Current Song, “Stereotypes of a blue collar male,” by Shakey Graves.
‘Not tuna’ salad, mock tuna, fake tuna, chick-un of the sea, ‘chickpea of the sea.’ There’s a million different ways to call this salad. In a nutshell, it’s chickpeas smashed to mimic the texture of canned tuna with the combination of celery, pickles, seaweed, and other seasonings making for the perfect “not tuna” vegan rendition. And it’s absolutely delicious.
Check out my Instagram highlights video titled, FAVS, to see a video recipe breakdown of how I create my favorite “chickpea of the sea” snuggled up with the best veggie combo. Or scroll to the bottom to cut straight to “not tuna” fixins part.
I’ve written this recipe out as my favorite way to wrap up this fake tuna goodness and enjoy it for a hearty, veggie packed lunch. It was a number one seller at a small local cooperative market I first operated out of when I created Homecooked with Love (Waimanalo Market COOP), and its continued to be a favorite meal for just about any type of retreat that I have catered over the past couple years. It’s surprisingly hearty and filling for all those meat lovers out there and you are getting some vital nutrients from the seaweed seasoning, like vitamin B6 and iron.
Cheers to mocking it up.
Hannah at Homecooked with Love
Yields 4-5 Servings
Serves about 1/2 cup
I have never been one to love canned tuna. So if you are like me or if you are vegan and want to recreate the perfect 'not tuna' salad wraps or sammys - this recipe is for you. Plus, your coworkers or fellow lunch friends will thank you when you go to open your lunch box.
10 minPrep Time
10 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- "!'Not Tuna' Salad'
- 1 lb chickpeas, canned or dried, soaked then cooked
- 1/3 cup vegan mayo or tahini *I prefer mayo!
- 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced dill pickles
- 1/8 cup pickle juice
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- squeeze of half lemon
- 2 tsp minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon dulse flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- *optional to add fresh herbs like dill or cilantro
- "!Wrap Filling Ideas"
- 1 large collard green lead or 2 smaller, de-stemmed
- 1/2 cup of 'not tuna' salad
- 1/4 cup of your favorite hummus *I love beet or turmeric hummus
- 1/4 cup pickled veggies or sauerkraut
- fresh cut veggies like shredded carrot, cucumber, sprouts
Instructions
- Drain and rinse your chickpeas. If you are using dried (yay for you!) - be sure to soak overnight then cook stove top (covering beans with about 1" water, bring just to boil then turn heat down to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour) or 0 minutes in an instant pot. You want a nice cooked through bean but not too mushy and overcooked.
- Using a food processor, gently pulse chickpeas to get a "smashed' texture, you want to still have some whole chickpeas rather than a hummus. Alternatively, feel free to hand mash with a potato masher.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your smashed chickpeas along with the rest of your ingredients for the 'not tuna' mixture and fully incorporate all the flavors. Give it a taste. Be sure to add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice for extra seasoning if needed.
- Check out the video in recipe blog to get a step by step for building your collard wrap with tips on making the perfect wrapped burrito baby.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you make wraps ahead of time, they will last you up to 2 days in the refrigerator.