To me, this is one of the best vitello tonnato recipes! The light delicate tuna sauce combines perfectly with the roasted local venison meat, fresh basil, tomato and cress. Moreover, the presentation is easy and still looks amazing with all the different colors! This can definitely be served at parties, dinners or Christmas!
If you can’t find any venison meat, you can also use another type of meat like veal meat (the traditional version).
The Best Vitello Tonnato with Venison Meat
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Deep Plate
- Big Serving Plate
- Food Processor
- Squeeze Bottle or another type of sauce bottle
Ingredients
- 400 gram Venison Meat parts which are suitable for steak: leg, round of loin/backstrap
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Sauce
- 1 can Tuna about 100 gram
- 3 tbsp Quark
- 3 tbsp Mayonaise
- 1 tsp Spicy Mustard like Zaanse Mosterd
- 4 Anchovy Fillets
- 1 Lemon
Toppings
- Cress
- Cherry tomatoes
- Mini bell pepper
- Capers
- Basil
Instructions
The Steak
- Season the venison meat with salt, some olive oil and plenty of freshly grounded black pepper. The more you add, the spicier 😉 I used a lot!
- Place the frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, you can add the venison meat. Fry the meat dark brown on all sides. Depending on your liking, you can cook the meat longer/shorter.
- Then take the meat from the pan and place it in a deep plate. Pour the leftover juices on the meat on top. Let the meat cool down completely. You can serve the meat hot as well, however I prefer to serve it cold. Moreover, slicing the meat in thin slices is easier when the meat is cold. Therefore I place the meat in the freezer (30 minutes before I want to cut it).
The Sauce
- Add the drained tuna, mayonaise, quark, mustard, anchovy fillets, zest and juice of a lemon to the food processor. Season with salt, peper and maybe more spicy mustard. Mix until you have a smooth sauce. Pour the sauce in the squeeze bottle.
Toppings
- Prepare the toppings by cutting the tomatoes and bell pepper in slices.
Serving
- Divide the thinly sliced venison meat on the serving plate. Use a spoon to divide the leftover cooking liquid, in the deep plate, on top of the meat. Top the meat with the tuna sauce and finish with capers, basil, tomato and cress.