The Pan Bagnat: The True Niçoise Recipe
The pan bagnat, whose name means "wet bread" in Niçois, is a sandwich made with raw vegetables and olive oil. We invite you to discover the authentic recipe for this complete and easy-to-take snack, perfect for the beach or a picnic.
Ingredients
The "pan bagnat" is a Nice sandwich that is traditionally made in a special round bread. If you can't find this round bread at the bakery, you can also prepare it in a long bread. But choose a bread larger than a baguette (in Nice, we call it "un restaurant").
Its composition based on vegetables from the Nice region is reminiscent of the equally famous Niçoise salad!
Here are the ingredients for the pan bagnat for 1 person:
1 small round sourdough bread
1 tomato
1 spring onion
½ salad green pepper (small tender pepper)
2 fava bean pods (in season)
the heart of a small violet artichoke (in season)
a few radishes
a few black olives from Nice
1 hard-boiled egg
40g of tuna flakes
2 basil leaves
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove (optional)
2 salted anchovy fillets (optional)
Preparation of bread
As its name suggests, the secret to a good pan bagnat is to soak the bread in olive oil.
1- Cut the round bread in half, leaving more thickness on the bottom part.
2- Remove excess crumbs and rub the inside of the bread with garlic (if you like garlic, of course).
3- Generously wet the bread with a good tablespoon of olive oil and a little bit of red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
This step is key to preparing a truly soft and flavorful "pan bagnat".
Preparation of the filling
To garnish your pan bagnat, you must also have previously washed and cut all the ingredients.
1- Prepare all the ingredients, namely: slices of radish, tomato, and hard-boiled egg, strips of bell pepper, spring onion, and sliced artichoke hearts, and pitted olives.
2- On the bottom part of the sandwich, arrange the slices of tomato and radish, strips of bell pepper, and minced spring onion.
During the season, add shelled broad beans and minced artichoke hearts.
3- Top the vegetables with sliced hard-boiled egg, tuna flakes, and/or anchovy fillets, if you like...
4- Sprinkle with chopped basil and pitted olives. Drizzle with olive oil on top.
5- Close the sandwich by pressing firmly to compact the ingredients.
Good to know
It is recommended to place the pan bagnat in the refrigerator for one hour before enjoying it so that all the flavors of this Niçoise sandwich blend together.
