Vegan tuna salad that actually tastes like the stuff you grew up eating! Chickpeas and heart of palm give it the perfect texture, but the real magic is in the dulse flakes that infuse it with the perfect savory seafood flavor.
I’m going to be straight with you guys: back when I ate meat, I didn’t like tuna. I think the thing is that I didn’t like fish. Hey, I was a kid, and a lot of kids aren’t into fish, right?
This can put me at a bit of a disadvantage when I’m developing veganized versions of seafood recipes. I’ve done a few, and I always get the question: “Does this actually taste like fish?”
I had a reader suggest the use of dulse flakes to give that ocean-y flavor to my vegan crab cakes, and well, I though it was a great idea. Dulse is a type of edible seaweed that you can buy in dried form for cooking and snacking. So I bought a bag and have been using it in some vegan seafood recipes. I started by including them in the marinade for these scallops. And now I’ve gone and put it into my vegan tuna salad.
Given the fact that I avoided the heck out of tuna salad when I was a kid, I needed a little third party assistance to confirm that it actually tasted like it was supposed to. My husband was a big help in that department, and he gave this one a big thumbs up.
The salad starts with some heart of palm. Chop it up and then shred it up with a fork.
Next comes the chickpeas. Mash them up a bit. I really love how the combination of heart of palm and chickpeas gave this vegan tuna salad just the right texture.
Now you can stir in everything else: mayo, celery, relish, Dijon, red wine vinegar, and of course, the dulse flakes.
Stuff it in a sandwich, wrap it in a tortilla, or throw a scoop on some greens.
Tips for Making Awesome Vegan Tuna Salad…
- I made my salad nice and chunky, chopping and mashing the ingredients by hand. If you like a smoother tuna salad, try pulsing everything in a food processor.
- For maximum flavor, make this vegan tuna salad a day in advance.
- The leftovers will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for 2 to 3 days.
- Adjust the seasonings to your own personal taste, and feel free to include your favorite add-ins. Dill, grapes, and sunflower seeds would all be excellent.
- If you’re not into fishy taste (or your kids aren’t), you can absolutely make this without the dulse flakes.
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Vegan Tuna Salad
Vegan tuna salad that actually tastes like the stuff you grew up eating! Chickpeas and heart of palm give it the perfect texture, but the real magic is in the dulse flakes that infuse it with the perfect savory seafood flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) can heart of palm, drained
- 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo (I used Just Mayo)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 tablespoons pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dulse flakes (or more, to taste)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Chop the hearts of palm into 1/2-inch pieces and place them into a small mixing bowl. Use a fork to shred the pieces (shred them finely, or keep them chunky - your call).
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Add the chickpeas to the bowl and lightly mash them with a fork or potato masher.
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Stir in the mayo, red onion, celery, relish, mustard, vinegar, and dulse flakes.
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Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
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Serve.
Do you think I can use artichoke hearts instead of hearts of palm?
I think so! The texture and flavor will be a bit different, but still delicious I’m sure. :) I’d chop them up really finely since they’re not as stringy as heart of palm.
Such a great idea! I hate to be one of those people, but I cannot eat chickpeas, can they be substituted? Thanks!
You could try subbing cannellini or navy beans – would either of those work? Otherwise, you could just use some extra heart of palm. Enjoy!!
I have to give it you, this is such a creative recipe and the tuna salad looks like….well tuna salad! never heard of dulse flakes, now I have a reason to buy it and try it out….amazing recipe
Yes! Definitely get your hands on some dulse flakes – they’re awesome in recipes like this. :) Thanks Albert!
This looks great! Dulse is like a secret weapon in the kitchen. I recently used it to make Maryland crab(less) soup. Between the dulse and Old Bay seasoning, the soup was spot on.
Oh, that sounds DELICIOUS! I’m really just starting to play around with dulse in the kitchen, but it’s really amazing stuff. :)
OMG!!! I just made this for lunch and oh my!!! Soooo good!!! This an amazing website!! I’ve tried a lot of things and I cook for one vegan and the leftovers don’t last long 😍
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked it, and that you’re enjoying the recipes!! Thanks Maria!
