Learn how to easily pressure cook a whole beef tongue in the Instant Pot with this simple recipe. Served with homemade Italian salsa verde, this beef tongue is tender, flavorful, and melts in your mouth!
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Beef tongue: a real, nutritious delicacy
Beef tongue might sound a little intimidating if you’ve never eaten it before, but in many cultures around the world, it’s considered a real delicacy: tender, delicious, and full of nutrients! Along with heart, beef tongue is a perfect introduction to nose-to-tail eating and a great way to start incorporating more organ meats into your meals. After all, tongue is technically a muscle, not an organ!
Besides being a good source of protein, beef tongue is particularly rich in B vitamins (especially B12), choline, collagen, iron, and zinc. It’s also high in healthy fats (mainly saturated fat and cholesterol). These nutrients are essential for supporting a healthy immune and nervous system, metabolism, and proper cell growth and development, making beef tongue a great option for pregnant women, children, and anyone recovering from illness.
Read all about the benefits of tongue and other organ meats in this post.
Thanks to its high collagen and fat content, beef tongue is incredibly tender when cooked properly. The back, thicker portion of the tongue is especially fatty and soft. Its texture is buttery and truly melts in your mouth.
How to Prepare and cook beef tongue
Despite what you might think, beef tongue is one of the easiest organ meats to prepare and cook. The simplest method is boiling, which also makes it extremely tender. Very little prep is needed: just rinse your whole beef tongue under cool water. Once it’s boiled, the skin peels off easily!
To boil beef tongue, cover it completely with water and simmer for 2–3 hours, or pressure cook it for about 1 hour. Add salt and herbs to the water for extra flavor. Once cooked, remove the outer skin and slice the tongue to serve as-is or use it in stews (try this recipe!) or pan-fry it. Beef tongue also makes excellent tacos!
Salsa verde: an Italian classic to serve with boiled meats
Italian salsa verde (not to be confused with the Mexican version) is a bright, herbaceous sauce made with fresh parsley, garlic, anchovies, capers, lemon, and olive oil. You can make it coarse or smooth, depending on the tool you’re using (think mortar and pestle vs food processor or immersion blender). Some variations include boiled egg, mayo, or even almonds. However you make it, it’s always flavorful! It’s fresh, slightly tangy, and bursting with flavor.
Salsa verde is traditionally served in Italy with boiled meats or fish salads. It adds a vibrant pop of green and a refreshing contrast to richer dishes.
Not only does this Italian salsa verde pair beautifully with boiled beef tongue, but it also adds a nutritional boost. Thanks to ingredients like parsley and olive oil, it’s rich in vitamins K, C, and E, folate, beta-carotene, potassium, antioxidants, and monounsaturated fats (like oleic acid in olive oil). These nutrients support bone health, the immune system, and heart health, complementing the B vitamins, collagen, and healthy fats in beef tongue perfectly.
Ingredients for this Instant Pot beef tongue with Italian salsa verde
For the pressure cooked beef tongue
Beef Tongue. An incredibly tender and flavorful cut, high in B vitamins, iron, and healthy fats. When slow-cooked and peeled, it becomes melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Often overlooked, it’s a classic nose-to-tail favorite.
Sea Salt. Essential for seasoning the tongue during the simmering process. I love Redmond Real Salt for its unique flavor and health benefits.
Bay Leaf (Optional). Adds subtle herbal depth to the cooking broth.
Peppercorns (Optional). For extra flavor.
For the salsa verde
Fresh Parsley . The base of this vibrant sauce. Parsley adds a clean, bright flavor and is rich in vitamins C, K and antioxidants.
Basil (Optional). A few leaves bring a hint of sweet, summery flavor that pairs well with parsley.
Chives, Garlic Tops, or Green Onions. Use what you have on hand to add a fresh, oniony kick without overpowering the other herbs.
Capers. Briny and tangy, capers balance the richness of the tongue with a sharp, pickled contrast.
Anchovy Fillets or Paste. These melt into the sauce, adding depth and natural umami. They’re a traditional ingredient in many Italian recipes.
Garlic. Adds robust flavor and traditional Mediterranean character.
Lemon Juice. Brightens and balances the richness of both the sauce and the meat. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best results!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Forms the luxurious base of the salsa verde. Choose a high-quality oil for best flavor and nutritional value.
Equipment You’ll Need
Instant Pot or other pressure cooker.
Cutting board (best if wooden) and knife for slicing cooked tongue.
Food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle for making the salsa verde.
How to make this Instant Pot beef tongue with Italian salsa verde
Pressure cook the beef tongue
Step 1: Thoroughly rinse the beef tongue under cool water.
Step 2: Place the tongue in the Instant Pot, cover with cold water completely and add salt. You can also add a bay leaf and some peppercorns or other herbs for added flavor (optional).
