Vitello tonnato

Vitello tonnato with pink veal fillet and creamy tuna sauce.

Vitello tonnato – the classic Italian starter of tender veal and a silky, creamy tuna sauce. A wonderful pairing of mild veal with the salty, full-flavoured sauce of tuna, anchovies and capers – a dish that tastes wonderful and looks stunningly elegant on the plate.

My version is perhaps a little untraditional, as I make my vitello tonnato with veal fillet. I do it quite simply because I love the result. Veal fillet is incredibly tender, it has a lovely texture, and it can be cooked pink, giving you the most beautiful rosy slices of meat. Sliced wafer-thin and arranged on a platter or plated individually, it really does make a stunning presentation.

I make the tuna sauce with tuna in oil, hard-boiled egg yolks, anchovy fillets, capers, mild olive oil and a little mayonnaise. The mayonnaise is my little twist – I find it rounds off the sauce beautifully and gives it an extra soft, creamy consistency. Finally I season it with freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper.
As a rule I always drain the oil from the tuna and add a good, mild olive oil instead. The oil in a tin of tuna varies enormously in quality, and in some brands it can have a rather sharp or bitter taste that does the tuna sauce no favours. If you have bought a really good tuna in a fine oil, you can of course use that oil. Just measure it as you go so the sauce doesn’t become too thin.
You can also perfectly well use tuna in spring water. Here the sauce may need a little extra olive oil to achieve the same rich, creamy consistency. Whichever tuna you use, the consistency should be soft and creamy – neither firm nor runny – so it drapes beautifully over the meat.

As a little twist, I sometimes top my vitello tonnato with homemade bread croutons. I make them from the soft inside of a white loaf, crusts removed, so they turn out light and crisp without becoming hard. They are by no means essential to the dish, but I love the crunch alongside the tender meat and the creamy sauce.

To serve, I slice the pink-cooked veal fillet wafer-thin and arrange it with plenty of tuna sauce, crisp croutons and capers, if you like them. Top with fresh basil or micro greens – I used rocket shoots, which go wonderfully with it – and finish with a little good olive oil, flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Vitello tonnato is perfect as a starter, for an Italian dinner or as a light lunch with good bread on the side. Best of all, both the veal fillet and the tuna sauce can be prepared well in advance, so there is little more than the plating left to do when your guests arrive. If the tuna sauce has thickened after a spell in the fridge, simply stir in a little water to loosen it.

Tender, creamy, salty, fresh and crisp – an Italian classic I never tire of.

Vitello tonnato

Recipe for a classic vitello tonnato – veal with creamy tuna sauce.

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Course: Starter

Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Veal fillet

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Change servingsServings: 4 people

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Ingredients

Tuna sauce

• ▢ 1 tin tuna in oil, drained
• ▢ 2 egg yolks, hard-boiled
• ▢ 4 anchovy fillets
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp capers, drained
• ▢ 2 tbsp mild olive oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground pepper

To serve

• ▢ 400 g veal fillet – click here for recipe cooked pink
• ▢ 3-4 tbsp capers, drained
• ▢ Olive oil
• ▢ Bread croutons (optional)
• ▢ Basil leaves or a few micro greens

Bread croutons

• ▢ 1/2 day-old white loaf or 1 baguette
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ Salt

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Method

Bread croutons – optional

• Tear the bread into large chunks – preferably leaving out the crust. Spread them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, toss with a little oil and season with salt.
• Bake the croutons in a preheated conventional oven (top and bottom heat) at 200°C for about 18-20 minutes, then leave them to cool.

Tuna sauce

• Put all the ingredients in a mini chopper or similar and blend until you have a smooth, even cream. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper – and more lemon if needed. Adjust the consistency too with more olive oil or a little water.

Serving

• Slice the meat thinly and arrange it in a thin layer on 4 plates.
• Spoon the tuna sauce over the meat, ideally in small dollops that you swipe across with the back of a spoon, then scatter the croutons on top.
• Sprinkle with capers and fresh basil leaves or a few micro greens, drizzle with a little olive oil if you like, and season with freshly ground pepper and a pinch of flaky sea salt.

Nutrition

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