Raw Mock Tuna Salad
Oh how I struggled with the title of this post. It isn’t really mock “tuna”. It is a wonderful fruit and veggie salad, with the addition of a nut paté and a wonderful raw, vegan mayo. But that title is a little long. What I did do was base the salad/nut paté on what I remember being my favorite tuna salad as a girl.
I did not include dulse in this recipe so… no fishy taste. What I do remember about the tuna salad that my mom made was that she always added grapes and celery. I have never gotten over that wonderful combination of salty and sweet.
There are tons of raw recipes on-line for Mock Tuna but they tend to be nut patés. I wanted to lighten up the dish, and fill it with a lot of fresh ingredients. Once again, wonderful omega filled walnuts make an appearance along with healthy sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. That becomes the base, and then to lighten it up, a bunch of fun, crunchy veggies, plus those magic grapes come along for the ride!
You will love this recipe for raw, vegan mayo. By using the same seasoning that traditional mayo, this raw recipe makes a mayo that is pretty darn close to the real thing except it is good for your heart, not bad!
You can find butter lettuce with the root ball attached. It lasts much longer in the fridge this way.
Mock Chicken or Tuna Salad the Rawmazing Way
SERVES 4-6
Mayo
- 1 cup cashews, soaked overnight rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water, more if needed to achieve proper texture
- 1 lemon, juice from
- 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar or liquid sweetener of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
- Freshly ground himalayan salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and process, scraping down as necessary, until mixture is smooth.
Salad
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup mayo (see above)
- 2 cups cucumber, peeled and diced
- 2 cups celery, sliced
- 1-2 cups grapes, halved
- 1/2 cup scallions
- 1/2 lemon, juice from
- freshly ground Himalayan salt and pepper to taste*
- Soak walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in water, overnight. Drain and rinse.
- Place nut mixture in food processor and process until finely blended. Be careful not to make a paste of it.
- Stir in mayo, mix thoroughly.
- Mix in all other ingredients.
- Scoop onto butter lettuce leaf and top with cracked pepper.
Jenny wrote on January 4, 2015
I’ve made is a couple times and really like it. How long do you think it’s lasts in the fridge? I would think quite a while but it has an odd smell to begin with because of the vinegar so I’m never sure when I come back to it weeks later.
Kiran wrote on March 3, 2014
Hi this looks amazing! I am new to the soaking seeds and nuts bit. How much water should you use for these amounts or does it not matter?
Andrea wrote on August 5, 2017
Hi Kiran, I’ve been a raw foodist for several years & soak seeds & nts all the time.. Make sure the water is at least an inch above the top of the seeds/nuts in the bowl, as they’ll expand during the soaking. Then drain & rinse them well the next day, drain well again, then proceed with the recipe. Hope this helps!
Nia wrote on January 7, 2014
This was so delicious and easy to make! When I used to eat tuna, I loved grapes in my salad, too. Just perfect ~ will make it again.
Kathleen wrote on December 1, 2013
This is amazing!!!!
I am so glad I found your site,
Thanks for help making my transition to Raw easy, keep the recipes and beautiful
photos coming!!!’