Crisp, gloriously messy vitello tonnato sandwich with pesto and veal fillet.
Vitello tonnato sandwich – a brilliant and truly delicious way to serve the Italian classic. Crisp bread filled with green pesto, rocket, plenty of juicy, pink-roasted veal fillet and creamy tuna sauce. It is, quite simply, outrageously good.
Classic vitello tonnato is thin slices of veal served with a creamy tuna sauce, and the combination of the mild veal and the salty, full-flavoured sauce is wonderful. Here I have taken the same flavours and brought them together in a sandwich – and added green pesto and rocket for extra freshness and flavour.
I make my vitello tonnato with veal fillet because I simply love the flavour, the tenderness and, not least, that beautiful pink colour. I roast the fillet so it stays juicy and a lovely pink in the middle, then slice it very thinly. The mild, tender meat is a perfect match for the creamy tuna sauce – and those pink slices just look incredibly appetising in the sandwich.
And the pesto really earns its place here. The fresh taste of rocket and basil works beautifully with both the veal fillet and the tuna sauce and gives the sandwich a lovely twist. Together with the slightly peppery rocket and the crisp bread, you get creamy, juicy, fresh and crunchy in every single bite.
I toast the bread in the oven until it is nice and crisp before assembling the sandwich with green pesto, rocket, a generous layer of thinly sliced veal fillet and plenty of tuna sauce. If you have cooked the veal fillet in advance, the sandwich comes together in no time – perfect for both lunch and an easy dinner.
It is also a brilliant use for leftover whole-roasted veal fillet. The next day, the leftovers can be turned into the most delicious vitello tonnato sandwich – and those are leftovers you genuinely look forward to.
You can also use exactly the same combination for small crostini. Cut the bread into smaller slices, toast them until crisp and top with pesto, rocket, veal fillet and tuna sauce. Perfect as a starter, with an aperitivo or as a little snack alongside a glass of chilled wine.
A different way to serve vitello tonnato – crisp, creamy, fresh and full of flavour. And the combination of the pink veal fillet, the tuna sauce and the pesto… You simply have to try it.
Vitello tonnato sandwich
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread, preferably sourdough
- 400 g veal fillet – click here for the recipe
- 4-8 tbsp green pesto – click here for the recipe
- 80 g rocket
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 black pepper
Method
- Drizzle the bread with olive oil and bake in a preheated conventional oven (top and bottom heat) at 200°C for about 15-18 minutes – or until crisp and golden. Leave to cool slightly.
- Put all the ingredients for the tuna sauce 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 a little more lemon if needed. Adjust the consistency with more olive oil or a splash of water.
- Also cut the veal fillet into thin slices.
- Assemble the sandwiches by spreading all the bread slices with pesto. Divide the rocket between 4 of the slices, top with veal fillet and the creamy tuna sauce, add a little more rocket if you like, and close the sandwiches.
Nutrition
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