Chickpea Tuna: A Recipe for Healthy Oceans

Did you know that chickpeas pack a powerful punch? Also known as garbanzo beans, these nutritious legumes are very versatile and have been used for centuries in foods like hummus, salads, pastas, curries, and soups. They are also loaded with protein and heart-healthy fats. Just one cup of chickpeas provides about 14.5 grams of protein and ample amounts of fiber, iron, omega-3, and omega-6 fats.

Seaweed is another super food from the sea that is nutrient-dense and fun to snack on its own! This sea vegetable contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that help support gut health, thyroid function, and improve sugar levels.

My favorite meal incorporating seaweed and chickpeas is making chickpea tuna sandwiches. They’re budget-friendly, great for making a quick lunch, and best yet, choosing this alternative helps keep our oceans healthy and vibrant.

Chickpea Tuna Recipe

Chickpea Tuna

Flavor Profile: Tangy, acidic, briny, oily, fatty, and savory!

Ingredients: 

• One can of chickpea/garbanzo beans (try low-sodium for heart health)

• ½ red onion

• 1 pack (0.35 ounces/10 grams) of unflavored seaweed

• 1 lemon

• 4 ounces of plant-based mayo (add more/less to obtain your preference of creaminess)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Optional (when serving on a slice of bread as a sandwich)

  • Add sliced tomatoes

  • Add some lettuce or a spring mix blend

Steps:

1. Remove the chickpeas from the can, and wash the chickpeas under water.

2. In a bowl, add the chickpeas and, using a fork, slightly smash the chickpeas for a few seconds to achieve a meaty-looking texture. The result should leave you with some intact chickpeas and some smashed chickpeas. Imperfection is key here.

3. Mince half of a red onion, chop or tear up by hand the seaweed, add the plant-based mayo, and squeeze in the juice of one lemon into the bowl of chickpeas. Mix all ingredients. 

4. Add salt and pepper to your desired preference. 

This sea-friendly tuna recipe goes great on any type of bread or eaten using crackers, so play around with it and discover your favorite way to eat this scrumptious meal.

Eating for the Ocean: Why Your Sandwich Matters

Choosing chickpeas over real tuna isn't just a food trend. It’s a superpower for the planet. Here is why making this switch helps our blue backyard:

Overfishing, Bycatch, and Species Disruption: One-third of the world's fisheries are pushed beyond their biological limits, leading to a decline in key species like tuna and cod. Additionally, industrial fishing methods, such as large trawling nets and longlines, unintentionally capture large numbers of marine life, including sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds. This results in the needless loss of billions of animals and disrupts the marine food web.

Habitat Destruction: Destructive practices like “bottom trawling” drag heavy nets across the seafloor, devastating critical habitats such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, which serve as essential breeding and feeding grounds. Lost, abandoned, or discarded “derelict” fishing gear, like traps, nets, and lines, continues to entangle and kill marine life for decades after being discarded. This is referred to as “ghost fishing,” and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that at least 640,000 metric tons of fishing gear is lost in our oceans each year.

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Sources:

National Institutes of Health (2016): “The Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Chickpeas and Hummus”

Healthline (2024): “7 Surprising Health Benefits of Eating Seaweed”

Marine Stewerdship Council (2025): “Definition of Ghost Gear”

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2020): “Responsible Fishing Practices for Sustainable Fisheries”

World Wildlife Fund (2025): “What is Overfishing?”

National Institutes of Health (2022): “Trade-offs between bycatch and target catches in static versus dynamic fishery closures”

Environmental Protection Agency (2025): “Climate Change and Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms”

Environmental Protection Agency (2025): “Estimated Animal Agriculture Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Manure”

United Nations (2025): “The ocean – the world’s greatest ally against climate change”

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2025): “Current Global Bleaching: Status Update & Data Submission”