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AI-generated photograph: A small white ramekin of pale pink smoked mackerel pâté on a slate plate, golden sourdough toast cut on the slant, a little tangle of watercress with fine pink radish slices and snipped chives

Home · Recipes · Smoked mackerel pâté with toast

British · Soups and starters

Smoked mackerel pâté with toast

smoked mackerel · lemon and chive · sourdough toast

AI-generated photograph

A rich, smoky spread of flaked mackerel, cream cheese, lemon and chives, served with crisp sourdough toast and a peppery little salad of radish and watercress.

Contains: fish, milk and cereals containing gluten, as written. Of the 14 allergens, this recipe contains fish (smoked mackerel), milk (cream cheese) and gluten (the sourdough bread, made from wheat). Radishes, watercress, lemon and chives contain none of the 14.

Ingredients

  • 250g smoked mackerel fillets (plain, not peppered)
  • 150g full fat cream cheese
  • Half a lemon, zest finely grated and juice squeezed
  • 10g fresh chives, finely chopped, plus a few to serve
  • Black pepper
  • 4 slices sourdough bread (about 160g)
  • 8 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 40g watercress

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Let's cook

  1. Peel the skin off the mackerel fillets (it lifts away easily) and flake the fish into a bowl with your fingers, feeling for any small bones and pulling them out.
  2. Add the cream cheese, lemon zest and half the lemon juice. Mash together with a fork. Leave a few small flakes of fish for texture, or beat it smoother if you prefer.
  3. Stir in the chives and plenty of black pepper. Taste, then add more lemon juice if it needs brightening. Smoked mackerel is already salty, so it rarely needs salt.
  4. Spoon the pâté into 4 small dishes or ramekins, smooth the tops and put them in the fridge while you make the toast.
  5. Toast the sourdough until golden and crisp, then cut each slice in half on a slant.
  6. Toss the radish slices and watercress with the last squeeze of lemon juice. Set each dish of pâté on a plate with the toast and a little pile of radish and watercress, and finish with a few chives.

Tips

  • If the pâté has been chilled for a while, take it out of the fridge 10 minutes before serving so it spreads easily.
  • Kept covered in the fridge, the pâté lasts 2 days, or until the use by date on the fish if that comes sooner.

Swaps

  • Lighter: use half cream cheese and half thick Greek yoghurt (still contains milk).
  • Gluten free: serve with gluten free toast or crisp chicory leaves.
  • Hot smoked salmon flakes work well in place of the mackerel.

More in the British meal plan

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

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The British meal plan