King Charles IX then declared that France would begin using the Gregorian calendar, which shifted New Year’s Day to January 1st.

Some people continued to use the Julian Calendar, and were mocked as fools. They were invited to bogus parties, sent on a fool’s errand (looking for things that don’t exist) and other pranks.

The French call April 1st Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish. French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates (the French version of a “Kick Me” sign), crying “Poisson d’Avril” when the prank is discovered. (Source: Wikipedia)

What a fish has to do with April Fool’s Day is not clear. But in the name of a kinder, gentler world, we propose eliminating this holiday.