🥩 Vitello Tonnato
Vitello tonnato is a cold Piedmontese dish of lean veal, cooked until just tender, chilled and sliced very thin, then covered with a smooth, creamy tuna sauce. The sauce is made from tuna blended with an egg-based emulsion and lemon, and is dotted with salty capers. It is served cool as a starter or summer main, and is a traditional festive dish in northern Italy.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 800 g veal topside
- 150 g canned tuna, drained
- 2 egg yolks
- 100 ml oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp capers
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Simmer or roast the veal until just cooked through, about 45–60 minutes, then cool completely.
- Whisk the egg yolks with lemon juice and slowly drizzle in the oil to make a thick emulsion.
- Blend in the tuna and half the capers until smooth, and season.
- Slice the cold veal very thinly, cover with the sauce and top with the remaining capers. Chill for 1 hour before serving.
How to make it lighter
- Spread the sauce thinly: the sauce carries most of the fat.
- Use tuna in water rather than oil for the sauce.
- Serve with a large salad to make a lighter summer main.
History
Vitello tonnato comes from Piedmont, where it has been made since at least the nineteenth century; early versions used a sauce of tuna without egg, while the creamier emulsion-based sauce became common later.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →