Vitello tonnato

Name: Vitello tonnato
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 10 persons
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 kg topside or round of veal; 3 garlic cloves; 3 bay leaves; 6 cloves; 1 can of tuna; 200 gram mayonnaise (or until it has reached the desired thickness); 1/2 tablespoon capers + extra for garnish; 1 lemon; 100 gram mixed greens of your choice; pepper and salt to taste

Almost everybody knows a classic vitello tonnato, but have you ever made it yourself? Slowly cook the veal for a flavor explosion!

Recipe vitello tonnato

Made by Véronique

Published at 2016-12-20, this recipe is for 10 persons and takes 2 hours 10 minutes.

Founder of Ohmydish (since 2014), she prefers to spend all day in the kitchen. Once working in the hospitality industry as an independent chef, she loves helping you gain confidence in the kitchen. With her easy-to-follow recipes, handy tips, and cooking knowledge, you'll make the most delicious dishes yourself! The recipes are accessible to everyone, from beginners to advanced home cooks.

Updated at: 2025-07-19

Let's get started

Preparation time

2 hours

Time cooking

10 minutes

Total time

2 hours 10 minutes

Preparation - 2 hours

Pre-heat the oven to 80 degrees celsius or 175 degrees fahrenheit. Pat the veal dry using paper kitchen towels and use a sharp knife to cut into the veal, not too deep.

Peel the garlic cloves and chop them into slices. Divide the garlic slices, bay leaves and cloves into the cuts of the veal and season with pepper and salt.

Place the veal in the oven and slowly cook it for about 2 hours, or until the core has reached 53 degrees celsius or 127 degrees fahrenheit. The veal supposed to be rosé.

Meanwhile create the tuna mayonnaise by blending the tuna with a (immersion) blender. Add the mayonnaise, a dash of lemon juice and a half tablespoon capers to the blender and blend until you've reached a smooth sauce.

Season with pepper and salt.

Finishing the vitello tonnato - 10 minutes

Remove the garlic, cloves and bay leaves from the veal and slice it into thin slices. You can use a kitchen cutting machine or sharp knife to do this.

Divide the slices over the plates and divide the tuna mayonnaise, capers and lettuce over the veal. Garnish with lemon zest if you like and enjoy!