Vegan Banana Blossom Tuna Salad with Lemon, Capers and Fresh Dill

This is the sandwich filling I make when I want lunch to feel like it came from a deli counter. This vegan banana blossom tuna comes together in about fifteen minutes with no cooking at all, and once the shredded blossom soaks up the lemony mayo dressing, it eats the way I remember tuna salad eating: cool, briny, and piled high on toasted bread.

The can does most of the work, but one step decides whether it is good or just okay. Banana blossom sits in salty brine, and if you skip the rinse-and-squeeze, that brine follows you into the sandwich. Rinse it well, squeeze it genuinely dry, and the mild, flaky petals that are left take on whatever you mix them with.

Vegan Banana Blossom Tuna

Canned banana blossom rinsed, squeezed dry, and shredded, then folded with vegan mayo, lemon, capers, celery, and dill for a briny sandwich salad that eats like classic tuna salad.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the salad

• 2 cans banana blossom in brine about 14 ounces each, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons capers drained and roughly chopped
• 1 stalk celery finely diced
• 1/4 small red onion finely diced, about 1/4 cup
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste

To serve

• toasted bread or rolls for sandwiches
• lettuce leaves and sliced tomato optional, for sandwiches

Method

 

1. Drain the banana blossom, rinse it under cold running water, and squeeze it dry in handfuls over the sink, pressing firmly. You want to wring out as much brine as you can. Shred the squeezed petals with your fingers or chop them roughly into flaky bite-size pieces.
2. Add the shredded blossom to a bowl with the vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers, celery, red onion, dill, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and salt. Fold everything together until evenly coated.
3. Taste and adjust: more lemon if it needs brightness, more vegan mayonnaise if it looks dry, more salt if the brine rinse left it under-seasoned. Rest it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes so the flavors settle, then serve piled on toasted bread with lettuce and tomato.

Notes

Makes 4 generous sandwich servings. The rinse-and-squeeze is the whole recipe, more or less: any brine left in the petals ends up in the dressing, so be thorough. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge; stir before serving and add a spoon of vegan mayonnaise if it looks dry, since the blossom keeps absorbing dressing overnight.

What banana blossom is and why it shreds like this

Banana blossom is the flower of the banana plant, sold canned in brine in most Asian grocery stores and online. The petals grow in firm layers, and once you rinse off the brine and squeeze them, they separate into soft flakes with a texture that lands surprisingly close to canned tuna salad.

The flavor on its own is mild to the point of blank, which is exactly what you want here. It contributes flake and bite while the dressing contributes everything you actually taste, so the finished salad reads as briny and rich rather than floral or fruity.

Getting the brine out

This is the step people rush, and it is the only one that can quietly ruin the batch. The canning brine is aggressively salty, and squeezed petals hold onto it. Rinse under cold water first, then squeeze in small handfuls, pressing each one firmly over the sink until no more liquid runs out.

A taste test tells you when you are done. Nibble a petal after squeezing: it should taste neutral and clean, not sharply salty. If it still tastes like the can, rinse and squeeze once more. Everything after this step takes five minutes, so spending the time here is worth it.

Sandwiches, wraps, and crackers

Toasted bread is the default and the best: the crunch against the cool, creamy filling is the whole appeal. I build it with lettuce and tomato like a deli sandwich, and a second slice of toast for scooping is never wrong.

It also works spooned into wraps with cucumber, dolloped onto rye crackers as an appetizer next to my homemade vegan smoked salmon, or served as a scoop over a green salad when I want lunch lighter. The common thread is something crisp underneath, the salad itself is soft all the way through.

Storage and make-ahead

Make it up to a day ahead and it is arguably better, the shredded petals absorb the dressing overnight and the flavors round out. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir it before serving and loosen with a spoon of vegan mayonnaise if it looks dry, since the blossom keeps drinking up dressing as it sits. I don’t freeze it: thawed blossom turns mushy and the mayo dressing splits.

FAQ

Where do I buy banana blossom?

Look in Asian grocery stores, usually on the canned-vegetable aisle near the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, or order it online. It is sold in brine in cans of around 14 ounces. Buy two cans for this recipe, and check the ingredients are just blossom, water, salt, and citric acid.

Can I use something else instead of vegan mayonnaise?

Vegan mayonnaise gives the classic deli-salad richness, but you can lighten it. Swap half of it for unsweetened plain vegan yogurt or mashed avocado, keeping at least a couple of spoonfuls of the mayo for body. The salad will be a little less rich but still creamy and cohesive.

Ricky

Recipe developer

I've been vegan for years, and this site is where I share the recipes and answers I wish I'd had when I started. Everything here is something I've actually made and would make again.