Italian

Vitello Tonnato

Name: Vitello Tonnato
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs veal eye of round or top round roast; 1 (5 oz) can tuna packed in oil, drained; 3/4 cup mayonnaise; 4 anchovy fillets; 2 tbsp capers, drained (plus more for garnish); 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, and 1 onion (for poaching)

A Piedmontese summer classic of cold sliced veal cloaked in a silky, savory tuna-caper sauce.

120 minutes

Serves 4

Appetizer

42 min prep

66 min cook

Contains common allergens

celery Egg Fish Seafood

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Instructions

5 steps

1
Place the veal in a pot with the roughly chopped carrot, celery, and onion, cover with cold water, bring to a gentle simmer, and poach uncovered for about 1 hour until the meat reaches 145°F at the center.
2
Remove the veal from the broth, let it cool to room temperature, then wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until fully chilled and firm enough to slice paper-thin.
3
While the veal chills, combine the drained tuna, mayonnaise, anchovy fillets, 2 tablespoons capers, and lemon juice in a blender, pulsing until completely smooth, and loosen with a tablespoon of the poaching broth if needed for a pourable consistency.
4
Using a sharp knife or slicer, cut the chilled veal across the grain into very thin slices and arrange them in a single overlapping layer on a serving platter.
5
Spoon the tuna sauce evenly over the veal to coat it fully, scatter with the extra capers, cover, and chill for 30 minutes more before serving cold.

Listahan Family Score™

60/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 60

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 64

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 44

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

580

Calories

41 g

Protein

3 g

Carbs

44 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Vitello tonnato comes from Piedmont, where mountain cooking, veal, preserved fish, and capers meet in a dish that makes sense once you remember old trade routes. It is usually served cold as an antipasto or light summer main, with the meat sliced thin enough that the tuna-caper sauce becomes the main seasoning rather than a heavy topping.

Listahan note

This version keeps the cooking plain and gentle, then spends the effort on chilling, slicing, and blending the sauce until it is smooth enough to coat every slice. The practical goal is a platter that can be made ahead and served cold without last-minute cooking.

Technique cues

Poach the veal at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. A quiet pot keeps the roast from tightening up and gives you cleaner slices later.
Chilling is part of the technique, not downtime. Cold veal is much easier to cut thinly, and thin slices are what let the sauce season the meat evenly.
The sauce should be loose enough to spread but not run off the platter. Add poaching broth a spoonful at a time so the tuna flavor stays concentrated.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Start the sauce while the veal chills; the blender work is quick, and the sauce benefits from a short rest before coating the meat.
Make-ahead: Poach and chill the veal a day ahead, then slice and sauce the platter a few hours before serving.
Leftover move: Layer extra sliced veal and tuna sauce onto toasted bread with arugula and a few capers for a cold sandwich.
Cleanup rhythm: Rinse the blender right after pouring the sauce, then wipe the poaching pot while the broth is still warm.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Veal eye of round or top round roast

Lean centerpiece

Purpose: These cuts slice neatly after chilling and give the tuna sauce a clean, mild base.

Handling: Poach whole with the vegetables, then chill tightly wrapped before slicing across the grain.

Adaptation: Beef top round gives a stronger flavor and darker color, while turkey breast makes a lighter-tasting version.

Tuna packed in oil

Sauce body

Purpose: Oil-packed tuna blends into a smoother, richer sauce than water-packed tuna.

Handling: Drain it well before blending so the mayonnaise and lemon can control the final texture.

Adaptation: Water-packed tuna works in a pinch, but the sauce may need a little extra mayonnaise or broth to feel silky.

Mayonnaise

Creamy binder

Purpose: It gives the sauce body and helps the tuna, anchovy, capers, and lemon blend into one coating.

Handling: Blend until fully smooth, scraping the blender if needed so no tuna flakes remain.

Adaptation: A mayonnaise-style alternative can be used, though the sauce may taste tangier or thinner depending on the base.

Anchovy fillets

Savory depth

Purpose: Anchovies make the tuna sauce taste rounded and seasoned without making it taste separately fishy when blended well.

Handling: Blend them completely into the sauce rather than chopping by hand.

Adaptation: Use a smaller amount if you want a milder sauce, then adjust with capers and lemon for balance.

Capers

Briny accent

Purpose: Capers cut through the creamy sauce and add the sharp little pops expected in vitello tonnato.

Handling: Drain before blending, and save extra capers for the garnish so the platter has texture.

Adaptation: Chopped green olives give a similar salty bite, but they make the sauce heavier and more olive-forward.

Fresh lemon juice

Bright finish

Purpose: Lemon keeps the tuna-mayonnaise sauce from tasting flat against the chilled veal.

Handling: Add the measured juice before blending, then taste after the sauce rests because the capers and anchovies continue to season it.

Adaptation: A small splash of white wine vinegar can stand in, but use less at first because it reads sharper.

Technique notes

Use the sharpest knife you have, and take your time. Thick slices make the dish feel like cold roast with sauce instead of vitello tonnato.
Arrange the veal in a shallow overlapping layer so every piece gets sauce. A tall pile hides dry spots underneath.
Taste the sauce after blending, not before. Anchovies and capers need a minute in the mayonnaise to settle into the right balance.

Ingredient swaps

No slicer method: Chill the roast until very firm, then use a long slicing knife and steady strokes instead of sawing.
Sauce texture adjustment: For a lighter coating, loosen the sauce with poaching broth one tablespoon at a time; for a thicker coating, hold back the broth.
Different roast path: Use beef top round if veal is hard to find, knowing the finished platter will taste more robust and less delicate.

Serve alongside

Grissini breadsticks
Arugula and shaved fennel salad
Roasted pepper antipasto
Boiled new potatoes with parsley
Gavi di Gavi
Dry vermouth spritz
Sparkling mineral water with lemon

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate the sauced veal in a sealed container for up to 2 days.
Serve cold from the refrigerator or let it stand briefly at cool room temperature; this dish is not meant to be reheated for the table.
Freeze the cooked veal unsauced if needed, then thaw overnight and make a fresh tuna-caper sauce before serving.

Equipment

Medium poaching pot
Blender or food processor
Sharp slicing knife or meat slicer
Shallow serving platter

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