Jackfruit Tuna-Less Salad! It has the texture and the taste of tuna, without the actual fish. Delicious!
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A DELICIOUS VEGAN TUNA SALAD
One of the most charming and wonderful little wine and cheese shops you’ll ever visit just happens to be in my quaint little town. Might I be a bit biased? Yes, but I’m not playing favorites when I tell you how delicious their mayo-less tuna salad is.
Before I went vegan I craved those sandwiches, and ate at least two a month.
If I’m honest, which I always am, it’s the one food that I’ve missed over the past five years. I made a “tuna” salad that was close in taste, this one, but the texture wasn’t spot on.
Why it took me so long to use jackfruit to make my favorite sandwich salad, I’ll never know. But I finally got a clue, and believe me when I say, I thought I was eating the real deal.
If you’ve never tried jackfruit, you’re missing out. I’ll admit, it’s kind of odd on its own, but when it’s prepared like a pulled “pork” or a chikn’ chili, or, this delicious “tuna” salad, it’s incredibly, eerily, close to what I remember from my meat eating days.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN TUNA SALAD IN 3 EASY STEPS
- Rinse and drain the jackfruit, then shred it in a food processor or with your hands until it resembles canned tuna fish.
- Add finely chopped celery, red onion, and parsley leaves.
- Stir in some Dijon mustard, unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt (I used Kite Hill’s almond yogurt), paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
That’s it, an easy to make, 7 ingredient, dairy-free and gluten-free tuna-less salad.
SUBSTITUTIONS
This recipe is mayonnaise free because my husband loathes it.
He literally breaks out in a sweat and turns as white as a ghost when he sees it.
He’d argue that with me, but it’s true. After we got married I stopped eating it too, because I could never go through a jar of it on my own. That’s when tuna salad and I parted ways for a while, until I discovered the amazing salad at my local wine and cheese shop.
Instead of using mayo to bind the ingredients together, they used Dijon mustard. Not only does it give the salad the creaminess that’s needed for this dish, it gives it a nice tanginess.
If you don't like mustard, you can stir in your favorite vegan mayo instead.
Serve this vegetarian tuna salad as a sandwich, on a lettuce leaf, in a scooped out avocado or tomato, or just eat it straight out of the bowl.
WHAT IS JACKFRUIT?
Jackfruit is an exotic fruit that can grow up to 100 pounds. It grows in tropical locations.
When it's young (not ripe) it has a neutral flavor that makes it great for savory dishes.
When it's ripe it has a sweet flavor.
We buy canned jackfruit packed in water, not brine, to reduce the salt.
JACKFRUIT BENEFITS
Here are some of the benefits of jackfruit:
- Low in calories
- Fat free
- Sodium free
- Good source of vitamins A, C, and potassium
- A great way to get fiber
WHERE CAN I BUY JACKFRUIT?
Jackfruit isn’t easy find, so I order mine on Amazon
by the case. You may be able to find it at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, or your local Asian supermarket.
WHAT CAN YOU MAKE WITH JACKFRUIT?
Here are some of our favorite recipes made with jackfruit.
pulled “pork.”
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JACKFRUIT TUNA-LESS SALAD
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz [440 g] can of young jackfruit (we order it on Amazon.com)
- 1 stalk of celery finely chopped
- 1 small red onion ¼ cup 38 g, finely chopped
- 1 heaping tbsp. 3 g fresh chopped parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoon 47 g Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon 30 g unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt (I used Kite Hill almond)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Ground sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit and pulse in a food processor until it’s shredded and resembles canned tuna. If you don’t have a food processor you can chop it with a knife.
- Put the jackfruit in a medium mixing bowl and add the celery, onion, parsley mustard, yogurt, paprika, and salt and pepper and stir until it’s fully combined.
- Serve as is or as a sandwich.
Notes
Nutrition
Caitlyn says
Any idea approximately how much jackfruit is in a can (once drained?) I couldn't find locally so I bought a big bag online to separate/freeze, but all the recipes call for cans. I didn't think of that when I bought it. Oops!
Linda & Alex says
Hi Caitlyn,
Most cans are between 15 and 20 ounces. Just be sure that the jackfruit you ordered in young green jackfruit. The only frozen jackfruit we've found in the grocery store is sweet jackfruit that can be put into smoothies.
Happy Holidays!
Linda says
Looks like great recipe, but the jackfruit I bought is brown in color. I wonder how your salad looks whitish in color, more like tuna.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Linda! We ordered a brand of jackfruit once that was brown and we tossed it. Young green jackfruit should not be brown, at least for our recipes. We always use Native Forest packed in water.
