Craving salsa tonnata (tuna sauce)? Make it at home in just a few steps and use it to finish off your dishes or quick snacks. The recipe, plus some tips on pairing.
Quick Salsa Tonnata Soffice (Light Tuna Sauce)
Level: Easy
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 1-hour rest
Serves 4
Ingredients:
9 oz seed oil
1 ½ oz tuna in oil
¾ oz fresh cream
4 anchovies in oil
1 egg
Lemon
Parsley
Desalinated capers
Caper berries
Creamy mustard
Balsamic vinegar glaze
Salt
Pepper
Method:
Make a mayonnaise by mixing the egg, oil, 1 tablespoon mustard, 15 g lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a stationary mixer.
Using the classic mixer attachment, whip the mayo while holding onto the arm of mixer until the mixture starts to reach towards the sides of the bowl.
At this point, move the arm up and down to incorporate air and whip the mayonnaise for more volume.
Then add the drained tuna, 2 tablespoons capers, anchovies, a handful of parsley, and continue to blend.
Let the sauce rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Finally, add fresh cream, whipped with an electric mixer.
How to use salsa tonnata:
With roast beef
Here's the classic vitello tonnato. Arrange the roast beef slices in the middle of the plate (curled up just a bit), alternating them with spoons of sauce. Complete with a few drops of balsamic vinegar glaze, caper berries, and ground pepper. An extra idea: For a firmer sauce, replace the cream with 1 stiffly whipped egg white. Complete with a few drops of balsamic vinegar glaze and serve.
Tramezzini: Venetian-style sandwiches
If you are a fan of sandwiches, you have to try tramezzini! Here's the recipe for 4-6 sandwiches:
Coarsely mince 9 oz pickled green olives in vinegar. Mix the olives with a couple of tablespoons of tuna sauce. Spread some cooked ham (250 g in all for 4-6 sandwiches) on a slice of square sandwich bread without the crust.
Lay 1-2 slices of tomato (15 x 15 cm) on top and using a ladle, pour some of the olives and sauce over the other ingredients.
Cover with another slice of bread and make sure the edges stick.
Cut diagonally: Your Venetian-style sandwiches are ready!
Stuffed hard-boiled quail eggs
Italian salsa tonnata is also suitable for an easy, delightful aperitif.
Cook 12 quail eggs in boiling water for 4-5 minutes.
Cover some capers in a water-flour mixture and fry them.
Remove the eggs from the shell and divide in two.
Serve the eggs with tuna sauce and a fried caper.
Creamy pasta salad with shrimp tails
For a really delicious cold pasta salad, cook the pasta al dente, cool it, and add 2 tablespoons of tuna sauce.
Complete with leek, shrimp, and the grated rind of an organic lime.