This Chick’Una’ Salad recipe resembles classic tuna salad, something I was never fond of, even when I was eating fish. I could never wrap my head around any meat in a can, and the smell of tuna alone was usually a deal-breaker.
There was one tuna salad that I adored, and that was my grandfather (Apu) Louis’. At his bakery in Toronto, he made a tuna salad that was so smooth and silky that it resembled some kind of pate (not that I have ever eaten pate), but from the looks of it, I would guess this would be a good description. When I was old enough to care, I asked him how he made it, and he told me his secret was that he put the tuna in the blender. I would always look forward to taking trips to his bakery to have some of his tuna on a fresh bagel.
When I came across a recipe for a mock tuna salad using chickpeas, I thought it was genius. I spent some time trying different versions of this until I came up with one that had Louis’ half mine. It has the smoothness of my Apu Louis’ tuna salad with the more intense flavours I enjoy. What I came to realize after making this salad is that that base ingredient is irrelevant. It is all about what you add to it that makes it delicious.
Creamy Chick’Una’ Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas
- ¼ medium onion chopped finely
- 1 stalk celery chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons vegan mayo low-fat
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons dill pickles chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon sea kelp seasoning
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
- Mash chickpeas in a medium-size bowl with a potato masher or fork until they are broken up to desired texture.
- If you like a chunkier tuna salad, leave some peas more intact. For a very smooth salad, mash finely. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Serve over a toasted bagel or bed of lettuce.