My vegan version of Chuck’s Curry Tuna Fish Salad

Mark and I have been working full-time on our documentary film project following our friend, the late artist Chuck Ramirez. We recently traveled to New York to film interviews for the film and I ate the most delicious vegan donuts at Cake Shop in the Lower East Side. Other than that, I haven’t discovered any new restaurants I’d recommend (although Mark continues to search for Mexican restaurants that don’t use lard in their beans and tortillas) or tried any new baking recipes. Since my last post in July I haven’t felt compelled to share anything, but then Mark stumbled upon Chuck’s recipe for Curry Tuna Fish Salad in his research for the documentary.

Sliced and ready to share!

Golden raisins, who knew?

After Chuck passed away our friend Hills Snyder compiled stories from those close to Chuck in an article for Glasstire. In the article, our friend Chris Sauter shares the recipe for Chuck’s Curry Tuna Fish Salad. Chris had talked about it in the interview we filmed with him earlier this year, but we hadn’t considered trying it since it had tuna fish. Mark showed an interest in the recipe while re-reading the article, so I suggested using chickpeas since they have a really great tuna-ish flavor. We got excited and went shopping for the ingredients that night so we could make Chuck’s recipe for dinner. It came out good enough to share!

Best sandwich I’ve had in a while!

Chuck’s Curry “Tuna Fish” Salad
My vegan version of the recipe Chris Sauter posted on Glasstire.com

“There are no accurate measures as Chuck was a ‘pinch of this, dab of that’ kind of cook.”
– Chris Sauter

· 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
· About 2 tbsp of vegenaise (enough so the mixture isn’t dry but not swimming in mayo)
· About 1 tbsp of your favorite yellow curry powder (no garam masala)
· A couple sliced green onions
· A handful of golden raisins
· A handful of roasted almond slivers or shelled sunflower seeds
· Ground sea salt to taste

Throw the chickpeas in the food processor – pulse, stir, and pulse. You want the chickpeas tuna-like, not blended into hummus. Mix the chickpeas, mayo, curry, green onion, and raisins together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the almonds or sunflower seeds and add sea salt to taste. Serve on slices of delicious bread with fresh arugula, “slightly sweetened ice tea, endless vodka tonics, surrounded by people you love”.

Chuck’s Curry “Tuna Fish” Salad, closeup

This recipe is an even more delicious take on my recent Vegan Chickpea Salad, the curry, sesame seeds, and golden raisins make for the perfect sandwich filling. We don’t typically use arugula in sandwiches, but the peppery notes from the greens bring all the flavors together. Feel free to play with the measurements until you get it to your liking!

Chuck’s Curry “Tuna Fish” Salad Sandwich, profile

It’s been so long since I’ve written a blog post, but it’s nice to take a break so I can have better focus on our documentary. I’ll most likely continue my hiatus unless I stumble upon another incredible recipe. I just couldn’t resist the tie between Chuck and my blog with this recipe. I like to think that he would like it, but what’s most important is that it’s made with love and shared with people I care about. Enjoy!

Only half left!

xo angie