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A creamy and delicious tuna dip topped with briny olives, capers and marinated peppers. Full of umami-rich flavours and ready in under 10 minutes. Serve with fresh vegetables and crackers for the easiest appetiser.
Unlike most tuna dips, this one is made with no cream cheese or sour cream. It’s inspired by one of my favourite Italian dishes, Vitello Tonnato, and is bursting with umami-rich flavours.
Tuna, mayo, anchovies and capers are blitzed into an incredible, rich dip and topped with marinated peppers, salty olives and briny capers.
I love to serve it with bitter endive or chicory leaves and fresh vegetables to cut through the richness. Crackers work really well too.
It’s such a great party appetiser and takes less than 10 minutes to prep. Trust me, this dip won’t last long!
Ingredient notes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It- Tuna in olive oil: Just like Vitello Tonnato, the quality of the tuna makes a big difference here, especially texture-wise. I recommend using tuna canned in olive oil rather than water or brine, as it has a richer flavour and gives the dip a smooth texture.
- Anchovies: Even if you’re not an anchovy fan, these really add a lot of umami flavour to the dip, so don’t skip them.
- Capers: I always use capers jarred in brine. They add a delicious pickly flavour.
- Mayonnaise: Use a good-quality mayo if possible.
- Peppers: I like to use jarred, marinated peppers (they’re also perfect for sandwiches).
- Olives: Black or green olives work well. I chose black just for a contrast of colours.
What to serve with it
I love serving this dip with endive or chicory leaves. They act as perfect serving-sized cups for scooping up the dip, and the contrast of bitter and salty flavours works perfectly. See more serving suggestions below.
- Bell peppers: thinly sliced sticks of fresh pepper or use sweet mini peppers cut in half; they’re perfect for dipping.
- Carrots or cucumber: these are also perfect as they can be cut into sticks for easy dipping.
- Breadsticks or crackers: I tend to prefer crackers so it’s easy to scoop up the topping, but breadsticks or grissini are great for dipping too.
Recipe tips
Drain the tuna: Make sure to drain the tuna before adding to your food processor or the dip will be too oily.
Additions for freshness: Try adding some freshly chopped parsley or chives for a little freshness and contrast.
You shouldn’t need salt: There should be enough seasoning in each ingredient, so there’s no need for added salt here; however, if you feel it needs it, you can add it to taste.
Prepping ahead: Prep the dip ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. I recommend chopping the toppings in advance but only add them to the dip when serving.
Before serving: If you prep this ahead of time and store it in the fridge, make sure to remove it from the fridge around 15-20 minutes before serving so it’s not too cold.
Drinks and nibbles to serve with your dip
This dip is perfect served alongside a cocktail and other nibbles. See some of our favourites below.
If you’ve tried this Tuna dip or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest or sign up to our Newsletter to see more of our delicious food
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Easy Tuna Dip with Peppers, Capers and Olives (Tonnato Style)
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
For the dip
- 160 g (5.6oz) tuna, canned in olive oil
- 90 g (1/2 cup) mayonnaise
- 2 anchovy fillets
- ½ tablespoon capers, in brine
For the topping
- 1 marinated red pepper, finely chopped
- 8 black or green olives, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon capers, in brine
For serving
- Mini peppers, cut in half with seeds removed
- Chicory or endive leaves
- Crackers
Instructions
- Wash, pat dry and prep all your veg for serving, and set aside.
- Drain the tuna then put in it a food processor with all the other dip ingredients (capers, anchovies and mayo). Blitz for a few seconds until smooth. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl.
- Finely chop the marinated pepper and black olives and sprinkle them on top of the dip then add the capers on top.
- Transfer the bowl to a serving platter and arrange the vegetables and crackers around it. Serve.
Notes
- Storage: The dip will last well for up to 2 days in the fridge.
- Prepare in advance: Prep the dip in advance and store it in the fridge. Prepare the topping ingredients and keep them in the fridge separately. Add them to the dip just before serving.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
No sarcasm here but you say to use a good quality mayo but Every one I check starts with the same ingredient “Soybean oil” so i’m thinking about making my own small batch with EVOO and egg yolks, however all the recipes call for after the intended use to keep refrigerated only for 2-3 days because it does not last very long.
How about a pasta recipe with these ingredients and possibly cream cheese?
Hi Vinnie, fortunately, I can get olive oil mayo at my local supermarket, but I do like the taste of Hellmann’s, which is made with rapeseed oil. You could maybe try making a small batch of homemade mayo if you wanted to try that?
The tonnato recipe is fabulous. Thank you so much just love it I also serve it with crunbed chicken filets. Yummy
Ah, thank you so much, that makes me so happy. I’ve never thought to serve it with chicken, I’ll need to give it a go!