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Meyer Lemon & Chile Tonnato Sauce drizzled over white asparagus, treviso and roasted radishes close up

Meyer Lemon & Chile Tonnato Sauce

Try this easy Italian Meyer Lemon & Chile Tonnato Sauce drizzled over your favorite vegetables, as a spread for sandwiches, and more.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword sauce with canned tuna, Tuna sauce, vitello tonnato sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 90 kcal
Author Denisse

Ingredients

  • 1 6.7- ounce jar oil-packed tuna drained
  • 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon drained capers
  • 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Purée tuna, anchovy paste, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper, olive oil and 2 tablespoons water in a blender until smooth. Season tonnato with salt.
  2. Serve as a dipping sauce for raw vegetables, a spread for sandwiches and spreads or drizzled over salads and roasted vegetables.

Recipe Notes

  • The fresh lemon juice is a key player in this recipe. It adds some much needed acid to balance out and brighten up the tuna and anchovy flavors. It also thins the sauce to that gorgeous smooth, almost pourable consistency.
  • Feel free to add an extra tablespoon of the lemon juice right in the end. Putting too much in at the beginning can interfere with the formation of a proper emulsion.
  • I use an immersion blender for this recipe and I recommend you do the same. A vitamix would probably also work well. 
  • Blend All ingredients together by gradually lifting your immersion blender from the bottom to the top.
  • If you want to make this recipe in your food processor, drizzle a thin stream of oil into the other ingredients while running a food processor.