Fish Entrees Italian

The new vitello tonnato

Name: The new vitello tonnato
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /italian
Ingredients: 1 potato (about 200g), chopped; 185g can tuna in oil, drained; 1/2 small onion, grated; 2 eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 extra yolk; 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest and 1/3 cup (80ml) juice, plus wedges to serve; 1 cup (300g) whole-egg mayonnaise, plus 1 tablespoon extra; 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus fried parsley leaves to serve; 1/2 cup (150g) plain flour, seasoned; 1 cup (50g) panko breadcrumbs; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 x 300g veal fillets, trimmed; 1/3 cup finely chopped chives; 1/4 cup (50g) baby capers, rinsed, dried, plus fried capers to serve; 1 anchovy fillet in oil, drained, chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; Sunflower oil, to deep-fry

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In this updated version of the Italian classic, Valli Little has taken the tuna out of the sauce and used it to make croquettes.

1 potato (about 200g), chopped
185g can tuna in oil, drained
1/2 small onion, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 extra yolk
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest and 1/3 cup (80ml) juice, plus wedges to serve
1 cup (300g) whole-egg mayonnaise, plus 1 tablespoon extra
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus fried parsley leaves to serve
1/2 cup (150g) plain flour, seasoned
1 cup (50g) panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 x 300g veal fillets, trimmed
1/3 cup finely chopped chives
1/4 cup (50g) baby capers, rinsed, dried, plus fried capers to serve
1 anchovy fillet in oil, drained, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Sunflower oil, to deep-fry

Method

1.

Cook potato in boiling, salted water for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain, then mash well. Combine potato, tuna, onion, extra yolk, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon juice, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons parsley. Season, then roll into 16 x 2cm balls. Dip balls first in flour, then in beaten egg and finally coat well in crumbs. Chill for 1 hour to firm up.
2.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Season veal, then cook, turning, for 3-4 minutes until seared. Cool slightly.
3.

Combine chives, capers, anchovy, garlic and remaining 1/3 cup parsley on a plate, then roll the veal fillets in the herb mixture to coat well. Enclose each tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.
4.

Half-fill a large pan or deep-fryer with sunflower oil and heat to 190°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 30 seconds). In batches, deep-fry croquettes for 2 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towel.
5.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice and 1 cup (300g) mayonnaise. Thinly slice veal and serve with croquettes, capers, parsley, mayonnaise and lemon.