Registered as geographical indication No. 904, Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği belongs to Hopa in Artvin on Türkiye's eastern Black Sea coast. The official specification identifies salt-cured anchovies as a defining ingredient and describes the bread as a stand-alone dish rather than an accompaniment. It is traditionally salty and is commonly served warm with fresh cucumber, radish or onion. This home version halves the registered formula without changing its ingredient ratios, 3 cm thickness, 180°C oven or covered resting method.
Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği — Recipe Card
Hopa Savory Cornbread with Salt-Cured Anchovies and Greens
Makes 8 servings · Makes one 30 cm / 12-inch round loaf, cut into 8 generous wedges.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği
Heat the oven and prepare the pan
Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Brush a 30 cm/12-inch round metal baking pan generously with the 15 ml/1 tablespoon olive oil, covering the base and sides.
Prepare the anchovies
If the salt-cured anchovies are heavily crusted with salt, rinse them briefly under cold running water; do not soak away all their characteristic saltiness. Drain and pat dry. Open each fish, remove the backbone, then chop the flesh finely. Wash the knife, board and your hands before handling the vegetables.
Chop the vegetables
Finely chop the peeled tomatoes, onions, leek, chard, parsley and red bell pepper. Keep the tomato juices: they hydrate the cornmeal during the long bake. The pieces should be no larger than about 5 mm so the finished bread slices cleanly.
Make the cornmeal mixture
Put the chopped vegetables and anchovies in a very large bowl. Add the 85 ml olive oil, melted butter, pepper paste, cornmeal, salt and warm water. Mix and knead firmly by hand or with a sturdy spoon for 3–4 minutes, until no dry cornmeal remains and the mixture is cohesive, moist and spoonable rather than a firm bread dough. Do not taste the raw mixture.
Shape and bake
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press it into an even 3 cm/1 1/4-inch-thick round. Smooth the surface without compacting it hard. Bake for 90 minutes, rotating the pan after 50 minutes, until the top and edges are deeply golden, the center feels firm rather than wet, and a thermometer in the center reads at least 74°C/165°F.
Rest and serve
Remove the pan from the oven and cover it loosely with a clean kitchen towel or an inverted tray. Rest for 30 minutes, as in the registered method, so the cornmeal sets without the surface becoming hard. Cut into 8 wedges and serve warm with sliced cucumber, radishes or raw onion.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-anchovy-cornbread-hopa-hamsili-ekmegi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
Make it work in your kitchen
Ingredient Substitutions
These swaps change flavor or texture as described. Keep the original ingredients for the closest version of the dish.
Turkish red pepper paste
Use the same quantity of tomato paste, then add mild paprika to taste. This gives a more tomato-forward flavor and will not reproduce the full pepper flavor.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Registered formula
This is a half batch of the TÜRKPATENT specification for Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği. The ingredient proportions, 3 cm thickness, 180°C oven, 90-minute bake and 30-minute covered rest are retained.
Use the right anchovies
The registered Hopa dish is defined by salamura hamsi: whole anchovies preserved in salt or brine. Oil-packed canned anchovy fillets are far more concentrated and oily and are not a direct substitute. Fresh anchovies produce a related Black Sea hamsikoli, but not the registered Hopa version.
Heat level
Mild. Use sweet red pepper and mild Turkish pepper paste for the base recipe. For a hotter loaf, replace 5 g/1 teaspoon of the mild paste with hot pepper paste; the salt level may also change, so check the label.
Allergens and dietary note
Contains fish and milk. Although the formula uses cornmeal rather than wheat flour, cornmeal, pepper paste and cured anchovies can be processed with gluten-containing products; no gluten-free claim is made. Check every package for your needs and possible cross-contact.
Salt control
Salt-cured anchovies and pepper paste vary greatly. The 4 g salt preserves the scaled registered ratio, but reduce or omit it when the anchovy package is especially salty. Do not taste the uncooked mixture to judge seasoning because it contains raw fish.
Doneness and safety
The registered long bake cooks a dense, vegetable-heavy mixture. The center should be set and reach at least 74°C/165°F; this also exceeds the 63°C/145°F minimum listed for fin fish. Refrigerate the wedges within 2 hours of baking.
How to store and reheat Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate in a shallow covered container at 4°C/40°F or below within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C/90°F. The registered specification gives a refrigerated life of 1–2 days, so use within 2 days. Reheat wedges in a 180°C/350°F oven until the center reaches 74°C/165°F. Freezing is not recommended because the tomato-rich crumb can become watery.
Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği: questions and answers
Is Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği really bread?
Its name means Hopa anchovy bread, but its texture is closer to a moist, sliceable cornmeal bake packed with vegetables and fish than to a risen wheat loaf. It contains no yeast and is served as a dish in its own right.
Can I use ordinary canned anchovy fillets?
Not as a one-for-one replacement. Oil-packed fillets are smaller, oilier and more concentrated than the whole salt-cured anchovies specified for Hopa Hamsili Ekmeği. Seek whole anchovies sold in salt or brine and drain them before weighing.
Why does it bake for 90 minutes?
The mixture is spread 3 cm thick and contains a large amount of juicy vegetables. The long moderate bake cooks the cornmeal and fish through while evaporating enough moisture for clean slices. Judge it by the firm center and temperature, not color alone.
Can it be served cold?
It can be eaten cool after safe refrigeration, but the Hopa registration states that it is generally consumed hot. Warm wedges restore the aroma and soften the cornmeal crumb.
