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Toasts & sandwiches · 18 minutes

Chickpea “Tuna” Melt

A pinch of crumbled nori gives smashed chickpeas a gentle taste of the sea, so this melt actually reminds you of the diner classic.

Prep
10 min
Cook
8 min
Total
18 min
Serves
2
Jump to recipe
VegetarianStovetop

Smashed chickpeas have the right texture for a tuna salad: flaky, a little chunky, and good at holding on to mayo. What they’re missing is the sea, and that’s where nori comes in. Crumbled roasted seaweed, the kind sold as snacks or for sushi, adds a subtle briny depth that, together with capers and lemon, gets surprisingly close.

Then it gets the melt treatment: piled onto rye with plenty of sharp cheddar and griddled in butter until the bread crackles and the cheese melts into the filling. Serve with a pickle, as nature intended.

The recipe

Chickpea “Tuna” Melt

Prep 10 min · Cook 8 min · Total 18 min · Serves 2

Ingredients

Tap to tick off as you go.

For the chickpea “tuna”

For the melts

Method

  1. Step 1: Smash the chickpeas

    Pat the chickpeas dry and mash them in a bowl with a fork or potato masher until flaky, with no whole chickpeas left but not smooth.

  2. Step 2: Mix the filling

    Stir in the mayo, Dijon, capers and brine, celery, onion, dill, lemon juice and nori. Season with salt and plenty of pepper, and taste; add more nori a pinch at a time if you want it brinier.

  3. Step 3: Build the sandwiches

    Butter one side of each slice of bread. Lay two slices buttered side down, add a slice of cheddar, half the chickpea mixture, then another slice of cheddar. Top with the remaining bread, buttered side up.

  4. Step 4: Griddle until melted

    Cook in a skillet over medium-low heat for 4 minutes, pressing gently, until deep golden. Flip, cover the pan, and cook 3–4 minutes more until the cheese is fully melted.

  5. Step 5: Slice and serve

    Rest for a minute, cut in half on the diagonal and serve with pickles.

Good to know

  • Crumble the nori with your fingers into tiny flakes, or snip it with scissors. Big pieces turn chewy and stick to your teeth.
  • The filling tastes even better after an hour in the fridge as the nori softens. It keeps for 3 days, so make a double batch for lunches.
  • Don’t over-mash. A few chunky, flaky bits are what make it read as “tuna” rather than hummus.

Swaps

Mayonnaise and cheddar
Make it vegan: vegan mayo, vegan cheddar and vegan butter
Rye
Gluten-free sandwich bread makes it gluten-free (check the Dijon too)
Nori
½ tsp kelp granules or a pinch of dulse flakes

Questions people ask

What does chickpea tuna taste like?

Like a creamy, tangy deli salad with a light briny edge from capers and nori. It’s not identical to tuna, but the texture and seasoning hit the same notes.

What gives vegetarian tuna a fishy flavor?

Seaweed, such as crumbled nori, kelp granules or dulse, adds a subtle ocean flavor. Capers and lemon juice help sharpen it.

Can you make chickpea tuna ahead of time?

Yes. The filling keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavor gets better as it sits.

Get the celery, red onion and dill from a farmer.

This recipe is only as good as what goes in it. Find a farmers market or CSA farm near you, or get a produce box delivered when there’s no market this week.

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