Italian Starter

Vitello Tonnato

Vitello tonnato is chilled poached veal with a silky tuna, anchovy, caper and lemon sauce.

Jump to recipe More Italian food
25 minsPrep time
1 hr 10 minsCook time
Serves 2Servings
MediumDifficulty
Vitello Tonnato
About this dish

Vitello Tonnato: the story on the plate

A refined Piedmontese dish often served as an antipasto. The veal is gently cooked, cooled, sliced thinly and covered with a savoury tuna sauce.

Historical background

A northern Italian classic that proves Italian food is not only tomato and pasta. It is elegant, make-ahead and ideal for a refined antipasti section.

Why it is famous

Vitello Tonnato is useful because it is both recognisably Italian and regionally specific, helping the page move beyond generic pasta dishes.

Cultural significance

In Piedmont, this dish is associated with home cooking, restaurants, feast days or local food identity depending on the recipe.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

Useful for meal planning and calorie-aware recipe browsing.

360Calories
34gProtein
3gCarbs
23gFat

Estimated from the exact ingredient measures in the recipe text. Validate with your preferred nutrition calculator before publishing.

Ingredients

What you need

  • 266.67 veal topside or eye round
  • 0.33 carrot, chopped
  • 0.33 celery stick, chopped
  • 0.33 small onion, halved
  • 0.33 bay leaf
  • 50 dry white wine
  • 0.33 fine sea salt
  • 53.33 tuna in olive oil, drained
  • 1 anchovy fillets
  • 0.33 capers, plus extra to serve
  • 0.67 egg yolks
  • 0.33 lemon juice
  • 40 light olive oil
  • 0.67 cooled veal poaching liquid
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. 1. Poach veal: Place veal, vegetables, bay, wine, salt and water to cover in a pan; simmer gently.
  2. 2. Cool in liquid: Let the veal cool in its poaching liquid.
  3. 3. Make sauce: Blend tuna, anchovies, capers, yolks, lemon and poaching liquid, adding oil slowly.
  4. 4. Slice: Slice veal very thinly across the grain.
  5. 5. Assemble: Layer veal on a platter and cover with tuna sauce.
  6. 6. Rest and serve: Chill for at least 2 hours, then garnish with capers.
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

Buy the best version of the core ingredient first; avoid over-spending on decoration if the cheese, seafood, meat, rice, pasta, olive oil or fruit is weak.

Ingredient quality

Use real regional cheeses where named, good olive oil, properly salted water and fresh herbs. Drain wet dairy and seafood carefully before cooking.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is adding too much liquid, overcooking the main ingredient, or using shortcuts that hide the regional character.

Chef’s tips

Cook with restraint. Let the main ingredient lead, season gradually and finish with only the garnish the dish actually needs.

How to know it is cooked

Use the visual cues in the method: tender but not collapsing, glossy not watery, crisp not burnt, set not rubbery, or al dente not soft.

Plating advice

Serve simply on warm plates for savoury dishes or chilled/room-temperature plates for desserts. Keep the focus on the food.

Make ahead

Prepare components ahead where possible, but finish pasta, fried items, seafood and crisp pastry close to serving.

Storage and reheating

Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 days where suitable. Fried and fresh seafood dishes are best eaten the same day. Reheat gently only where appropriate. Pasta, seafood, liver, cream-set desserts and filled pastry are usually best freshly served.

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