Dish guides
What is vitello tonnato?
Vitello tonnato is a cold Piedmontese dish of thinly sliced poached veal covered in a creamy sauce made from tuna, anchovies, capers and egg yolk or mayonnaise. Despite the surprising mix of meat and fish, it is one of northern Italy's best-loved antipasti, served chilled, especially in summer.
- At a glance
- Vitello tonnato
- Cold sliced veal with a creamy tuna and caper sauce, from Piedmont.
- Pronunciation
- Say it like vee-TEL-loh ton-NAH-toh · IPA /viˈtɛllo tonˈnaːto/
- Also written as
- vitello tonnato, vitello tonnato piemontese, vitel tonnè, vitel toné, magatello tonnato
What’s in it
Core ingredients
- veal (usually eye of round: girello or magatello)
- tuna
- anchovies
- capers
- egg yolks or mayonnaise
- olive oil
- lemon juice
Often added
- white wine and aromatic vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) for poaching
- caper berries to garnish
- veal cooking broth to thin the sauce
- rocket or salad leaves
Allergens
| Allergen | How likely |
|---|---|
| Fish | Typically contains |
| Eggs | Typically contains |
| Celery | Often contains |
| Mustard | Sometimes contains |
| Sulphites | Sometimes contains |
| Dairy | Rarely contains |
| Gluten | Rarely contains |
| Peanuts | Rarely contains |
| Tree nuts | Rarely contains |
| Shellfish | Rarely contains |
| Soy | Rarely contains |
| Sesame | Rarely contains |
| Diet | Suitable? |
|---|---|
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Pescatarian | No |
| Halal | No |
| Kosher | No |
| Gluten-free | Usually |
Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
Veal, tuna and anchovies
A lean piece of veal, usually eye of round (girello or magatello), is poached or gently braised, often with white wine, onion, carrot and celery. It's left to cool completely and sliced very thin. The sauce, salsa tonnata, is blended from tuna in oil, anchovies, capers and lemon, and made creamy with egg yolks or mayonnaise. Many cooks thin it with a little of the veal's cooking broth.
The slices are layered with the sauce and rested for hours, often overnight, so the flavours blend. Some cooks make a lighter sauce without mayonnaise, using the veal's cooking juices instead, and menus may call this all'antica (old-style). Egg can still be part of it, so ask if you're allergic.
On the plate
Expect a flat plate of pale pink veal slices almost hidden under a smooth, beige sauce. It's typically scattered with capers or caper berries, and sometimes served with salad leaves. It is served cold or at cool room temperature, never hot. The taste is savoury and tangy rather than fishy, and the tuna sauce works rather like a rich mayonnaise.
Modern restaurants sometimes play with the idea, using rare-cooked or roast beef, seared fresh tuna, or a sauce piped in dots, but the ingredients stay recognisable.
Where and when it's eaten
Vitello tonnato comes from Piedmont, in north-west Italy, where it's a classic antipasto. It's also common across Lombardy and elsewhere in the north, and on Italian menus abroad. Because it's made ahead and served cold, it's a summer favourite and a common dish for holidays and family lunches. It also travelled with Italian emigrants to Argentina and Uruguay, where vitel toné is a Christmas tradition. In Italy you'll usually find it in the antipasti section; see the Italy menu guide for how menus are laid out.
Typical price
Median price 16.5 EUR
Typical range 12–21.5 EUR.
Median of 40 menus, 2025-04 – 2026-05. Basis: Italian-, English-, German- and French-language menus priced in euros, scanned with MenuGuide.
How to order it
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Per antipasto vorrei il vitello tonnato, per favore. | For a starter I'd like the vitello tonnato, please. |
| La salsa è fatta con la maionese? | Is the sauce made with mayonnaise? |
| Contiene sedano o senape? | Does it contain celery or mustard? |
Not to be confused with
- Carpaccio — Raw beef sliced paper-thin with a light dressing, not cooked veal under a tuna sauce.
- Roast beef all'inglese — Cold rare roast beef in thin slices, usually with just oil, lemon or a simple sauce.
- Insalata di tonno — A tuna salad, with no meat at all.
Frequently asked questions
What does vitello tonnato taste like?
It tastes savoury, creamy and slightly tangy, not strongly fishy. The tuna, anchovies and capers blend into a smooth sauce that tastes something like a rich, lemony mayonnaise, and the cold veal is mild and tender. Many people who are unsure about mixing meat and fish find the combination works much better than it sounds.
Is vitello tonnato raw?
No. The veal is fully cooked, usually poached or gently braised, then cooled and sliced thin. What may be raw is the egg yolk in a homemade mayonnaise-style sauce. Restaurants vary, so if you avoid raw egg, ask "La salsa è fatta con la maionese?" to find out how the sauce is made.
Is vitello tonnato gluten free?
Usually yes. The classic recipe uses veal, tuna, anchovies, capers, egg, oil and lemon, none of which contain gluten. Some restaurants serve it with bread or add stock or sauces that may contain gluten, so if you have coeliac disease, ask the staff how their version is made.
How do you pronounce vitello tonnato?
Say vee-TEL-loh ton-NAH-toh, with the stress on TEL and NAH: in IPA, [viˈtɛllo tonˈnaːto]. Vitello means veal and tonnato means "tuna-ed", that is, dressed with tuna sauce. In Piedmontese dialect and in Argentina you'll also see it written vitel tonnè or vitel toné.
