Chickpea Tunaless Salad

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Bite sized, on a sandwich, or straight of the bowl – this chickpea “tunaless” salad recipe is pretty darn close to the real thing.

Kelp powder is the secret ingredient that gives just a hint of seafood flavor. Celery and red onion give it crunch. And mashed chickpeas give a texture remarkably similar to the tuna salad sandwiches of my youth.

Bonus: chickpea tunaless salad is ready in less than 10 minutes!

Start by prepping your ingredients. You want all of the components to be the same small size. Slice two celery sticks down the middle lengthwise, as pictured above, and dice into small pieces.

Then dice 2 tbsp red onion and 2 dill pickles.

I prefer to use low-sodium canned chickpeas, but if you are using regular canned chickpeas, it’s a good idea to omit the 1/2 tsp salt called for in the recipe. You can always add more later if you like a more salty taste.

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Now it’s mashing time. You can use a fork or even your hands to mash the chickpeas into a tuna-like texture, but I used a potato masher to speed up the process. It only takes a couple minutes.

Then add the vegan mayo and all remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Just Mayo brand is my all time favorite plant-based mayonnaise. It’s in a lot of grocery stores these days, or you can buy it here on Amazon.

Start with 1/4 tsp of kelp powder – a little goes a long way! You can find kelp powder at health food stores or get it here on Amazon.  Other types of ground seaweed could also work, but kelp has a good middle-of-the-road seafood flavor.

Chill and serve! This recipe is simple, tasty, and filling. When serving, you can top with some extra red onion, scallions, and pepper. Try it on crackers, cucumbers, toasted bread, celery sticks, or wraps.

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