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An oval shaped bowl with cooked anchovy fillets topping a dish. A slice of lemon is in the foreground.
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Hamsili Pilav - A Black Sea Recipe Of Oven Baked Pilaf Encased In Fresh Anchovies

Black Sea Hamsili Pilav is both tasty & healthy. A great winter dish to celebrate the season of fresh anchovies.
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Author Turkey's For Life
Course Main
Cuisine Turkish
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

For The Hamsi

  • 500 grams fresh anchovies (cleaned & filleted)
  • butter (for greasing your bowl)

For The Pilaf

  • 1 cup long grain rice (we use a standard coffee/tea mug)
  • 1 onion (peeled & finely chopped)
  • ½ bunch fresh dill (finely chopped)
  • 1 handful currants (or raisins)
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 dessert spoon dried mint
  • 2 large fresh lemons (rind & juice of)
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 tablespoon butter (for cooking)
  • salt & pepper (for seasoning)

Instructions

For The Pilaf Filling

  • First of all, melt your butter in a saucepan on a medium heat and add your onion.
  • Stir around until your onion starts to soften.
  • Now add your pine nuts and stir until they start to take on a golden colour.
  • Now add your rice and stir around for a 2-3 minutes.
  • Add your lemon rind, currants, allspice, mint, salt & pepper.
  • Using the same-sized cup as the one you used for your rice, add 1½ cups hot water, turn to a high heat and bring your rice mix to the boil.
  • Cover and simmer for 8 minutes until the water has been absorbed.
  • Remove from the heat and leave to steam for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice.
  • Add your lemon juice and dill then stir in.

For The Hamsili Pilav

  • Preheat your oven to 180° Celsius (150° Celsius for a fan oven).
  • Whilst your pilaf is steaming take an oven proof dish and grease the base and edges liberally with butter.
  • Now cover the base and edges with 1 layer of your anchovy fillets with the skin side down, against the bowl. If you are using a circular or dome-shaped bowl, you can layer your anchovies in circular patterns if you like.
  • Keep placing the anchovy fillets until you have no gaps.
  • Give your pilaf a stir and start to place it into your anchovy casing.
  • Once you reach the top of your bowl, if you have any anchovy fillets protruding, fold them all inwards towards the centre.
  • Now cover the top of your rice with anchovies, too, so that your pilaf is completely encased.
  • Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of your hamsili pilaf and place in the oven.
  • After 20-25 minutes, remove your hamsili pilav from the oven and serve.
  • If you have used a shallow oven dish, you can serve in slices as you would a pie, straight from the dish.
  • If you want to present your hamsili pilav as a centrepiece, place an inverted serving plate over the top of your hamsili pilav. With one hand on top of the plate and the other under your oven dish, turn them over so that your hamsili pilaf is now upside down on your serving plate.
  • Tap around the dish and then carefully remove to reveal your hamsili pilav.
  • Garnish with fresh lemon slices and sprigs of dill.

Notes

  • As with all our recipes, calories are meant as a general guide.
  • If you are in Turkey, baldo pirinç is a suitable rice to use for this dish. We used jasmine rice for a change and this worked well, too.
  • The cooking time for the hamsili pilav is the oven stage. Cooking time for your pilaf is part of the preparation time.
  • If you are using one dish to make your hamsili pilav, it will serve three to four people, depending on serving size.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 290kcal
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