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Photograph of Smoked Mackerel Pâté

Smoked Mackerel Pâté

A delicious smooth and easy-to-make pâté yet bursting with flavour; the ingredients are kept deliberately simple so the flavours from the few ingredients can shine. Serves 4 - 6

Course light lunch, Nibbles, Snack, Starter
Cuisine British
Keyword Horseradish, pâté, smoked mackerel
Prep Time 5 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

For the pâté –

  • 3 smoked mackerel fillets, approximately 250g in total weight
  • 100g crème fraîche or cream cheese
  • 40g unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons creamed horseradish
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 5g fresh dill, thick stems removed

Serving ideas –

  • lemon wedges
  • avocado slices
  • tomato halves/quarters
  • cucumber slices
  • green leaves
  • fresh brown bread, hot toast, crackers, bagels or Yorkshire Puddings

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Melt the butter, either in a small saucepan or the microwave, and set aside to cool whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

  3. Carefully remove the skins from the mackerel and discard. Roughly chop the flesh.

  4. Make the pâté – put the following ingredients into the food processor:

    - smoked mackerel

    - crème fraîche

    - melted butter

    - horseradish

    - lemon juice

    - salt

    - freshly ground black pepper

    - most of the fresh dill – hold a little back for garnish

  5. Process until the pâté mix is smooth. (For a chunkier pâté, see Recipe Notes)

  6. Taste and adjust seasoning – you may need to add more salt and/or pepper or perhaps extra horseradish and/or lemon juice.

  7. Transfer to your serving dish, garnish with some dill and serve with your choice of accompaniments.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • microwave safe bowl or small saucepan
  • chopping board and knife
  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons 
  • food processor
  • serving dish/dishes

To serve:

Serve, either in a dish for everyone to help themselves, or transfer to ramekin dishes and serve individually. This pâté is perfect for a picnic and travels well in a lidded container - a jam jar works wonderfully. 

Serve at Room Temperature:

I like to serve this pâté at room temperature. The texture will harden when refrigerated, so remember to take it out of the fridge to warm slightly before serving.

Smooth or chunky?

If you prefer a chunky pâté, do not add all the mackerel to the food processor. Simply hold some back, break it up to your preferred size, and stir it through the pâté when you remove it from the processor.