One of my favourite ways to eat mackerel is as smoked mackerel pâté. I learnt this while working at Leiths School of Food and Wine, and it is something I’ve made ever since. It would also seem that I’m not the only one in my family to love this recipe. As soon as I took the packed of smoked mackerel out of the fridge, Willow was hot on my heels. Turns out she likes getting her portion of oily fish just as much as I do! And who can resist those big puppy eyes.
Mackerel is an oily fish, and as such is good source of healthy fats, including omega 3 fatty acids which are beneficial to our overall health. In particular, omega-3 has been linked to heart health.
This recipes calls for some fermented foods as well in the form of gherkins. While I realise they might not be to everyone’s taste, I really recommend you trying it with this dish. So if you want to, try serving the gherkins thinly sliced on the side and I’m sure it will win you over.
I also prefer to keep my pâté quite chunky, so I stir it just to combine all the flavours. If you prefer a smoother pâté, mash the mackerel up with a fork.
Serves 4 as a starter
Recipe
- 220g boneless and skinless MSC certified smoked mackerel
- 15g chives, finely chopped
- 15g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large or 2 small gherkins, finely diced
- 100g reduced fat creme fraiche
- Juice of half a lemon
Method
- Break the smoked mackerel into large chunks and gently combine with the remaining ingredients.
Delicious served with freshly toasted sourdough bread
Per serving 227kcal/ 18.3g fat/ 5.6g saturated fat/ 2.1g omega 3 fat/ 2.7g carbohydrates/ 0.8g fibre/ 12.5g protein