Vitel toné is one of the best-loved cold dishes on the Argentine table, especially during the year-end holidays. It’s made of thin slices of poached beef eye round covered in a creamy sauce of tuna, anchovies, and capers known as salsa tonata. Though its name echoes Italian vitello tonnato, in Argentina it grew into a dish with an identity all its own.
It arrived with Italian immigrants and, over the generations, became an undisputed classic of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, showing up on most family tables across the country alongside pan dulce and Russian salad. It’s made ahead of time because it’s meant to be served well chilled, which makes it a perfect starter for December’s warm summer nights in Argentina.
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Argentine Vitel Toné
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg of beef eye round (peceto) (1 medium piece, about 2.6 lb)
- 200 g of carrots, peeled and chopped (2 medium carrots)
- 200 g of onion, quartered (1 large onion)
- 100 g of celery (2 stalks)
- 2 pieces of bay leaves (2 leaves)
- 5 g of black peppercorns (1 teaspoon)
- 15 g of coarse salt (1 tablespoon)
- 2.5 liters of cold water (10 cups)
- 400 g of canned tuna in oil, drained (2 large cans (about 14 oz))
- 8 pieces of anchovy fillets in oil (1 small can) (optional)
- 45 g of capers, plus extra for garnish (3 tablespoons)
- 300 g of mayonnaise (1 1/4 cups)
- 200 ml of strained, chilled cooking broth (3/4 cup)
- 30 ml of lemon juice (2 tablespoons)
- to taste of freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- to taste of salt (the sauce is usually salty enough from the tuna and anchovies) (optional)
- to taste of extra capers, for garnish (optional)
- to taste of fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the beef, trim the eye round of excess fat and silver skin, then tie it with kitchen twine if it isn’t tied already, so it holds its shape while it cooks.
- Poach the meat, place the eye round in a large pot with the carrots, onion, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. Cover with the cold water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer gently for 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center meets tender but still juicy meat.
- Cool the meat and reserve the broth, remove the eye round from the pot and let it cool to room temperature. Strain the broth, set aside at least 3/4 cup (200 ml), and let it cool as well; save the rest for another use.
- Make the tuna sauce, in a food processor, combine the drained tuna, anchovies, capers, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and the reserved chilled broth. Process until smooth and creamy; thin with a little more broth if needed, and season with pepper to taste.
- Slice and assemble, once the eye round is completely cold, remove the twine and slice it into very thin rounds with a sharp knife or a meat slicer. Arrange the slices, slightly overlapping, on a large serving platter.
- Cover with the sauce, spoon a generous layer of tuna sauce over the sliced meat, making sure it reaches every edge of the platter.
- Chill before serving, cover the platter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the meat soaks up the sauce’s flavor and turns nicely cold.
- Garnish and serve, just before bringing the platter to the table, garnish with extra capers and chopped parsley, if using.
Practical Tips
- Freeze the eye round for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing — it makes cutting thin, even rounds much easier.
- For a milder sauce, swap part of the mayonnaise for mashed hard-boiled egg yolks whisked with a little olive oil.
- Cook the meat only until tender: an overcooked eye round turns dry and shreds when sliced.
- Make it one or two days ahead — vitel toné tastes noticeably better the next day.
Traditional variations
- Many households make it with turkey breast instead of eye round, especially for the year-end holidays, keeping the same style of sauce.
- Some families add unflavored gelatin to the strained broth to coat the meat slices in a subtle gelée instead of serving the sauce on the side.
- Certain home recipes skip the anchovies and adjust the salt, though the version with anchovies is the more traditional one.
Recommended Presentation
It’s a cold classic that opens Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners in Argentina. It’s served well chilled, sliced thin and coated in sauce, as a starter before the asado or holiday turkey. It’s often served with bread, and some cooks add arugula or lettuce leaves around the platter for a fresh touch.
Recommended sides
- French bread or baguette
- Arugula salad
- Green olives
Origin and Tradition
Vitel toné arrived in Argentina with Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who brought vitello tonnato from Piedmont with them. Over time, the recipe adapted to local ingredients and habits and became a staple cold dish on Argentine tables.
Today it’s practically inseparable from Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: alongside pan dulce and Russian salad, it’s part of the trio of classics that no year-end dinner table in much of the country goes without.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and it's actually recommended. Vitel toné tastes better when made one or two days in advance, since the meat absorbs the sauce's flavor as it chills. Store it covered in the fridge and add the garnish just before serving.
The traditional Argentine recipe uses beef eye round (peceto), a lean, tender cut that holds its shape while poaching whole and slices easily once chilled. It's the classic choice for this dish.
The anchovies can be left out if your family doesn't care for them, though they give the sauce its signature depth. The tuna, however, is central to the sauce and shouldn't be swapped if you want to keep the dish traditional.
Covered tightly, it keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It's meant to be eaten cold, so there's no need to reheat it — just take it out a little before serving so it's not ice-cold.