Linda says
Thanks for your reply. I am new to jackfruit and just wasn't sure what to think.I am ordering some from your amazon link and look forward to making your recipe.
Linda Meyer says
We totally understand and happy to help. 🙂
Suzy says
I made this today and my jury is still out. I used vegan mayo because I love the mayo-y flavor in tuna salad. But something seemed flat. I put a sheet or nori in the coffee grinder and added that to give it some fishy flavor. It's better, but still just not right. I may stir in some garlic and/or onion powder for a little more kick. Or....suggestions? Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Suzy, did you add the mustard, or did you only use vegan mayo? The Dijon gives it a great flavor.
Suzy says
Absolutely added the mustard (probably a little extra). Tasted today thinking the flavors would have married and been better, but it was still rather bland. 🙁 When I ate real tuna, I used to put a pesto cube in the mix. I might try adding that tomorrow. I'm sorry....
Linda Meyer says
No apologies necessary. We all have different tastes. 🙂
Katie says
Sounds like a great recipe. Can you use coconut yogurt instead of almond?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Katie! Thank you so much. You can, but it will change the flavor.
Sunshyne says
This recipe looks great! To help some people out, I thought I'd mention that trader Joe's carries jackfruit in a can now.
Linda Meyer says
Hey Sunshyne! Love the name! 🙂 Yes, I just discovered that TJ's is now carrying jackfruit. Thank you, I'll update the post.
Howie Fox @ HurryTheFoodUp says
Jackfruit is just getting started over here in Germany as well. Never tried it, but I've heard lot's of good things about it. Excited to see it more frequently in supermarkets. Will remember this salad for a jackfruit test run! 😀
Linda Meyer says
Hey Howie! It's not easily found here, that's why I have to order it from Amazon.com. I hope someday I'll be able to find it fresh, as I've heard that it's so much better than canned.
Manju Mahadevan says
So glad to see such innovative recipes with the humble jackfruit. We had one in our backyard, back in India, while growing up and we used to make so many things with both raw and ripe jackfruit and even these seeds. This looks like a great recipe!
Linda Meyer says
Wow, that would be so awesome to have fresh jackfruit right in your backyard. I can only imagine the delicious recipes you must have made with it. 🙂
Uma Srinivas says
I grew up with jackfuit in our backyard...I know many recipes. But this is new to me. Looks very interesting 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Lucky you! I wish I could find fresh jackfruit whenever I want it. I'm sure that it's so much better than canned.
Harry@Good health says
It does not take much time to do but still looks tasty. This will be my breakfast tomorrow. Thanks a lot.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! That's my kind of breakfast. 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Yum on this recipe, must try it. Thanks! I've never bought jackfruit in a can, but our local Whole Foods has been carrying fresh ones and they're crazy huge - wouldn't know what to do with it all!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! I'm going to guess that fresh is much better than canned. I WISH our local Whole Foods carried fresh. I should ask. 😉
Nicole Dawson says
I use to love tuna salads too! When I want my fix now, I use a smashed chickpeas but you are right, its just not the same texture. I'll have to give jackfruit a try.
Linda Meyer says
Hey Nicole! I agree, the texture of chickpeas don't compare to jackfruit. I love that plant foods can mimic the texture of meats. 🙂
eathealthy75 says
Holy jackfruit Linda, your tuna-less salad looks and sounds DELISH!! I would have never thought to use jackfruit this way. Your recipe is inspiring me to head over to Amazon and get a few cans immediately...my mom and I need this in our lives ASAP! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Linda Meyer says
Lol! Thanks, Gin! I just finished the bowl I made the other day. It's been my lunch for several days now, and I don't think I could get tired of it. 🙂
Juanita says
It is a simple and good recipe. I will make it at this weekend. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
You're welcome, Juanita. Thanks for letting me know.
Trish says
I've tried to find canned jackfruit locally but I've been unsuccessful. When I lived in Sri Lanka I had a cook who used to make the best jackfruit curry for me from fresh jackfruit. Good lord it was good. It was my favorite meal that she'd make. Wish I'd asked her how to make it but I didn't ... sigh. Anywho, what brand do you buy on Amazon because I want to get the brand that you use as I can trust your judgement. I look forward to making this soon!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Trish, jackfruit curry sounds incredibly good. Maybe I need to work on a recipe? I buy Native Forest because I trust that their cans are BPA free. They go an extra step and use an independent testing firm to verify that the canning facilities they use are indeed using BPA free cans. I linked to Native Forest jackfruit at Amazon at the bottom of the post, just before the recipe.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Knowing that you trust my judgement means a lot. 🙂
Lori D. says
Love your gorgeous photos that go with your recipes!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Lori! You're always so kind. I appreciate that you took the time to comment on my pictures. xoxo