How to make pan bagnat AKA the ultimate picnic sandwich

Name: How to make pan bagnat AKA the ultimate picnic sandwich
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 baguette; ½ clove of garlic; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 3 tbsp red wine vinegar; 2 eschalots (French shallots), thinly sliced; 4 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped; 120g tinned tuna in olive oil, drained; 2 tomatoes, sliced; handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 8 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped; 2 grilled and marinated artichokes, roughly torn; 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced; sea salt and cracked black pepper; zest of ½ a lemon; handful of wild rocket leaves

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

January 26, 2024

Pan bagnat is the ultimate picnic sandwich.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

Translating as “bathed bread”, pan bagnat is one of my all-time favourite snacks. It’s the ultimate sandwich to take on a picnic since it doesn’t need to be eaten straight away. Think of it as a salade nicoise in a baguette, with all the fillings squashed down, getting nicely acquainted. It’s the perfect combination of salty, briny and fresh.

I like to use a baguette for my pan bagnat because it retains a good amount of chew. I rub it with half a garlic clove for subtle flavour, but if you’d like it stronger, finely grate it into the olive oil mixture instead.

Ingredients

1 baguette
½ clove of garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 eschalots (French shallots), thinly sliced
4 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
120g tinned tuna in olive oil, drained
2 tomatoes, sliced
handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
8 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
2 grilled and marinated artichokes, roughly torn
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
sea salt and cracked black pepper
zest of ½ a lemon
handful of wild rocket leaves

Method

Step 1
Slice the baguette lengthways, taking care not to cut it all the way through. Rub the bread with the cut garlic clove.
Step 2
Whisk the olive oil and red wine vinegar in a small bowl and add the eschalots and anchovies. Mix to combine, then spoon the mixture onto the baguette, on both sides. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes so the bread “bathes” in the mixture.
Step 3
Now layer the baguette with the remaining ingredients: tuna, tomato slices, parsley, olives, artichokes and boiled egg. Season well with a little salt, remembering that the anchovies and olives are already salty, and plenty of cracked black pepper. Add the lemon zest and rocket and close the baguette.
Step 4
Wrap the baguette tightly in foil, put a plate on top of it and weigh it down with something heavy, like a cast-iron pan. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then cut the baguette into four sandwiches and serve.