Vitello Tonnato – bring the taste of Italy to your plate!
Bring real dolce vita into your home: tender veal meets a silky tuna sauce, an absolutely timeless classic of Italian cooking. I spent a long time perfecting this one. So that nothing goes wrong for you, I am sharing my best tips and my tried-and-tested step-by-step method here. And what could be lovelier than enjoying this classic starter with a fine glass of Riesling?
Choosing the right veal for Vitello Tonnato
In German-speaking countries, Vitello Tonnato is classically made with veal round, known as Kalbsnuss. A more affordable and equally excellent alternative is the cut called Unterspälte in Switzerland and Kalbsunterschale in Germany, roughly the silverside of veal. Anyone who wants to stay strictly with the Italian original reaches for Magatello di Vitello, sold by butchers as Semerrolle or runder Mocken.
Ingredients for the poaching stock
- 800 g veal round (or veal silverside / Unterspälte)
- 150 ml white wine
- 2 l water, or enough to just cover the meat
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion
- 1 medium carrot (about 60 g)
- 5 white peppercorns
- 1 tbsp salt
Ingredients for the sauce
- 1 egg (at room temperature)
- 250 ml rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2 tbsp capers
- 25 g anchovy fillets (drained and rinsed)
- 180 g tuna in its own juices, drained
- Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 good pinch of salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Caper berries (to garnish)
Preparation
Meat: Pour the water, onion, carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns and white wine into a tall saucepan. There should be enough liquid to just cover the meat later on. Bring to the boil, season with salt, reduce the heat and add the meat. Poach just below simmering point for about 1 hour, until the meat reaches a core temperature of 56–58 °C (133–136 °F). Take the pan off the heat and leave the meat to cool completely in the stock. Then set aside about 6 tbsp of the stock.
Tuna sauce: To make the mayonnaise, whisk the egg in a tall jug with a hand mixer. Add the oil while stirring constantly, drop by drop at first, then gradually in a thin stream, until a thick mayonnaise forms. Stir in the lemon juice, mustard and salt.
Drain the tuna, capers and anchovy fillets, chop them finely and add them to the mayonnaise. Blend with the reserved poaching stock. Season the sauce with a little lemon zest and pepper.
Carve the cooled meat very thinly across the grain, arrange it on plates and spread the sauce evenly over the top. Garnish with caper berries if you like.
Frequently asked questions about Vitello Tonnato
Yes, absolutely. Vitello Tonnato is wonderful to prepare ahead. You can poach the meat the day before and leave it in the cooled stock in the fridge overnight, fully covered. That keeps it beautifully juicy. The tuna sauce can be made the day before too. Tip: carve the meat only just before serving and spoon the sauce over it fresh.
Well covered, the finished dish keeps for about 2 days in the fridge. Because the tuna sauce contains raw egg and fish, keep it thoroughly chilled throughout and enjoy it as soon as you can.
For perfectly tender, slightly pink meat, a core temperature of 56 °C to 58 °C (133–136 °F) is ideal. As soon as the meat reaches that temperature in the stock, take the pan off the heat and leave the meat to cool in the stock.
Too thick: stir in a little more of the cooled poaching stock, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a smooth, pourable consistency. Too thin: add a little more drained tuna or a spoonful of mayonnaise and blend the sauce again.
Put 1 tbsp of mustard into a clean bowl and work the split mixture back into it very slowly, drop by drop at first, then a little faster. The mayonnaise will come back together and turn smooth again.
The leftover poaching stock can be frozen and used later as a base for soups or risotto.
More delicious recipes
Please do feel free to leave me a comment – I always love hearing from you! Please do feel free to leave me a comment – I always love hearing from you!
You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for a glimpse behind the scenes of my blog.
Recipe card
*This recipe card contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases. However, the price you pay remains the same!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Meat: Pour the water, onion, carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns and white wine into a tall saucepan – there should be enough liquid to just cover the meat later on. Bring to the boil, season with salt, reduce the heat and add the meat. Poach just below simmering point for about 1 hour, until the meat reaches a core temperature of 56–58 °C (133–136 °F). Remove the pan from the heat and leave the meat to cool completely in the stock. Set aside about 6 tbsp of the stock.
- Tuna sauce: To make the mayonnaise, whisk the egg in a tall jug using a hand mixer. Add the oil while stirring constantly, drop by drop at first, then gradually in a thin stream, until a thick mayonnaise forms. Stir in the lemon juice, mustard and salt.
- Drain the tuna, capers and anchovy fillets, chop them finely and add to the mayonnaise. Blend with the reserved poaching stock. Season the sauce with a little lemon zest and pepper.
- Carve the cooled meat very thinly across the grain, arrange on plates and spread the sauce evenly over the top. Garnish with caper berries if desired.
Leave a Reply