Go Back
+ servings
French Sandwich Pan Bagnat for Picnic

Pan Bagnat (Classic French Sandwich)

Course: Lunch
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rest time: 3 hours
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Edyta
Pan Bagnat is a classic French sandwich that is often served at picnics or other gatherings. The idea is to stuff the bread with the best quality tuna, vegetables, eggs, and dressing. Let it sit in the refrigerator compressed for a couple of hours, and then, cut it up into individual servings and feed it to your crowd. 
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 12" ciabatta bread
  • 2 cans Wild Planet Albacore Tuna in Water
  • 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • 2 eggs, hard-boiled
  • 1/3 English Seedless Cucumber, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon Niçoise Olives, sliced
  • 3-4 Anchovy filets

Instructions

  • Place your eggs in a pot with cold water. Boil your eggs for about 10 minutes, from the time the water starts boiling. Remove the eggs and cool them off in cold water.
  • Place your Wild Planet Tuna in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Then thinly slice peppers and chop scallions. Add to tuna, and mix it all together.
  • In a separate bowl, combine olive oil with mustard and mix together (this mixture can stay a little lumpy).
  • Cut your bread horizontally and scoop out some of the bread from the inside (you'll want to create sort of a boat that will hold all the ingredients well together).
  • Brush olive oil/mustard mixture onto the bottom half of the bread. Add sliced tomatoes, sliced eggs, sliced cucumbers, sliced olives, and anchovies.
  • Brush oil/mustard mixture on top of your bread, cover the sandwich and wrap in plastic foil.
  • Place the sandwich in between two baking sheets, and put something heavy on top to weight it down (cast iron skillet, brick or heavy books). Place it into the fridge. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
  • Remove from the fridge and cut off the edges of the bread. Then cut the bread into 2" sandwiches and pack for a picnic.

Notes

  • Traditionally, the French would use round rustic bread. However, I sometimes have difficulty finding it. So, for me the easiest substitution is a ciabatta. You can also see that it lent itself well to being portioned into these small super cute picnic sandwiches, but if you find an approximately 7" rustic bread and want to go authentic, feel free to use it.
  • If you can’t find Niçoise olives you can substitute with the more common Kalamata olives.