Vegan Tuna Salad

This Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich makes a vegan twist on a popular, yet fishy kind of sandwich. Just another example of how you can be vegan and enjoy a variety of tasty dishes!

I never was a fan of tuna salad. In fact, I never liked fish much at all. It was just too…fishy.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan makes a hilarious point about eating fish. Here’s an excerpt from his show, Beyond the Pale:

How can you tell when fish goes bad? It smells like fish either way! “Well, this smells like a dumpster…let’s eat it!” No one really likes fish, they just won’t admit it. It’s like, “I like fish just as long as it doesn’t taste like fish.” I’ve got news for you. I don’t think you like fish. I’m almost positive that fish…is supposed to taste like fish. Actually, do you know what’s really good on fish? Anything that kills that taste of fish. How about relish and a gallon of mayo…that’ll do the job. What if we squeeze a little lemon, wrap it in seaweed and cover it in soy sauce!

Thanks, Jim, I’m glad to finally realize I’m not the only one who doesn’t like fish. So sure, this means fish was easy for me to give up, but not only because I don’t like the taste of it. Commercial fishing is such an environmentally destructive activity. Some scientists estimate over 1,000 sea mammals are killed every day as a result of commercial fishing.

Now I’ve found a way to have a “Tuna” salad sandwich without that gross fishy taste and without the heavy ecological toll on the ocean. What’s the secret? The unpretentious chickpea. I first saw the recipe for Tunaless Salad on the VegNews site posted by my friend, Allison Rivers Samson. I was a bit skeptical at first, but was soon enjoying my first of many tasty Vegan Tuna Salad sandwiches.

I’ve made a few changes to that recipe, including finding a way to eat a gluten-free version — by spreading it between two slices of lettuce.

I’m embarrassed to tell you how often I have this sandwich, but it’s just so easy to put together and so incredibly satisfying. It’s my new summer staple dish, especially for lunch. Interestingly enough, it has the same color, the same, look, and even a similar texture to a tuna salad sandwich, but (thank goodness) the vegan version comes sans the fishy taste!

Spread the salad on one slice of bread (toasted or not) and top with lettuce and sliced tomato. Or if you’re like me and looking for a gluten-free way to eat it, take that lettuce leaf and use it like a slice of bread. It can be a bit messy, but still tastes great!