The name means nowadays “tuna fish sauce”. But it is not as simple as that;

here again, there is controversy: if not over the origin of the recipe, over its indigenous components. If we can affirm that the sauce originates in Piedmont, we are almost certain that it did not contain any tuna fish at its inception: or maybe it did. Let’s start with the origin: although the name may sound French it definitely is not: it is local dialect. Proof of this comes from the fact that no French is claiming this recipe as his: they would if they could. The expression “tonnè” probably meant “tanné” or “cured”, due to the “tanned”, somewhat brownish color of the sauce, and not “tuna”: the word was probably a local adaptation of the French equivalent. Now for the content: no tuna came canned in Piedmont from Liguria in the ‘700. Nor anybody claims that tuna was preserved under salt back then: anchovies were. Therefore the original recipe was probably made of olive oil, salted anchovies, and capers. All these ingredients came from Liguria and were traded seasonally with goods made or grown in Piedmont. We are also certain that the original recipe did not contain mayonnaise: the thing had not been known in Italy back then.
This is the most basic recipe of “Sauça Tonnè”: use it as a dip or as a sauce.

Difficulty: easy

Time to prepare: 20 minutes

Ingredients

80 gr. of tuna in olive oil,
6 small capers,
3 fillets of anchovies,
50 gr. of extra virgin olive oil,
One hard-boiled egg ,
A pinch of salt,

Preparation

Wash the capers thoroughly and cut the egg in small pieces; then put all the ingredients, but only half the extra virgin oil in a food processor, and mush the components. Add oil as required while blending until the sauce achieves a creamy consistency. Put in a cup, cover with plastic wrap paper, and store in the fridge until serving time.
This much salsa tonnata is enough for 6 to 8 servings.