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Vegan Crispy Chickpea Salad

Canned chickpeas, drained and deep-fried? This may sound like far too simple a dish to serve to a crowd as a side dish, but these seasoned, crispy chickpeas are packed with vegetables, fresh herbs, lime juice, and some dried spices.
Part of the trick to including raw cucumbers and fresh tomatoes in salads when the want to avoid excess water involves gently salting and fully draining the vegetables before they are mixed with the remaining recipe components. If you skip this step, your mixture can become more waterlogged over time.
The following recipe provides roughly six servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (14 oz chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
  • 2 cups sunflower seed oil (for deep-frying the chickpeas)
  • ¼ red onion (finely sliced)
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • ½ fresh cucumber (peeled, seeds removed, and flesh finely diced)
  • 2 ripe Roma (or other type tomatoes, small dice)
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves (finely chopped)
  • 3 fresh mint leaves (finely sliced)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • A few grinds of fresh black pepper

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  • Rinse and drain one can of cooked chickpeas under cold water.
  • Make sure the chickpeas are drained really well, and place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray.
  • Bake the chickpeas in the oven at 350˚F for roughly five minutes, to ensure they are completely dry when they go into the hot oil.
  • Remove the gently-baked chickpeas from the oven, and heat the two cups of sunflower seed oil in a heavy-bottomed pot with high sides, until the oil reaches a temperature of 350˚F.
  • *You can test the oil temperature by using an instant-read digital kitchen thermometer, or by throwing in a fresh leaf of parsley or cilantro into the hot oil—if the leaf sizzles aggressively right away, your oil is ready to go, and you can carefully add the baked chickpeas.
  • Carefully add the chickpeas to the hot oil, making sure they are completely dry before you fry them.
  • *Adding wet chickpeas to really hot oil is a fire hazard, and really dangerous—be careful here, especially if you are feeling inclined to skip the chickpea baking step.
  • After a few minutes of deep-frying, carefully remove the deep-fried crispy chickpeas from the hot oil using a slotted spoon, and allow the crispy chickpeas to drain on a paper towel-lined tray while you prepare the remaining salad ingredients.
  • For the remaining salad components, combine the finely sliced red onion with the zest and juice of one lime.
  • In a small bowl, combine the diced cucumber and tomato with a pinch or two of Kosher salt, and allow the contents to sit for roughly ten minutes.
  • After the cucumbers and tomatoes have sat for roughly ten minutes, drain the excess liquid from the vegetables.
  • Add the drained tomatoes and cucumbers to a large mixing bowl, along with the red onion, lime zest, and lime juice.
  • Add the dried oregano, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, and fresh parsley and mint.
  • Add the deep-fried chickpeas from earlier, and mix gently to combine.
  • Drizzle in some olive oil, along with a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
  • Taste, and add more Kosher salt, lime juice, or freshly-ground black pepper, if desired.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

These crispy chickpeas are best served warm or at room temperature, although they make for amazing leftovers if you are in the mood for a healthy salad the next day—just toss the seasoned crispy chickpeas with some greens, vegetables, and a quick vinaigrette, and call it a day!
For a fun entrée idea, try serving this side dish inside of lettuce wraps, maybe with an Asian-inspired sauce.