Crispy Pork Cutlets with Tonnato Sauce
Crispy, golden pork cutlets are irresistible on their own, but pair them with a luscious tonnato sauce and suddenly you’ve got a dish that straddles continents and culinary traditions. The creamy sauce—built on premium tuna fillets, lemon, and caperberries—adds brightness and depth to the fried richness. It’s comfort food, dressed for company.
The recipe comes from Chef Daisy Ryan of Bell’s in Los Alamos, California, where her cooking style celebrates cultural mash-ups with a playful twist she calls Franch—French meets ranch country. Her pork cutlets show off that sensibility beautifully: a classic technique made fresh again with a surprising Italian companion.
From Vitello Tonnato to Tonkatsu
The inspiration here comes straight from Italy’s Piedmont, where Vitello Tonnato—sliced veal with a tuna-based sauce—has long been a summertime favorite. Marcella Hazan herself described it as “an exceedingly elegant antipasto for an elaborate dinner,” though in Argentina, with its Italian heritage, it appears on Christmas tables. Swap in pork cutlets and you have a clever twist that feels both familiar and new. If you love the idea of tonnato, don’t miss my Chicken Tonnato recipe—a lighter, equally elegant take that works year-round. For more Italian inspiration, I always turn back to Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking — one of the cookbooks I reach for most often. Click on the link and add it to your cookbook collection
Or think of it as Tonkatsu Tonnato.
Tonkatsu, Japan’s beloved breaded pork cutlet, dates back to the late 19th century when Japanese cooks were adapting European dishes into their own repertoire. The word itself is a mash-up: ton (pig) and katsu (cutlet). When paired with tonnato sauce, it’s proof that the culinary world really is a circle—Italian meets Japanese on a California plate. If Japanese flavors call to you, Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art is a masterclass worth having on your shelf.
Why This Recipe Works for Weeknights
Despite its pedigree, this dish is weeknight-friendly. The cutlets fry up quickly, the sauce can be made in advance, and the finished plate looks restaurant-ready. It’s rich but balanced, homey yet elegant—the kind of recipe you’ll pull out when you want dinner to feel like more than just dinner. If you enjoy this approach—mixing tradition with surprise—try my Parmesan-Crusted Salmon Caesar Salad, which riffs on Marcella Hazan’s “no cheese with fish” rule in the most delicious way.
Creamy and rich tonnato sauce, thickened and flavored with high-quality tuna, surrounds a crispy pork cutlet for an out-of-this-world weeknight dinner. Crispy Pork Cutlets with Tonnato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
