If you used to love Tuna Sandwiches but want to keep all the flavor but without eating any tuna, then these Vegan Chickpea of the Sea Tuna Salad Sandwiches will be your new favourite sandwich or salad!
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It has all the yummy juicy tuna sandwich and 'of the sea' flavors, without causing any harm to our fishy friends. In fact, we like to call this 'Chickpea of the Sea' instead of chickpea tuna. It's great as a vegan tuna salad sandwich, but it's also delicious wrapped up in lettuce leaf cups, or added to a nourish bowl- or even in a toasted sandwich!
The best bit about this easy chickpea tuna salad sandwich, is you can switch up the ingredients, just as you would in your favourite tuna sandwich. I like adding in dill pickles and capers, plus loads of herbs, but you can switch it up according to your favourite flavors (I'll put some ideas in the Substitutions and Variations section below)
Also- if you're into hearty salads and sandwiches, check out my Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwich, or my other favourite lunch salad Harissa Roasted Chickpea & Tomato Salad.
🥗Key Ingredients:
- Nori: The key to getting the ' fishy flavor of the sea' in this chickpea salad is seaweed- the easiest to find is nori sheets- the kind you get to wrap up sushi with. You know nori sheets, it's the wrapper for sushi. Alternatively you can also find powdered nori in Asian supermarkets and health food shops. Dulse flakes (another type of seaweed) are also great.
- Chickpeas: -aka garbanzo beans. Good quality tinned or jarred cooked chickpeas are perfect to use. Added bonus is chickpeas are a great form of fiber, and if you're clever, you can save the drained chickpea water to make your own vegan mayo!
- Vegan Mayonnaise: I like to make my own vegan mayo Aquafaba Garlicky Vegan Mayo. Alternatively you can now get vegan regular mayonaisse , there are some good ones readily available at the supermarket now!
- Dill, Parsley and other fresh herbs: Fresh or dried dill creates a traditional 'seafood' taste. I also like to add lots of fresh parsley if I have it available.
- Capers: or finely chopped pickled dill cucumbers both give a great crunch and salty texture to the sandwich mix. I like to add a little of the caper or pickle juice to the mixture too. Alternatively a squeeze of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar is always delicious too.
- Spring Onions/Green Onions/Green shallots or a finely chopped red onion . These add a little crunch and savory flavor which goes towards creating the overall salad sandwich effect!
👩🍳How to Instructions
Use these handy step by step instructions to make the perfect chickpea tuna salad!
- Drain the chickpeas, and add to a large bowl. Roughly mash so they are a little texturised and flakey.
2. Fold and finely chop a sheet of nori (if you are using nori sheets)
3. Add the remaining ingredients: other herbs, veggies and seasonings.
4. Mix well. Taste and add more seasoning, hot sauce or herbs to your own taste.
This recipe is just for the vegan chickpea tuna sandwich filler and not for the other bits of the sandwich. I'm assuming you know what you like in a sarnie! Personally I like some crunch, so radishes are in. I also love some green stuff. In my case some rocket and any herbs that I have lying around. Also some kind of tomato is yummy. Add some extra chilli sauce if you like. It's your sammy, do what you want. Make it delicious, or just eat it by the spoonful or on lettuce leaf cups.
🌶️Substitutions & Variations
If you know how to make the recipe fit a certain diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.
- Other veggies-add cucumber, chopped celery, sweet corn , red peppers or whatever vegetables you love best.
- Seasonings - if you don't wish to add nori sheets, you can try adding dried dill, nutritional yeast or even old bay seasoning to recreate the flavors.
- Protein Boost - add in some edamame, grate in some firm tofu or even soak some soy curls and chop finely to add into the chickpea tuna mix.
- Extra Zingy or Spicy- a big dollop of dijon mustard, a dash of your favourite hot sauce or add in some spicy mayo.
🔪Equipment
You'll need a large bowl, a sharp knife and a potato masher to make this salad. You could use a food processor, however I find it over-blends the mixture which I which isn't as tasty.
🫙Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you can, to serve allow to get to room temperature before eating for the best possible flavor.
Top tip
This chickpea 'tuna' salad is prefect for meal prep. Make a batch and then you can easily make sandwiches every day or eat as a salad.
❓FAQ
Nori is dried seaweed. You will usually find it wrapped around your sushi!
You could crush up a few sheets of the nori you use to make sushi out of. It's easy to find in most supermarkets. You can leave it out too if you like.
I like to mash the chickpeas to get a better texture. They also don't tend to fall out of the sandwich when mashed a bit! Use a potato masher, a fork, or whizz up a bit in your food processor.
Roughly a week in a sealed container in the fridge.
More Salads
Love a good salad? Try these!
More veggie packed sandwiches
Why not try one of these other sandwich ideas.
📖 Recipe
Chickpea 'Tuna' Salad Sandwiches (Chickpea of the Sea)
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 240 g (1½ cups) cooked chickpeas (equivalent to 1 tin/can)
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon nori sprinkles (nori is the seaweed that goes around sushi- you can use a nori sheet and chop it up. )
- 1 teaspoon dried or fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 tablespoon vegan mayo (I make my own!)
- 1 tablespoon (⅛ cup) fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or caper brine/apple cider vinegar/caper juice)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain the tin/can of chickpeas.
- Finely chop the nori sheet if needed.
- Mash all the ingredients together so the chickpeas are roughly crushed.
- Add any more seasonings to taste.
- Create a sandwich with any other salad bits you like!
Vegan-Buys says
Great recipe. I must make this today!
Louise says
Hope you love it as much as I do! x
laura Jones says
Looks great Louise! Must try this.