Pan Bagnat: Le French Tuna Salad Sandwich
When blanching beans -- or any green veg -- make sure to generously salt the water, as you would for pasta.
A minute or two is all these haricots verts need.
Amanda actually cut herself on a sharp edge of the baguette as she was rubbing it with garlic. Who knew sandwich-making was such a bloodsport?
Stemming the flow.
Back in action, Amanda hollows out the baguette and brushes it with a good amount of olive oil (part of the whole "bathed bread" thing).
As you can see, we didn't hold back with the basil.
Merrill recalls her recent wedding for a brief moment.
It's important to use good-quality tuna here -- we like ours packed in olive oil.
All the makings for the tuna salad.
Scratch that. We were missing the parsley and artichokes!
A simple dressing of lemon juice and olive oil lets the other ingredients shine.
We used almost, but not quite all of the dressing. But it's up to you and how "bathed" you want your sandwich to be.
You want to pile on as much of the tuna salad as possible without having the whole sandwich fall apart.
Yet another two-person job...
Merrill pokes an errant pepper into submission.
A tight wrap is key.
And then a heavy weight. We used what we had.
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A&M say: Pan Bagnat, literally "bathed bread," is a great solution to the brown bag lunch dilemma, and Waverly's version is pitch-perfect. A decidedly Nicoise tuna salad is pressed between two garlic and oil slicked halves of a baguette and left in the fridge overnight, which allows all of the juices to soak into the bread. We chose to include both of the optional ingredients -- crisp green beans, briny artichoke hearts -- and were glad we did. The resulting sandwich was a glorious riot of colors, flavors and textures. - A&M
Waverly says: The pan bagnat is the sandwich version of the salad Nicoise. You can find either in various forms all over the Mediterranean coast where it is made with fresh seasonal ingredients. Here, olive oil packed canned tuna is mixed with olives, red onions, fresh herbs, and vinaigrette. The salad fills the center of a crusty French baguette. In this case "crusty" is the operative word. The bread must have a hard crust on the outside otherwise it will fall apart. Pan Bagnat literally translated is "wet bread" - the point is for the vinaigrette to soak into the bread. In my opinion, THAT is what makes this such a great sandwich. - Waverly
Serves 2, but multiplies easily
- 1/2 loaf crusty French baguette
- 1 clove garlic, cut in half
- 4-6 basil leaves
- 1 (6oz) can tuna
- 3/4 cups Nicoise or Kalamata olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 jar or can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup blanched French green beans, sliced into thirds (optional)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- PREP THE BREAD: Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Remove some of the insides of the bottom half to create a trough into which the filling will go. Brush both halves with a little extra virgin olive oil. Rub each with the garlic. Line the half with the trough with the basil leaves.
- MIX THE SALAD: In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, olives, red bell pepper, onion, parsley, artichoke hearts (if using) and green beans (if using). In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the lemon juice into the olive oil until it is emulsified/combined. Pour the vinaigrette into the tuna mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
- ASSEMBLE: Spoon tuna mixture into the trough of the baguette over the basil leaves. Wrap sandwich well in plastic. Crush it down by placing a brick or heavy cast iron skillet and refrigerate, preferably with the weight, overnight.
- SERVE: In the morning, cut sandwich in half. Enjoy for lunch at home or wrap in foil and brown bag it (use a lunch box that will keep the sandwich chilled). Serve with cubes of feta cheese and a tart Granny Smith apple.
- Your Best Brown Bag Lunch Contest Winner!
Tags: brown bag lunch, Canned tuna, picnic, savory, serves a crowd, tuna salad
16 days ago Elm
This was so good I didn't want the sandwich to end! Great Job!
about 1 month ago EmilyC
Made this for the DC area potluck...so, so good! I love the fact that the sandwich can be entirely made and wrapped up the night before. And as good as it is in sandwich form, the tuna salad on its own is great too!
5 months ago teamom
Hello all,
I've just made this sandwich (yum!), and thought that I'd add my "thoughts and tweeks" -
there are no (real) french baguettes to be had where I live, so I made this sandwich with a "small" sourdough round. This recipe makes enough for two 6" (14 cm) loaves. Sourdough added a chewey nuance, but a nice one, and seemed to keep its crisp well.
I used a 5 oz. can of Genove tuna packed in oil (didn't someone already recommend this? Absolutely worth the extra money), but strained the oil, and used it instead of the olive oil in the vinagrette. As well, instead of a fresh red onion, I used pickled red onion (that I'd put up - very simple), and some of the liquid instead of the lemon juice. Both intensifed the flavours of the ingredients.
A question - the recipe calls for a small jar or can of artichoke hearts. What is that, weight-wise, please? I opened a larger can of artichokes, and only used two hearts, but that was plenty.
One can put a spin on this by substituting coriander for the parsley, and subbing sharper peppers for the red one.
p.s. if one would like to add eggs and/or potatoes, please do. So much the better if they, too were already pickled.....but I think that is of the same school of thought as to whether one puts sausage in the turkey stuffing/dressing or not.