Thankyou Alissa for all your fantastic recipes that you’ve shared….the ones I have tried have been amazingly good! Wanting to try this one but I don’t have Dulse flakes, could I crumble up a nori sheet or two?
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I think some nori would work. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Crumbled Nori and cannelini beans work great as subtitutes. I prefer dulse, but the nori is what I had. Great recipe!
As a note, mine came out a little wet. Drain the canned items well!
And thanks for the recipe link at the top. One of the most annoying parts of online recipes is scrolling through someone’s autobiography just to get a look at even the simplest recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much Carey!
Ok so fun story, I made red lentils in my instant pot last week. I pre-soaked them, cooked them, and then totally forgot about them in the IP with the lid on for at least an hour. When I took them out they looked like mashed potatos BUT they tasted like deviled eggs! (they tasted great over rice with salt and pepper, bbq sauce and spinach and some tofutti) My idea next time is to add some vegan mayo, onion and celery and see if I can turn it into an egg salad sandwhich :-D oh it smells just like eggs too which is the only down side lol
Sooooo good!!! I have pulse sea vegetables put them in the oven on 200 for 15 minutes ish crushed them into flakes, as well used a healthy pinch of Dulce granules and minced garlic. Off the hook> Love it!!! Thanks for another amazing idea. So easy ta boot!
So so so good! My new favorite mock tuna salad. I made a double batch for dinner for the family tonight and leftovers for lunch tomorrow. All of my kids gobbled it up.
Yummy and quick, yes. Tastes like real tuna salad, nope. I eat vegan 95% of the time, but I still eat dairy, eggs and seafood occasionally. I am always looking for vegan options to replace my favorite non-vegan dishes. This one, while delicious in its own right is nothing like the real deal both flavor and texture wise. It looks like tuna salad, but even my husband that no longer eats seafood said it tasted “weird” at first, then after a couple of bites decided he liked it quite a bit. I will absolutely make this again, but without the expectation of tuna flavor.
Thanks for the yummy dinner!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, even if if it didn’t taste like tuna to you. :)
This recipe is so good! It’s become a lunch dish I make every weekend now. My husband and 6 year old specifically request it (don’t have many dishes like that). Now I have to double the recipe because my husband likes having leftovers for lunch during the week and my son asks for it for his school lunches. The only thing I omit is the dulse flakes because I don’t have it. I still feel like it has a tuna smell/taste without it. I also omit the relish bc my husband doesn’t like pickles. Thanks again for this awesome recipe!
Wonderful! I’m so glad it’s a hit!
I’ve been meaning to try this recipe, and even bought Maine Coast Sea Vegetable dulse flakes and hearts of palm a while back. Both of those were ingredients I wasn’t sure I’d like, like tempeh, nutritional yeast or Jackfruit (all of which are less scary once you actually have the courage to try them.) :)
Lo and behold, this was really good. It’s been years since I’ve eaten “real” tuna salad, but this is definitely close enough for me. Good texture, and flavor. Think it might become a cool summer sandwich recipe on heavy rotation.
Thanks for all your fantastic recipes Alissa. I really look forward to them!
So funny – my husband and I were just eating a dish made with soy curls and commenting on how they fall right into that category of vegan foods that don’t sound very good until you’ve tried them! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. Thanks so much Karen!
Dumb question. Do you remove the skin from the chickpeas? I rinsed mine, then used a paper towel to dry them. As I was rubbing the chickpeas, I noticed the skin coming off. So I continued rubbing and got all the skin off. If there is a difference in taste, I haven’t noticed.
I don’t remove the skin, just because it’s a bit more work than I’m willing to put in. :) There might be a slightly different texture, but I think the taste would be the same.
Hi Alissa,
Can kelp flakes be used in place of the dulse flakes
for the tuna salad recipe ?
Thank you !!
Hi Nadine! I think kelp flakes would work just fine. I’d add a small amount at a time and taste test, since I’m not sure if the measurement would be the same.
Did you use sweet or dill relish?
I used dill, but sweet would be delicious as well!