Vitello Tonnato (Classic Italian dish)

Quick answer

Total time: 80 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Vitello tonnato pairs fully chilled, thinly sliced veal with a cold sauce blended from tuna, capers, anchovy, mayonnaise, and lemon.

For 4 servings, use 600 g veal loin, 120 g canned tuna, 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon capers, 2 anchovy fillets, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 80 g onion, and 100 ml white wine. Pat the veal dry and season it very lightly with salt. Thinly slice the onion and spread it across the bottom of a pot, creating a bed that keeps the meat away from direct contact with the hot surface. Place the veal on the onion, pour in the white wine, and cover. Cook over low heat for 25 to 35 minutes and turn the meat once halfway through. When the outside feels firm and the juices run lightly clear, let the veal cool briefly inside the pot before lifting it out. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid, then chill the meat completely so it can be sliced thinly without tearing. Blend the tuna, mayonnaise, capers, anchovies, and lemon juice until no pieces remain. If the sauce is too thick, add the cooled cooking liquid a little at a time. Stop when the sauce flows slowly from a spoon while still coating it. Slice the chilled veal thinly across the grain and spread the slices over a plate. Cover them generously with the tuna sauce, add a few extra capers, and serve well chilled.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

veal loin600 gg

canned tuna120 gg

mayonnaise4 tbsptbsp

capers1 tbsptbsp

anchovy fillets2 pcspcs

lemon juice1 tbsptbsp

onion80 gg

white wine100 mlml

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Pat the 600 g veal loin dry and season it very lightly with salt.

Thinly slice the 80 g onion and spread it across the bottom of the pot so the meat does not sit directly on the hot surface.
2

Control

Place the veal on the onion, pour in 100 ml white wine, and cover the pot.

Cook over low heat for 25 to 35 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the outside is firm and the juices run lightly clear.
3

Finish

Let the veal cool briefly in the pot, then lift it out.

Strain and reserve the cooking liquid, because it will adjust the sauce later, and chill the meat completely so it slices cleanly instead of tearing.
4

Season

Blend the 120 g canned tuna, 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon capers, 2 anchovy fillets, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth. If small tuna or caper pieces remain, blend again before thinning the sauce.
5

Season

If the sauce is too thick, loosen it gradually with the cooled cooking liquid.

Stop when it flows slowly from a spoon but still coats it, because a watery sauce will slide off the chilled veal.
6

Finish

Slice the fully chilled veal thinly across the grain and arrange the slices flat on a plate.

Cover generously with the tuna sauce, add a few extra capers for brightness, and serve well chilled.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Chilled, thin veal slices pair with a smooth tuna and caper sauce in this traditional Italian Vitello Tonnato.
Finish cue: Slice the fully chilled veal thinly across the grain and arrange the slices flat on a plate.