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Bon Appétit

Tuna Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

4.7

(93)

Image may contain Food Dish Meal Platter Lunch Salad and Plant
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou

Tuna salad deserves more than to be dolloped on dressed greens for lunch. Some pan-fried chickpeas and the crunch from endive improve things tremendously.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    2 Servings

Ingredients

5

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1

15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed, patted dry

Kosher salt

1

small shallot, finely chopped

2

Tbsp. mayonnaise

1

Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1

Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

1

5-oz. can water-packed tuna, drained

3

red or other endive, halved crosswise, leaves separated

½

cup parsley leaves

2

Tbsp. (heaping) sliced pickled chiles

½

lemon

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook chickpeas, tossing occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Season with salt and let cool.

    Step 2

    Whisk shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar in a large bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper. Mix in tuna, breaking up with a fork. Add chickpeas, endive, parsley, and pickled chiles. Finely grate zest from lemon over, then squeeze in juice. Pour in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

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Reviews (93)

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  • Very easy, really good. Recommend using a really great tuna.

    • Chris

    • 95677

    • 6/2/2024

  • My husband and I both love this salad so we have it often. The recipe is very flexible. The first time I made this I only had half a can of chick peas, so I added in pita bread croutons to make up the volume, and now that's how I usually make it - the added texture is really nice. If all you have are ordinary salad greens, don't let that stop you. Arugula is also very nice in this, and I imagine baby spinach would be very good. No fresh lemon? A bit of minced up preserved lemon would be the bomb. Do taste your chilies and decide how much you want to add - with the Calabrian chilies I keep in the fridge, a scant tablespoon is plenty hot. This would also be good without chilies, or perhaps serve with a chili oil at the table for those who do want some heat. I like to shake up all of the dressing ingredients (including the 2 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and chilies) together in a jar and dress the salad at the last minute. This also makes it easy to turn this into a meal kit - with other components prepped stored seperateley - for a busy week night or a weekend away.

    • Ann

    • Toronto

    • 10/26/2022

  • Made this as written the first time, second time made it with garden lettuce. Much preferred the second; the lemon came through more without the endives’ bitterness to cover it. So… if you’re not an endive fan, don’t skip this recipe! Just try it with a different green instead.

    • Anonymous

    • 8/24/2022

  • Nice. Simple and the mustard gave the kick.

    • Heiko

    • Germany

    • 2/23/2022

  • A great summer lunch! Shallot not necessary if not on hand. Leftovers go great on crackers the next day, and the dressing is good on anything!

    • Charlotte

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 7/9/2021

  • This was a surprisingly awesome taste combination. My husband practically licked out the bowl. The only change I made was to put in a medium-sized shallot that I sautéed first because neither of us can handle raw onions. Terrific.

    • TugHillNative

    • Roy, Utah

    • 5/31/2021

  • So good! I make this like weekly.

    • Anonymous

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 4/7/2021