Sarah Bedolfe
An easy and delicious recipe for the most sustainable tuna salad you’ve ever had!
The reasoning behind the sustainable seafood movement is that we don’t have to make big sacrifices: we can still enjoy amazing seafood, if we just choose carefully. In fact, by improving regulations, the world’s fisheries would produce more fish, not less.
The most sustainable choice, however, is almost always to go veg. Reducing your consumption of animal products on any level – whether you go vegan, become a weekday vegetarian, or observe Meatless Mondays – decreases your carbon footprint. And that decrease in carbon emissions is a small but meaningful step towards mitigating climate change and the corresponding sea level rise and ocean acidification.
Today, we bring you a seriously ocean-friendly recipe – faux tuna salad. The only ocean ingredient is seaweed, which is fast-growing and easy to harvest. You also don’t have to worry about mercury contamination, or the challenge of figuring out which tuna is sustainable (since many varieties are on the Red list).
It’s really easy to make – take it from me, it's more like assembling than cooking – and you get a delicious, surprisingly realistic meal. (When I served this, my dad asked, “Is this real tuna or fake tuna?” My response was, “You tell me!” to which he said, “Well, knowing you, it's fake, but how do you make it taste like that?”)
It’s a win-win so dig in!
Faux Tuna Salad
By Sarah Bedolfe, adapted from The Sexy Vegan Makes 2-3 servingsINGREDIENTS:
Chickpeas, 1 can drained and rinsed
Celery, 1 stalk diced
Onion, ¼ red onion diced
Capers, 1 tbsp diced
Pickle, ¼ pickle diced
Lemon, ½ lemon juiced
Mayonnaise or Vegannaise, 2 tbsp
Mustard, 1 tbsp dijon
Seaweed, powder, or dried sheet crumbled
Salt
Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Mash the chickpeas in a bowl, not too finely. Aim for a canned tuna-esque texture.
- Dice the vegetables and add them to the chickpeas.
- Stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice until everything is evenly distributed.
- To taste, add salt and pepper, and a generous sprinkling of seaweed to add a fishy flavor.
Serve as a side dish, or as an appetizer with crackers, or use it to make a tuna sandwich or tuna melt.
