Pan Bagnat (Provençal Tuna Sandwich)

Ingredients

• 1 vine-ripened tomato (cored and sliced thin)
• 1 small red onion (sliced thin)
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 0.25 tsp table salt
• 1 large baguette (sliced horizontally; approximately 18 inches long)
• 0.75 cup niçoise olives (pitted)
• 0.5 cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems
• 3 tbsp capers (rinsed)
• 2 tbsp fresh marjoram leaves
• 3 anchovy fillets (rinsed and patted dry)
• 0.5 cup extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 0.25 tsp pepper
• 13 oz olive oil-packed tuna (2 (6.5 oz) jars, drained)
• 3 hard-cooked eggs (sliced thin)

Steps

1. 1

   Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. 2

   Lay tomato slices on paper towel–lined plate and set aside to drain excess moisture.

3. 3

   Place onion, vinegar, garlic, and salt in a bowl and toss to combine.

4. 4

   Using your hands or a metal spoon, remove the inner crumb from the baguette bottom to create a trough, leaving a ¼-inch border on the sides and bottom.

5. 5

   Place baguette halves cut side up on a baking sheet and bake until very lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Pulse olives, parsley, capers, marjoram, and anchovies in a food processor until coarsely but evenly chopped, about 10 to 12 pulses.

7. 7

   Transfer the olive mixture to the bowl with the onion mixture.

8. 8

   Add ¼ cup of olive oil, Dijon mustard, and pepper to the bowl and toss to combine.

9. 9

   Brush the inside of each baguette half with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

10. 10

    Place two-thirds of the olive mixture in the hollow of the baguette bottom and spread evenly.

11. 11

    Distribute the drained tuna evenly over the olive mixture and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

12. 12

    Shingle the tomato slices over the tuna, followed by a layer of shingled egg slices.

13. 13

    Top the eggs with the remaining olive mixture and cap with the baguette top.

14. 14

    Press gently on the sandwich and slice in half crosswise on a bias.

15. 15

    Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap.

16. 16

    Place a rimmed baking sheet on top of the sandwiches and weight with a heavy Dutch oven or two 5-pound bags of flour or sugar for 1 hour, flipping the sandwiches halfway through the weighting process.

17. 17

    Unwrap the sandwiches, slice each half again on a bias (to serve 4 or 6), and serve at room temperature.

Notes

You can substitute three 5-ounce cans of oil-packed tuna for the jars. For the bread, a ciabatta of similar size (18x3x2 inches) or individual ciabatta rolls will work. You can substitute 1 tablespoon of dried oregano for the fresh marjoram and kalamata olives for the niçoise. Wrapped sandwiches can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours; let them come to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• sandwich
• tuna
• Provençal
• French
• picnic
• no-mayo
• seafood