After the World’s Longest Winter, we made it to warmer weather. That means picnic season and, of course, the picnic sandwiches that go along with it.
Thanks to this past year, many of us have really learned to appreciate the benefits of the great outdoors, especially as a way to gather together with friends and family. And while a huge positive of picnics is spending face-to-face time with other people, you want the food to be on point too.
Sandwiches are a picnic go-to because they’re easy to make, easy to transport, and easy to eat without utensils (or even plates). But picnic sandwiches are going to be a little different than the ones you slap together between Zoom meetings for lunch, for a couple of reasons. Yes, you probably want them to be kicked up a few notches, but they’re also going to have to be quite a bit sturdier. After all, no one wants the sad surprise of soggy bread or a sandwich that’s completely fallen apart mid-transport.
But a picnic should be fun, too, so you also don’t want to spend way too much time stressing over your sandwiches. There’s a happy medium you can find that will help you pack delicious, simple, portable picnic sandwiches. Here’s how to get started.
1. Stick with hearty breads.
It’s the foundation of any solid sandwich, so choose wisely. A thick, crusty roll like ciabatta, baguette, or an Italian-style loaf won’t go limp and fall apart next to moist ingredients like veggies, spreads, or salad-type fillings (like chicken or tuna), Andrea Slonecker, co-author of The Picnic, tells SELF. And it won’t smush when you wrap it tightly or pack it in your bag or picnic basket, according to Damon Menapace, the culinary director at Primal Supply Meats in Philadelphia.
Also, you should always use fresh bread instead of toasted. Toasted slices might seem sturdier while you’re assembling your sandwich, but by the time you sit down to picnic, the bread will likely have turned hard and dry, Menapace tells SELF.
If you’re pulling bread or rolls from the freezer, there’s no need to bother defrosting them first. They’ll defrost on the way to the picnic and taste fresh when it’s time to eat, New Jersey–based chef and food stylist Carla Contreras tells SELF. (If they’re wrapped well in the freezer, you shouldn’t have to worry about any sogginess upon defrosting.)
2. Limit your fillings, but still make them fun.
To get a good balance of flavors and textures without overload, chef Christina McKeough of High Street Philadelphia suggests sticking with three to five elements total.
“Generally, [add] a spread, a protein, something crunchy, plus one or two more elements to jazz it up,” she says. Here are some examples of what that might look like:
- Butter + sliced ham + Gruyère + thinly sliced pickles + mustard
- Roasted eggplant + mozzarella cheese + olive tapenade + fresh basil
- Goat cheese + smoked salmon + mixed baby greens + red onion + capers
- Avocado + roasted red peppers + hummus + sprouts
- Turkey + provolone + cranberry chutney + mixed baby greens
- Cheddar + tomato achar + romaine
3. Layer smart to stop sogginess.
Even with a crusty roll, putting wet ingredients with a high water content, like raw veggies, next to your bread is the fastest way to Mushtown. So pile your fillings strategically. Start by slathering your spread on the inner sides of both bread slices. The fat content in most spreads acts as a barrier to keep the wettest, middle ingredients (more on them below!) from sogging up your bread, McKeough says. (Hearty breads can usually hold up to the moisture of spreads.)
