Pan Bagnat is always something we eat by the shore after a day in the sun – sometimes we do more eating than swimming. A popular sandwich in the south of France, pan bagnat means bathed bread because it swims in a mixture of garlic and olive oil and the juices of ripe summer vegetables. Make these sandwiches on a baguette or large rolls. The bread soaks up the juices and the crisp crust holds them in.
I like to use a hard roll or small fresh baguette when making pan bagnat. You want something substantial enough to hold the juicy filling but tender enough to bit through. (The main image was assembled on bread I made. But sometime I use plump Italian loaves like what you see in most of these photos.) First step is to crisp and warm the bread in the oven. You can split the bread 3/4 way through before crisping.
Then you need to set up your mise en place, gathering all the ingredients to fill the bread. Here is the tuna mixture and sliced vegetables.
To assemble the sandwich, spoon a nice layer of the tuna mixture onto the oiled bread. Then pile on the tomato and onion slices ending up with anchovies. Season the tomatoes with pepper and salt if you aren’t using anchovies.
Then close the sandwich using a fork to tuck in all the ingredients.
Here is another shot of a pan bagnat made on bread I baked myself.
Wrap the sandwich or loaf tightly in parchment or waxed paper. Refrigerate it for a few hours before serving. (Often I use a serrated to cut right through the paper to make individual portions of pan bagnat.)
Ingredients
4 crusty sandwich rolls or 1 short baguette
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Two 6-ounce cans of tuna, packed in water, undrained
2 tablespoons capers
2 green onions, minced
1 medium ripe tomato, cut into 4 slices
1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded and cut into 4 pieces
1 roasted green pepper, peeled, seeded and cut into 4 pieces
1 small Bermuda onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
4 anchovy fillets
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut each roll in half horizontally keeping the top and bottom attached. (Or split the baguette horizontally keeping the two halves attached.)
- Combine the chopped garlic, salt and olive oil in a small dish. Brush the insides of each roll with this mixture. Place the rolls on a baking sheet and bake them until the crust is crisp, for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Combine the tuna, capers and green onion. Divide this mixture evenly between the rolls. Add a slice of tomato to each roll. Layer a slice of red pepper, green pepper and Bermuda onion on each sandwich and top with an anchovy fillet.
- Close each roll. Wrap them in parchment paper plastic wrap. Let the sandwiches sit at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
If using a baguette, select a short one. A 12-14-inch loaf makes 4 sandwiches. Prepare the bread and fill the sandwich. Wrap the entire filled baguette in parchment paper. Then cut the loaf into 4 portions keeping the parchment paper intact.
