Recipe: Smoked Mackerel Pâté
This creamy smoked mackerel pâté is bursting with the contrasting flavours of earthy smoked fish, the fresh, clean taste of chopped parsley and lemon juice, and finished off with the tang of chopped gherkin…
This is one of those wonderful recipes that is pure simplicity to prepare (with just 6 ingredients, how could it be anything else?), but absolutely full of flavour. It’s also a little bit different, which delights something in me which strives to be unpredictable.
‘Yes, Colette. It’s different and I don’t know when I’d ever really eat it…’
Aha! I thought I sensed you were a little unsure… let me put your mind at rest. There are loads of great ways to eat this gorgeous little pâté. You’ll soon wonder where it’s been all your life. 🙂
Perfect for a picnic…
Once prepared, the smoked mackerel pâté can be popped into a jar and taken on a picnic to be served with crusty bread and a glass of crisp, cool white wine.
More for your picnic…. My Pesto, Chicken, Sweet Pepper & Mozarella Picnic Loaf
Nice as a nibble…
Why not use a pastry cutter to shape some little toast circles, then pop a teaspoonful of the pâté on top with a slice of cucumber or radish, for a delicious little nibble to serve with drinks?
Extra nibbles… Fig & Goats Cheese Crostini with a Honey, Orange & Basil Dressing
Lovely light lunch…
The great thing is, that this is so easy to make, that you needn’t feel like you should only make it for a special occasion. Whip (pardon the pun) up a batch at the start of the week and keep it in the fridge. This makes a gorgeous lunch on the run, just slathered on a couple of slices of toast!
Alternative light lunch… Quick Quesadillas
Delightful as a dip…
Always on the lookout for healthy ways to snack? Something to swap for the bars of chocolate and the packets of crisps? Well, a little bit of smoked mackerel pâté with some chopped carrots and celery for dippin’ are just what you need!
- 240 g smoked mackerel fillets
- 125 g cream cheese
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tbs dijon mustard
- 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
- 1 finely chopped gherkin
- Peel the skin off the mackerel fillets and flake them into a food processor
- Add in the cream cheese, parsley and dijon mustard
- Blitz for a few seconds so that you've got a slightly chunky but creamy consistency
- Now use a spatula to scrape it into a bowl and mix in the chopped gherkin
- Season to taste (careful with the salt!)
- I don't add any extra salt because the fish is already quite salty.
- This pâté can be stored in a sealed jar and popped in the fridge.
Enjoyed this recipe? Then be a chum and tweet it out! 🙂
