Smoked mackerel pâté. (Fish)

Member Name: becky92

Product:	Fish
Date:	06/03/09 (388 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious, simple to make, and rich in Omega 3.

Disadvantages: Not everyone likes smoked mackerel.

This is a wonderful recipe which is very easy to make, and also very diverse; I've made this just for myself for lunch, and have also served it at dinner parties, and it's always been a huge success. One of the great things about it is that it takes literally 10 minutes to make (although you have to leave it in the fridge for at least a few hours if not half a day to solidify slightly) so if you want to serve it at a dinner party, you can make it that morning and just leave it in the fridge until you want it.

If I've serving this to other people (usually as a starter), I usually put the pâté in small white ramekin dishes, with a slice of lemon on top, and a mixed salad on the side of each plate. I then usually make a basket of bread and toast (brown is much nicer for this) in the middle of the table so people can just help themselves.

An added bonus of this pâté is that it's very good for you! Mackerel is an oily fish, and oily fish are a good source of Omega 3, which is a very important part of our diet. It is supposed to reduce risks of heart disease, as well as helping other health problems. Of course, you could just take cod liver oil, and I know you can get it in capsules now so it's not so disgusting, but wouldn't you rather get your Omega 3 from food you enjoy? This is a very good website highlighting the health benefits Omega 3 if anyone's interested, as I'm not going to include it all here.

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/healthy _eating/oily_fish.htm

The pâté itself is very creamy and has a lovely texture. The flavour of the smoked mackerel is strong, so obviously if you don't like the flavour, I wouldn't make it, but personally I think it's lovely, and If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend that you do! The lemon adds a wonderful tang to it, and creates a burst of flavour in your mouth, and makes you want to eat more and more!

So anyway, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

3-4 smoked mackerel fillets (weighing about 10oz/ 275g in total)
4oz /110g ricotta
5fl oz/ 150ml soured cream
Juice of ½ large lemon, plus extra if needed
Whole nutmeg (optional)
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method:

1. Skin the mackerel filets. This should be no trouble as the skin peels away very easily.

2. Place the fish in the bowl of a food processor, and add the ricotta soured cream, lemon juice, and the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

3. Blend until completely smooth. (You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl half way though)

4. Now taste and add any more seasoning or lemon juice to taste. (I tend to add more lemon juice as I like it really tangy.)

5. Put in dish/ramekins, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to chill.

All the ingredients for this recipe are very easy to get hold of from most supermarkets. I usually buy the vacuum packed smoked mackerel from Waitrose or Asda, and it's always been delicious. Quite often they come peppered, this doesn't matter; you just need to be aware to add less pepper later on.

This serves about 6 as a starter or 3-4 for lunch, as you would tend to want more.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy!

Summary: Fabulous for any occasion.