The Best Ever Tuna Sandwich – Pan Bagnat
Think tuna salad sandwiches are boring? Do these pictures look boring to you? We think not. This, my FODMAPing friends, is Low FODMAP Tuna Pan Bagnat.
What is Pan Bagnat?
It is basically Salade Nicoise tucked into a sandwich – and really, how could that be bad!
It is French and means “bathed bread” and indeed your bread will be bathed in dressing and all the yummy juices from your sandwich ingredients, which makes it really delicious and way beyond your typical sandwich.
You are going to take oil-packed tuna, hard-boiled eggs, roasted peppers and tomato and pack them all into a crusty loaf, such as a low FODMAP baguette or an artisanal sourdough loaf.
The dressing is a mustardy vinaigrette using red wine vinegar and Garlic-Infused Olive Oil with chopped anchovies and capers for powerhouse flavor.
Read our article, All About Canned Tuna for a real tuna education!
You actually WANT to make this sandwich ahead of time because the point of a pan bagnat is for all the yummy juices from your sandwich stuffings to permeate the bread – to bathe the bread.
This make-ahead factor means that our Low FODMAP Tuna Pan Bagnat is the perfect picnic or take-to-work sandwich.
In fact, after you make the sandwich you will be instructed to wrap it up and then squash it!
Well, weight it down evenly.
This compresses everything and is integral to the experience, so don’t be shy with this step, as odd as it might seem.
It’s A Wrap!
I am a huge fan of Melissa Clark and her description of how to create a pan bagnat always cracks me up. Got a kid to help you? Check this out:
“Wrap sandwich tightly in foil, waxed paper or plastic wrap, then place in a plastic bag. Put sandwich under a weight such as a cast-iron frying pan topped with a filled kettle, or have a child about 7 years old sit on it. Weight sandwich for 7 to 10 minutes, then flip and weight it for another 7 to 10 minutes (or as long as you can get the child to sit still). Unwrap, slice and serve immediately, or keep it wrapped for up to 8 hours before serving.”
Borrow your neighbor’s kid if you have too ?
UPDATE: We now have an article dedicated to sandwiches for you: How To Make Low FODMAP Sandwiches! Be sure to check it out.
Low FODMAP Pan Bagnat
This Low FODMAP Pan Bagnat is elegant, easy and perfect for packing for lunch at work.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Garlic-Infused Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup pitted olives, preferably a mixture of Kalamata, Niçoise and Castelvetrano, chopped
- 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions, green parts only
- 1 tablespoon brine-packed capers, drained and finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Sandwich Filling:
- 1, 6 to 7 ounce (170 g to 200 g) jar of oil-packed tuna or equivalent of canned drained
- Half a Crusty low FODMAP French baguette, about 12-inches (30.5 cm) long total
- 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 large hard-boiled egg, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, cored and sliced used half
- Half a large roasted red pepper, (40 g), cut into 1/2-inch (12 mm) strips
Preparation:
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For the Dressing: Place the oil, vinegar, mustard, chopped olives, anchovies, scallions and capers in a glass covered jar and shake vigorously. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. This can be made a day ahead and sit at room temp.
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For the Sandwich: Place drained tuna in a bowl and drizzle a little of the dressing over it and toss to mix.
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Slice baguette lengthwise but do not cut all the way through; leave it “hinged”. Stir the basil and parsley into the dressing; set aside. Spoon the chunky dressing on both cut sides of the bread. It will begin to soak in, which is what you want. Scatter tuna evenly over the bottom half, then top with sliced egg, tomato and roasted pepper. Close up the sandwich, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil and weigh down with a large heavy skillet (like cast iron) for at least 15 minutes. The pan bagnat is ready to eat, or keep wrapped and refrigerate up to overnight (some like then even “older” than that!)
Notes:
Tips
- This is truly a sandwich that gets better after it sits! Follow the directions for sandwich perfection!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
Make sure to check out our article, All About Canned Tuna, 18 Ways to Use Canned Tuna as well as other salad recipes – such as these
- Low FODMAP Pasta with Tuna & Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Low FODMAP Mediterranean Tuna Salad with Chickpeas
- Low FODMAP Pantry Pasta with Tuna, Lemon & Olives
- Low FODMAP Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Low FODMAP Tuna Pan Bagnat – aka Best Tuna Sandwich Ever
- Low FODMAP Tuna Salad
- Low FODMAP Salade Niçoise
