Vitello Tonnato (Classic Italian dish)
Quick answer
Vitello Tonnato is a classic Italian appetizer consisting of chilled, thinly sliced veal topped with a creamy sauce made from tuna, anchovies, and capers.
What makes this special
- Chilled, thin veal slices pair with a smooth tuna and caper sauce in this traditional Italian Vitello Tonnato.
- Chilled veal slices thinner than 3mm without tearing
- Anchovy and capers add briny depth to the tuna sauce
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Pat the 600 g veal loin dry and season it very lightly with salt.
- 2 Place the veal on the onion, pour in 100 ml white wine, and cover the pot.
- 3 Let the veal cool briefly in the pot, then lift it out.
Vitello Tonnato is a classic Italian appetizer consisting of chilled, thinly sliced veal topped with a creamy sauce made from tuna, anchovies, and capers. The veal loin is slowly cooked over low heat in a covered pot with sliced onions and white wine. Once cooked, the meat must be chilled completely to allow for neat, thin slices of about three millimeters without tearing the fibers. The sauce is prepared by blending canned tuna, mayonnaise, capers, anchovy fillets, and lemon juice. The thickness is adjusted using the strained cooking liquid from the veal, creating a texture that coats a spoon smoothly. To serve, the cold veal slices are arranged on a plate, covered generously with the tuna sauce, and garnished with extra capers to add a contrast of briny acidity to the creamy, savory meat.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
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.
- 2Control
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.
- 3Finish
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.
- 4Season
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.
- 5Season
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.
- 6Finish
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.
After the steps
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