The Best Beach Sandwich Has Just Three Ingredients
I hate to say this to the French, but the best beach/hike/picnic sandwich is jambon-beurre (buttered ham). It’s just a baguette, butter and ham, and it’s perfect.
Eating al fresco among the sand and sea (or trees and squirrels) is definitely a summer way to dine. Sandwiches were made for such meals – after all, they were made to be eaten while the eater was doing something else. This something else was originally a game of chance, but outdoor enthusiasts can take advantage of the sandwich’s portability while traveling through the woods, sitting in the grass, or lounging on the beach. All sandwiches can be eaten this way, but jambon burr is the best option.
Jambon burr is the perfect beach sandwich.
Incredible flavor aside – and we’ll get to that in a moment – this sandwich is a structural marvel, engineered to travel well, hold its shape, and never get soggy. Both filling ingredients (ham and butter) are hydrophobic (water-repellent), so your bread simply won’t absorb water. This lack of water also leads to extreme packaging; Thanks to its high fat content and low water content, this sandwich will remain edible – no, delicious! – in a warm beach bag or backpack throughout the day.
It’s also incredibly easy to do. I love the mufaletta (or similar pressed sandwich) which is also unlikely to get wet, but it has so many ingredients and needs to be pressed all night. Jambon burr is simpler, airier, and can be molded right before you run out the door.
Unlike the muffalette and its relatives, the hambon burre does not contain any pieces – no chopped lettuce, no tapenade with olives, no slippery pickles. Nothing to slip, fall out or splash on your sunscreen lap.
This sandwich is as tasty as it is practical. The combination of salted pork and butter is very French and decadent, and the French are very good at decadence. Using two incredibly flavorful, rich ingredients means you only need two – they work together to create a salty, meaty, creamy chunk that miraculously doesn’t feel too heavy.
Because there are so few ingredients, buying high-quality bread, butter, and ham makes sense: get a fresh baguette that’s nicely caramel-colored with a crust that crackles a little when you squeeze it, and get a flavored butter. I used Kerrygold, but the sandwich you see above was made with duck icing because that’s what I ate at room temperature. To be honest, Kerrygold is better, so go for a pure oil instead of a blend.
As for ham, I like cured products (prosciutto, speck, jamon iberico and country ham are great), although in Parisian style wet cured ham is traditional. For best results, use simple flavors and avoid honey ham and the like.
Slice the baguette horizontally (leave it whole or cut it into smaller segments if needed), then brush a thick layer of butter on each side before topping it with the thinly sliced ham. Close it, wrap it up, take it out and eat it. Don’t add cheese (you already have butter), and don’t add vegetables. The beauty of this sandwich is its simplicity. Accept this and you will be rewarded with the perfect al fresco meal.