ChicFish Sandwiches

I’m a total sucker for nostalgia food, so when we were organising my mom’s annual birthday surprise and decided on a riverside picnic, I knew I had to make some dainty filled sandwiches for the occasion. I wanted to replicate those delicate tuna mayo sandwiches of my childhood, but in a kinder filling way. I’d seen all over the Interwebs peeps making tuna fish replacement filling with chic peas (seriously, those are multitasking legumes) but I wanted to add in a flake element with a fishy texture, and had a genius moment of combining chic peas and chopped artichoke hearts – perfection. Simple to make, pretty as a picture, and can be made into dainty points or thrown into a baguette with a red checker napkin and a pickle for a down home New York deli experience – I’ll have what she’s having! 

ChicFish Sandwiches (makes about 4 full sambos/16 points) 

Ingredients

8 slices soft white sandwich bread 

spread like Nuttlex or whatever you prefer 

1 tin chic peas, drained and roughly mashed  

1 jar artichoke hearts in brine, finely sliced 

finely chopped parsley to taste (I used about ¼ bunch flat leaf) 

2T capers, finely chopped 

2 sticks of celery (fine inner stalks) finely chopped 

bunch of chives finely chopped 

1T Dijon mustard 

4T Vegan mayonnaise (or more if you like it juicy) 

zest of a lemon 

vegan fish sauce (optional if you want it to taste more fishy) 

salt and pepper  

tabasco if you are that way inclined 

iceberg lettuce, chiffonaded finely 

Method 

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, taste for seasoning and add more mayo if you want it to be a little more moist. Ingredients should be bound with the mayo/mustard but not sloppy. If you want a fishy experience, very judiciously use the vegan fish sauce, but no more than 1/4tsp 
2. Spread the bread lightly with Nuttlex or whatever, if you want to go all out and cut off the crusts, now is your moment to shine. 
3. Fill the sandwiches and drape with lettuce neatly, cut into triangles. (Note: if you have gluten free peeps dining, you can also use this to fill lettuce cups) 
4. Display beautifully.  
5. Reap praise.  
6. Eat like a lai-day.