Step 3: Close the lid and valve. Set to pressure cook for 1 hour. (It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure).
Step 4: Once the cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally (about 15 minutes), then open the lid.
Step 5: Remove the tongue from the water and place it on a cutting board. Let it cool off for a few minutes.
Step 6: When it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the outer skin with your hands. It should come off very easily. Use a sharp knife to scrape off any remaining bumpy parts at the tip.
Step 7: Slice the tongue and serve!
Notes
You can save the discarded tongue skin to add to your next batch of bone broth. You can also save the tongue’s cooking water to add to soups or other recipes, or to substitute water in homemade bone broth for an extra nutritious and collagen-rich result!
Make the salsa verde
Step 1: Start the salsa verde near the end of the Instant Pot cooking time. Peel the garlic and remove the center (germ). Coarsely chop the parsley, removing thick stems.
Step 2: Add parsley, other herbs, capers, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice and about 1/2 of the olive oil into a small food processor, mortar, or cup (if using an immersion blender).
Step 3: Blend until fairly smooth, then slowly add the rest of the olive oil while blending to reach your desired texture.
Step 4: Adjust seasoning. If it needs salt, add a pinch of sea salt or more anchovies/paste. Serve with sliced tongue and enjoy!
Notes
The Italian salsa verde is optional, but it truly complements the boiled tongue beautifully. You can also serve the tongue with mayo, lemon wedges, or your favorite veggies.
Store both the cooked tongue and leftover salsa verde in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear how you liked it! Drop me a comment down below and don’t forget to leave me a 5-star review if you loved this recipe!
Realated posts and more organ meat recipes from the blog
Nose to Tail Eating: Benefits and Recipes
Organ Meats: List, Health Benefits, and Recipes
The Benefits of Eating Collagen and Gelatin
Nutrient dense animal foods for pregnancy
The Primal Diet: Food List, Health Benefits, and More
Beef Tongue Stew in the Instant Pot Recipe
Super Tasty Beef Liver with Sweet Potatoes and Onions
Organ Meat Breakfast Sausage Recipe
Steak and Kidney Pie Easy Recipe (Grain-free, Gluten-free)
Slow-Cooked Beef Heart Stew in the Instant Pot
How to Cook the Best Pan-Fried Beef Liver
How to Cook The Best Pan-Seared Beef Heart
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Easy Instant Pot Beef Tongue with Italian Salsa Verde
Equipment
- Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
- Mortar, small food processor, or immersion blender for making the salsa verde
- Cutting board and knife for slicing tongue
Ingredients
For the boiled beef tongue
- 1 whole beeef tongue 3-4 lbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leave optional
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns optional
For the Italian salsa verde
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 2-3 basil leaves optional
- 1 tbsp chives garlic tops, or green onions
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2-4 anchovy fillets or 1-2 tablespoons anchovy paste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Pressure cook the beef tongue
- Thoroughly rinse the beef tongue under cool water.
- Place the tongue in the Instant Pot, cover with cold water completely and add salt. You can also add a bay leaf and some peppercorns or other herbs for added flavor (optional).
- Close the lid and valve. Set to pressure cook for 1 hour. (It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure).
- Once the cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally (about 15 minutes), then open the lid.
- Remove the tongue from the water and place it on a cutting board. Let it cool off for a few minutes.
- When it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the outer skin with your hands—it should come off easily. Use a sharp knife to scrape off any remaining bumpy parts at the tip.
- Slice the tongue and serve!
Make the salsa verde
- Start the salsa verde near the end of the Instant Pot cooking time. Peel the garlic and remove the center (germ). Coarsely chop the parsley, removing thick stems.
- Add parsley, other herbs, capers, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice and about 1/2 of the olive oil into a small food processor, mortar, or cup (if using an immersion blender).
- Blend until fairly smooth, then slowly add the rest of the olive oil while blending to reach your desired texture.
- Adjust seasoning. If it needs salt, add a pinch of sea salt or more anchovies/paste. Serve with sliced tongue and enjoy!
We were JUST talking about looking for a new tongue recipe, so thank you! This looks delish.
I’ve been curious about cooking beef tongue, and the Instant Pot + salsa verde combo makes it feel way more approachable. Can’t wait to try it!
I agree that beef tongue is easy, delicious, and an especially friendly organ meat! Though a couple people in my family disagree, I don’t understand why… The Italian salsa verde would really have a lot of good uses too!
I love tongue! It is very delicious, you are so right about that. I like how you prepare it. When I have it, it’s normally still attached to the pig head that I like to cook whole and turn into head cheese, however, I take the tongue out after it’s cooked and eat it separately. It’s so good. I’m in love with your salsa recipe and will have to make it, it sounds fantastic!
This sounds delicious! We’ve got a beef tongue in the freezer that my husband’s been wanting to cook. This recipe is perfect! Thanks!