Italian
Vitello Tonnato
Piedmontese chilled veal sliced thin under a silky tuna-caper sauce, balancing delicate meat, savory richness, and bright briny lift.
6 servings · 760 minutes prep · 55 minutes cook
Ingredients
Veal and Sauce
- 2 pounds veal eye round
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup water
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 celery rib, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 ounces olive-oil-packed tuna, drained
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- 2 large pasteurized egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Method
- Season the veal eye round with the fine sea salt. Warm the extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven and brown the veal lightly on all sides.
- Add the dry white wine, water, yellow onion, carrot, celery rib, and bay leaf. Cover and braise gently until the center reaches {{temperature:145°F}}, 45-55 minutes, then rest for at least 3 minutes.
- Cool the veal in its cooking liquid, then refrigerate overnight. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid.
- Blend the oil-packed tuna, anchovy fillets, capers, pasteurized egg yolks, lemon juice, and about 1/2 cup strained veal cooking liquid. Stream in the extra-virgin olive oil to make a silky sauce.
- Slice the chilled veal paper-thin. Layer it with the tonnato sauce, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
