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Vitello Tonnato Recipe (Veal with Tuna Sauce)
Chilled veal layered with creamy tuna, caper, and anchovy sauce gives Vitello Tonnato its rich flavour and delicate texture, perfect for Italian appetisers and gatherings.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time: 6 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the Meat
- 1 kg – 2.2 lbs veal girello (eye round)
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 bay leaf
- salt
- peppercorns
For the Sauce (Salsa Tonnata)
- 250 g – 8.8 oz tuna in olive oil – drained
- 300 g – 10.5 oz homemade mayonnaise – you can also use store-bought mayonnaise
- 5 anchovies
- 1 heaped tbsp salt-packed capers – rinsed
- ¼ ladle broth (veal cooking liquid)
- ¼ carrot
- salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Meat
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Place the onion, carrot, celery stalk, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns in a large pot filled with water and bring to a boil.
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Add the veal and cook over low to medium heat until fully cooked. Remove the meat from the broth and leave it aside to cool completely.*
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Once completely cold, slice the veal very thinly into about 3 mm – ⅛-inch thick slices. Use a slicer machine if available. Set aside while preparing the sauce.
Prepare the Sauce
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Place the tuna, mayonnaise, anchovies, capers, broth, and carrot in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste before adding salt, since the anchovies and capers may already contain enough seasoning.
Assemble the Vitello Tonnato
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Spread a layer of sauce over a serving dish, followed by a layer of sliced veal. Continue layering the sauce and meat until all the veal has been used.
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Finish with another layer of sauce and decorate with sliced cooked carrot.
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Serve cold or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
*Reserve the broth for Risotto alla Milanese or freeze it for later use.