7 months ago MaureenOnTheCape
Thank you for this incredible idea Waverly! I was actually looking for something to eat now so I made two; one for tomorrow sitting under the heavy bacon press, and another to grill and eat immediately and it was delicious. I also like the other cook's suggestion to use the leftover mixture for a pasta topping. This is a terrific use of pantry ingredients. You really have a hit on your hands.
7 months ago Waverly
I am glad you enjoyed the pan bagnat. It is one of my personal favorites and I agree with the other cooks here that you can change things up to your taste. The tuna salad without the bread is awesome too.
10 months ago Lorenza
I may have missed a detail when I read the posts... Do you drain the tuna or use the oil packed tuna right out of the can? Grazie
10 months ago rederin
So good and easy! We had them for dinner and the leftovers for lunch. The sandwiches are great, even if you don't let them sit for hours, but were better the next day. I served it with a white bean and zucchini salad.
10 months ago TulumChica
I have made this several times. My husband and I both adore it. It makes a great beach picnic! Thanks for the recipe.
10 months ago Jennamerica
I know this is an older post but I found this recipe and made it for a small dinner party.. it served wonderfully for 8! I paired it with minestrone and it was a big hit. I will DEFINITELY make this again for picnics and such..thank you.
10 months ago Waverly
I am so glad that you enjoyed it!!
about 1 year ago Dondi Harney
while I'll b substituting a bit, (Im vegan) this is a great recipe and I can't wait to try it. Thank you!
about 1 year ago aquarius
Love, love,love this recipe! I always have these ingredients on hand and make just the salad to take to work for a fresh tasting & healthy lunch. I stock up on canned artichoke hearts when on sale and use the water packed Costco brand albacore. One of these days I will try the whole sandwich!
over 1 year ago a la Alison
Looks amazing! there is a french cafe in my neighborhood that serves this (my favorite!) and they also include hard boiled egg slices and potatoes. I love!
over 1 year ago jlsm
One more thing. ... I recently discovered "Wild Planet" canned tuna. Absolutely fantastic and worth every penny of the extra cost. It's processed only once without the addition of any oil or water. Inside, you find a solid piece of tuna. This is unlike any canned tuna I've ever tried.
over 1 year ago jlsm
I loved the idea of mixing things together instead of layering them. I did make a few changes, though. I cut the olives to 1/4 C and added a teaspoon of rinsed capers and two salt anchovies that I slivered. I also put in a layer of thinly sliced hard-boiled egg. I will add tomatoes when they become plentiful. I also cut the dressing in half (300 calories in oil alone per serving!), substituted red wine vinegar for lemon juice and added a touch of dijon.
I know these seem like many changes, but they really weren't. I found that the filling was enough for 3/4ths of a baguette and at least four sandwiches.
Really excellent. Thanks.
over 1 year ago aquarius
This will solve my problem of what to make for guests arriving Friday afternoon about the time I get home from work. A casual outdoor dinner with some of the drinks featured on your home page today -- Thanks!
over 1 year ago RSwanson
Hi. I made this sandwich and it was delicious. however, after letting it sit overnight the bottom of the baguette was soggy and the top of the baguette was no longer crispy. is this how it is supposed to be? I actually ate half of it when it was fresh, and the baguette was crispy and thought it was more delicious. I'm interested to hear what others think.
Cheers!
over 1 year ago Lis
Dear Sarah Shatz, that first photo is a masterpiece! Thank you.
over 1 year ago daisypom
Iv'e been looking for picnic recipe's. This looks like a perfect one, thank you.
almost 2 years ago nice rice
Thank you so much for a transportable ,delicious sandwich !
I am bringing it along to an impromptu lunch with friends tomorrow . I love ,love ,love this site . Thanks again , Waverly
almost 2 years ago Waverly
I hope you enjoy it! Have fun at your lunch.
over 2 years ago slanoue
Just wondering, what canned tuna people are using for this recipe?
over 2 years ago Midge
I made it the other day using Genova packed in olive oil. The best canned tuna if you ask me. Trader Joe's always has it and Whole Foods carries it sometimes too. Great recipe!
over 2 years ago Waverly
Yes, Midge is right. It is best to use tuna packed in olive oil. If you can't find that, just use regular albacore. Drain it. The olive oil packed tuna has more flavor (because of the fat from the oil), but you can still make a decent pan bagnat without it. The vinaigrette does most of the work anyway.
over 2 years ago bistro_gal
We had this for lunch today and it was so, so good. I thought the basil was genius and it just added one more layer of delicious flavor. I was a little concerned that it may become soggy but the crust stayed crusty while the middle was just a perfect medley of flavors. Added bonus: it helped me avoid the mid afternoon slump when I start dreaming of Nutella instead of focusing on programming and writing. Thank you for sharing and congratulations on a well deserved win!
over 2 years ago Waverly
I am glad you enjoyed it, bistro_gal.