Vitello tonnato
Vitel tonnè
Piedmont's cold veal in tuna sauce: lean veal cooked gently in white wine, sliced thin and covered with a velvety sauce of tuna, anchovy, capers and egg yolk.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Vitel tonnè.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Rest
- 3 hr
- Total
- 4 hr 20 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Vitello tonnato is lean veal cooked slowly, cooled, sliced very thin and covered in a creamy sauce of tuna, anchovies and capers. The cut is girello, the eye of round, lean and without gristle, cooked gently in white wine with onion, carrot, celery, bay and clove until just done and still faintly pink. This is the older Piedmontese way, 'all'antica', without mayonnaise: the sauce is made by blending tuna preserved in olive oil with anchovies, capers, hard-boiled egg yolks and some of the veal's cooking liquid until smooth and pourable. Slice the cold veal as thinly as you can, cover it completely with the sauce and leave it a few hours so the flavours meet. Done is pale pink slices under a thick, savoury, briny cream, served cold and scattered with capers.
What you'll need
14 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Veal, girello (eye round), trimmed and tied800 g
- Dry white wine300 ml
- Onion, quartered1 medium
- Carrot, in chunks1 medium
- Celery, in chunks1 stalk
- Water, roughly, to cover500 ml
- Tuna, in olive oil, drained160 g
- Capers, salted, rinsed, plus more to finish30 ml
- Egg, hard-boiled, yolks only3
- Olive oil, extra virgin59 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Put the veal in a snug pan with the wine, vegetables, bay, cloves, salt and enough water to just cover. Bring to a bare simmer and cook 50–60 minutes, until a thermometer in the centre reads about 62°C. Leave it to cool in the liquid.
60 min
Step 2
Strain the cooking liquid. Blend the tuna, anchovies, capers, egg yolks and oil with about 150 ml of the liquid until smooth, adding more liquid until it pours like thick cream.
10 min
Step 3
Slice the cold veal very thinly. Lay the slices overlapping on a platter, covering each layer with sauce. Cover and chill at least 3 hours, ideally overnight, and scatter with capers before serving.
10 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 349 kcal
- Protein
- 39.6 g
- Carbs
- 5.6 g
- Fat
- 17.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2.5 g
- Sodium
- 830 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Fish
- Eggs
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.
Substitutions
Veal girello → Veal topside
Also lean; cook it gently and slice even thinner.
Tips
- Slice the veal cold from the fridge; a very sharp knife gives the thinnest slices.
- Serve it cool rather than fridge-cold: take it out half an hour before.
History & culture
In Piedmont it is an antipasto for summer Sundays and family lunches, and across northern Italy it is a fixture of Ferragosto, the 15 August holiday. Most cooks today make the sauce with mayonnaise. The older version without it is lighter, and tastes more of the veal.
The dish is Piedmontese, and its dialect name 'vitel tonnè' is still used on menus in Turin and the Langhe. Pellegrino Artusi printed a vitello tonnato in his 1891 cookbook with tuna and anchovies in a sauce of olive oil and lemon. Mayonnaise became the usual base later.
Traditional — The older Piedmontese version without mayonnaise: veal girello cooked in white wine, with a sauce of tuna, anchovy, capers, egg yolk and cooking liquid.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Vitello tonnato take?
4 hr 20 min all in — 20 min prep, 1 hr cook, 3 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 portions. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Fish, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Blender, Chef's knife, Cutting board.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Veal girello → Veal topside. Also lean; cook it gently and slice even thinner.
Any tips from this recipe?
Slice the veal cold from the fridge; a very sharp knife gives the thinnest slices. Serve it cool rather than fridge-cold: take it out half an hour before.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Slice the cold veal very thinly. Lay the slices overlapping on a platter, covering each layer with sauce. Cover and chill at least 3 hours, ideally overnight, and scatter with capers before serving.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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