Italian · Dinner
Cold Veal with Tuna Sauce
Vitello Tonnato
A Piedmontese summer classic of slow-poached veal sliced cold and dressed with a creamy tuna-and-caper sauce of mayonnaise, tinned tuna, anchovy, and lemon — the cool meat and sharp tuna sauce a defining Northern Italian summer dish.
$$
15 minsPrep
120 minsCook
135 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
48gProtein
28gFat
8gCarbs
2gSugar
1gFiber
780mgSodium
145mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Halve 2 carrots (120g total) and 2 celery stalks (80g total). Peel 1 onion (80g), stud with 2 cloves. Gather 2 bay leaves, 10 peppercorns. For sauce: drain tinned tuna (120g total), mince 2 anchovies, drain capers. Chop parsley (2 tbsp). Measure wine, water, salt, oil, lemon juice.
2
Simmer
Place veal in a large saucepan with carrots, celery, clove-studded onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, wine, salt, and 1.6 liters cold water. Bring to bare simmer over medium heat—never boil hard. Skim foam. Reduce to lowest heat, cover partially, poach 1 hour 50 minutes until veal reaches 62°C internally with slight pink centre. Meat should be very tender.
3
Rest
Transfer veal to cold water for 5 minutes to halt cooking. Pat dry thoroughly. Wrap tightly in cling film, refrigerate minimum 30 minutes until firm enough for thin slicing.
4
Build
While veal chills, combine drained tuna, mayonnaise, minced anchovies, 2 tbsp capers, 2 egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and black pepper in a processor. Blend until smooth. With motor running, drizzle in 4 tbsp olive oil to emulsify into thick, spoonable sauce. Taste and adjust lemon juice for sharp, salty creaminess.
5
Slice
Unwrap chilled veal. Using a sharp knife, slice across the grain into 2–3mm slices as thin as possible. Keep slices intact for layering.
6
Plate
Spoon thin tuna sauce layer onto each plate. Lay veal slices in slight overlap, nearly edge-to-edge. Generously spoon more sauce over veal to cover. Scatter remaining 2 tbsp capers and parsley. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, arrange arugula leaves alongside, tuck lemon wedge beside. Serve immediately.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 440g (15.5 oz) veal eye round
- 2 small carrots
- 2 small celery stalks
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 small bay leaves
- 10 black peppercorns
- 240ml (1 cup) dry white wine
- 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 1.6 liters (6.75 cups) cold water
- 120g (4.2 oz / 2 cans) tinned tuna in olive oil
- 6 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 anchovy fillets in oil
- 4 tbsp small capers in brine
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
- 20g (small handful) arugula leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges