This weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer here in the US! If you’re celebrating, you may be headed to the beach. And if that’s the case, you might be around a lot of seafood this weekend. (Weird how my mind always goes straight to food.)
If you’re vegan, this can be a little sad since you won’t be indulging in any shrimp, fish, lobster, or crab. But I have something that you might think is even better…
A 100% completely plant-based vegan lobster roll!
Before becoming vegan, I used to get down with a good lobster roll. The classic sandwich paired buttery rolls with crisp lettuce, salty mayo, and fresh lobster. Since I no longer eat seafood (and feel pretty damn awesome about it), I set out to make a different version of the famous lobster roll. The version I set out to make would be completely plant-based but still taste like summer and mimic all the same flavors of the classic lobster roll.
All of the quintessential lobster roll flavors are present- a toasty buttery roll, crisp butter lettuce and the most import part- a salty, seafood-like fresh filling that is close to the taste of an actual lobster salad. Not a direct match, but a pretty good contender if you’re vegan and never thought you’d see a lobster roll again.
You just need one key ingredient for the secret seafood taste, which you can find at most grocery stores.
Seaweed snacks! Mince a few sheets of this snack and crumble into your vegan lobster mix and you suddenly have that familiar seafood taste.
- 1 15oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained/rinsed
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped (can sub dried chives)
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (can sub dried dill)
- 1 tbsp minced seaweed snack
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped butter lettuce
- 4 gluten-free vegan hot dog buns (or butter leaf lettuce cups)
- 1 tbsp vegan margarine (Earth Balance) (if using rolls)
- Add chickpeas to a large bowl. Using a potato masher or the back of a large fork, lightly mash chickpeas.
- Add red onion, celery, chives, dill, and minced seaweed snack to chickpeas, stirring with a large spoon.
- In a small bowl, combine vegan mayo with Old Bay and lemon juice, stirring to combine.
- Add mayo mixture to chickpea mixture, stirring to combine. Place in refrigerator until ready for use.
- Open hot dog rolls and spread a thin layer of margarine over the inside of roll.
- In a toaster oven or oven preheated to 375 degrees, place prepared hot dog buns on baking sheet. Toast for 3-5 minutes until margarine has melted.
- Remove from oven. Place a small handful of butter lettuce in each hot dog bug, spoon 1/4 of chickpea mixture into bun. Serve immediately.
If you try these babies, let me know how they turn out. I’m on Instagram and Facebook, and would love to see your creations.
Enjoy your weekend!
Sounds good but give me the lobster. Happy Labor Day. Not my favorite holiday.
Seaweed snacks = brilliant!!! I’m borderline obsessed with those. (Especially Trader Joe’s wasabi flavored ones.) 🙂
Filing this one away for when the “lobstah” craving hits.
Awesome Ali, hope you enjoy it! I need to get my hands on the TJ wasabi flavored ones now…. 🙂