This vegan tuna melt recipe hits all of the classic notes, it's creamy with tons of fresh dill, capers deliver acid, and notes of brine, and Dijon mustard adds that special pop. Piled high on a slice of crispy bread that is smothered with vegan cheese custard and you have the perfect vegan tuna melt.
Warm the extra virgin olive oil over low heat. Add the kelp granules, and stir to combine cooking for 1-2 minutes. Allow the kelp granules to steep for a minimum of 30 minutes. The more time the kelp granules spend in the oil the better the flavor.
How to make vegan tuna
Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans with cold water.
Chop the garbanzo beans by hand. This gives us more control over the size of the pieces. It also allows us to smash some of the beans with the side of the knife. The combination of cutting and mashing creates a creamy texture with larger pieces giving the vegan tuna a nice bite.
Add the sliced scallions, sweet relish, chopped parsley, Old Bay seasoning, dill, and classic vegan mayo.
Add the kelp oil, and stir to combine. Keep cool until time to build the Vega tuna melt.
How cheese custard
Combine the classic vegan mayo, with the nutritional yeast, potato starch, and mushroom.
Whisk to combine, set aside.
Building the vegan tuna melt
Preheat the broil.
Cut the bread into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Spread a generous layer on the sliced bread, and spread the cheesy custard to the edge of the bread.
Heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat, and add a nub of vegan butter to the pan. The butter should be melted, and just starting to sizzle before adding the toast.
Sauté the bottom of the bread until golden brown and crisp.
Once the bottom of the bread is cooked place the pan under the broiler, cooking for about 1 minute. The edges of the bread should be lightly toasted, and the cheesy custard should be a light golden brown on top
Pile the vegan tuna on top of the cheesy custard, garnish with fresh dill fronds and serve.