True story: I used to really like tuna salad.
It was actually one of the only meat sammies that had a regular rotation in my school lunches. Oddly enough, I haven’t missed it at all since veganizing my life. However, that probably has to do with the fact that I have always been creeped out by mayonnaise. Nasoya’s Nayonaise is a nice alternative that is not only vegan but tastes nothing like real mayo. Great for people like me who have no interest in an imitation of the creamy white ick.
This recipe idea came to me out of the blue. I was brainstorming bring-to-work options and decided to try my hand at creating a vegan version of the fishy dish.
Faux-fish vegan “tuna” salad
Ingredients:
- TVP (textured vegetable protein)
- vegetable broth/water to rehydrate TVP
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 tbsp nayonaise (you could sub hummus for this if you are creeped out by mayo)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- salt & pepper (to taste)
This is what TVP looks like in the bag.
This is what TVP looks like once warm liquid has been added. You can rehydrate TVP with warm water or vegetable broth depending on the flavor you prefer. The ratio of broth to powder I use is just shy of 1:1 (with less liquid than TVP). I generally prefer veggie broth because it enhances the flavor.
Just let the TVP sit while you prep other stuff and after a bit of time it will expand to look like the above photo.
Add it all to a mixing bowl…
Stir.
And there you have it.
Not only is this much better tasting than tuna salad, but there’s no risk of overdosing on mercury.
And it’s perfectly portable for school work lunches. 
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought I had TVP in my pantry and got all excited to make this today, but then realized that the TVP is actually at my parents’ house. GAH. Looks amazing though- tuna salad was my favorite sandwich filler as a kid!!
I probably love Nayonaise more than if I made my own mayonnaise from scratch. It’s just so good! It has the perfect balance of spice and tang.
Wow! We’ve always loved tuna salad!!! Thanks for this great version of an old favorite!
I make this too! And I flake up a nori sheet and toss that in for a little sea briney flavor. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for this recipe. I didn’t know TVP existed, and I am always looking for new vegetarian sandwhich ideas! I will be off to Mother’s market today to get some TVP.
I love tuna salad! I’ve never tried Nayonaise before but I would definitely like to.
Never used TVP before so thanks for explaining!
Also, when I first tried Nayonaise a few weeks ago I thought it tasted EXACTLY like mayo!! I guess it’s just been so long since I’ve had the real kind…
i’ve always been curious about tvp! this looks JUST like the tuna i had yesterday haha. i dooo love tuna. not mayo but i do love tuna mercury and all. i think i’d like to give this tvp a whirl though!
btw your cornbread muffins look AMAZING. i have cornmeal and i’m wondering how i could pretend like it’s the tjs cornbread mix and play
I’ve always wondered about TYP! I wonder if that’s what Whole Foods uses in their vegan “tuna” salad. I really like it.
Mayo is yuck. I have never been a fan!
If you add some kelp or dulse it will even have a “fishy” flavor like tuna
Courtney
Interesting idea. I’ll have to give it a shot.
I never used TVP in my “tuna” salad, I usually use chickpeas. This looks so good though! I am going to try it.
Whitney
Tuna was one of the hardest things for me to give up, actually. I substitute it with my chickpea concoctions.
okay, so does it have a fishy taste to it? i like this idea. also consider it bookmarked…
LOVE this idea. I used to use TVP all the time when I was a vegetarian and now I don’t experiment with it enough anymore! And yes, I realize this post is two weeks old. And YES Nayonaise does creep me out.
Genius! :]