Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C.  Line a half-sheet rimmed tray with baking parchment.

Lightly dust a silicone rolling mat with flour. Unroll puff pastry and use a rolling pin to roll the pastry, or a sharp knife to trim it into 10 x 12-inch rectangle.

Slice the rectangle in half to form two 6 x 10-inch rectangles. Rotate the silicone mat so that the longer sides of the rectangles are facing you.

With a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of egg wash to both rectangles.

Arrange the anchovies on the bottom rectangle in 4 horizontal rows of 3-4 anchovies each, allowing about 1 inch of space in between each row, and a 1-inch border along the top and bottom edges.

Apply an additional strip of egg wash along the top and bottom borders.

Top with the second puff pastry rectangle.*

With your fingertips, pat down the pastry until it fits snugly around the anchovies. It will have a ridged appearance, almost like a street with speed bumps.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.

Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds, distributing the seeds evenly over the entire surface.

With a sharp knife, slice the rectangle vertically into strips, each about 1/2-inch – 5/8-inches wide (but don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly precise!) You should have approximately 16-17 strips.

Transfer to prepared tray, allowing 1-2 inches of space in between for the sticks to puff as they bake.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until flaky and golden brown.

Cool on tray for 5 minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer anchovy sticks to a wire cooling rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.