This Ocean-Friendly Mock Tuna Salad skips the vegan mayo and uses white miso, grainy mustard, and sweet pickle relish for flavoring instead. There is some added salt and sugar from the spices, but I think it’s worth it to re-create an easy, delicious alternative to a real tuna salad.
You can either wrap this salad in a tortilla like I did yesterday for lunch, scoop it onto toast, or serve it plain or over crisp romaine. The celery and onion provide characteristic crunch, and the gently-smashed garbanzo beans give a nice texture:
Mock Tuna Salad
Yield: 4
Category: Main Dish
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups garbanzo beans
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted tahini
- 1 tablespoon pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon white miso
- 1/4 cup red onion
Instructions
- Rinse and drain garbanzo beans and place into a medium-sized bowl.
- Chop celery and add to bowl.
- Add tahini, relish, mustard, miso, and onion to the bowl and stir to combine. Use the flat side of a fork to smash some of the beans.
- Serve over chopped romaine as a salad entrée, wrapped in a tortilla for a wrap, or on toasted bread for a sandwich.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
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Looks fantastic Carrie! Is that wrap gluten free?
Hi Suzanne! I was cleaning out the fridge and used a wheat and corn tortilla from Trader Joe’s, but generally I like to use the brown rice tortillas from either TJ’s or Food for Life.
Have fun, Carrie!! 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! I used to eat “Tuno” a vegan tuna substitute, but they quit making it. I love sandwiches in the summer, and this looks great. I really enjoy your blog and recipes; thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the recipe. I will think of it as “chicken” salad since I don’t like tuna. Have a blast at the getaway, you lucky duck. I look forward to hearing about it. And congratulations on getting the first draft done! That’s huge!
I like to think of it that way too! For some reason I think homemade chick peas, in this recipe, really make it taste like a chik’n salad.
I think you’re totally right, Lairel. You could probably add some dried fruit to make it taste more like a traditional chicken salad as well.
The wrap looks great, as does the kale salad. I wasn’t able to find the kale salad in the recipe section. ??!! 🙂 (The pic is cute … I see kitty is packed and ready to go too!)
This “tuna” salad sounds absolutely awesome! I LOVE chickpeas :).
I love how simple and clean this recipe is! I’m vegan, and my husband is not, but we agree that tuna from a can is just too sketchy. I look forward to sharing this with him! It looks perfect for a work-day lunch.
Have a fun time in San Diego!!! The recipe sounds so good…I will be making it soon!
Congrats on finishing the first draft of your Master’s project! That is a great accomplishment!! And, I really like the categories feature of the app and the redesign. Very nice! I hope YOU have a wonderful, relaxing week and a fun, safe trip 🙂
Where can you buy white miso?! I went to fresh market and they didn’t have it :/ Do you have any suggestions. It would be in the spice section correct?
Hi Ally! The white miso I got was in the refrigerator section at the health food store.
Yum – i love the look of that ‘tuna’ salad!
That tuna salad sounds fabulous! Anything that involves chickpeas immediately grabs my attention 🙂
The pickle relish addition sounds great, I’d love to know which brand you use. Have fun in San Diego – I wish I could go!
Thanks, Jackie! I used an organic relish I got at the health food store. Trader Joe’s also sells one. I would love to find a low-sugar version, or at some point try making my own. 🙂
Oh my goodness Carrie – this sounds super delicious! I love that you skipped on the mayo, I used to love it when I first went vegan, but it’s not super healthy and I rarely eat it now.
I don’t have miso… I should get some. I also like that it’s nut free (much lower fat than other recipes out there).
Hope you have fun at the getaway!
I made this for my family for dinner tonight and it was a real hit (except for my older daughter but I think it was the texture that she didn’t like) LOL. Anyway, I had my husband try a bite before dinner and asked him what it reminded him of. The only hint I have gave him was ” Think non-vegan” and he answered with “tuna or chicken salad.” Score! I couldn’t find whole grain mustard but mixed dejon and spicy. Came out great! Thank you!
Yay!!! Thanks for letting me know, Kelly. Somebody recommended breaking up a sheet of nori (seaweed) and adding that to the mix for an even more authentic tuna flavor.
I just downloaded your app. FYI – I found it in the App Store , not ITunes .
One thing I’m missing from your recipes is calorie and nutrition break down . Do you ever include that?
The recipes are great!
Great, thanks Diane!!! At this point, I don’t have the man-power (woman-power) to do the nutritional analysis, but that might be a future development of the app. Thanks for the suggestion. BTW, would you consider writing a review of Vegan Delish in the App Store? I would really appreciate that. 🙂
Hi Carrie,
I finally got a chance to make your mock tuna salad – it’s delicious. The tahini definitely gives it a distinct flavor. Thanks for another great recipe.
Sue
Great, Sue…so glad you liked it!!! 🙂