Homemade Smoked Mackerel Pate

So easy to make from really basic ingredients, Smoked Mackerel Pate is a great addition to your recipe armoury for lunches, parties, suppers and starters.

As this smoked mackerel pate is light (both in calories and texture) it could often be thought of more as a summer dish perfect for picnics and the like.

But to me, any type of pate is the perfect comfort food to spread thickly on toast and have while sitting curled up by the fire on a chilly autumnal night.

Health benefits of mackerel

Some folks don’t like mackerel as it’s an oily fish. Actually, it’s the oiliness that is so good for you. Mackerel is a great source of Omega 3 oil, rich in fatty oils and a great source of protein too.

Mackerel is a great source of vitamins D and B12 and selenium too. Plus it is very low in mercury. Realy mackerel is a win, win fish.

Smoked mackerel is a treat. You can easily buy it in the supermarket and you’ll get all those great fishy benefits without any hassle of preparing or cooking.

Light smoked mackerel pate

To keep this creamy pate light and as healthy as possible I use a mixture of creme fraiche and cottage cheese instead of the usual cream cheese to give a velvety smooth body to this recipe.

I’ve used caraway seeds in my recipe. I love the flavour, if they are not for you then simply miss them out.

However, if you are using caraway seeds do take the time (literally a minute at most) to toast them first as it really brings out their lovely flavour.

How to make this

Making your smoked mackerel pate is really just a case of gathering up all your ingredients listed bellow and just whizzing them up in your food processor. 

If you want to keep a bit of texture then pulse instead of going for the all out whizz for creamy smooth pate texture.

Then simply chill in the fridge for at least half an hour to let those gorgeous flavours mingle together and develop.

I promise you this tastes so good you will be hard-pressed to stop when you start sampling it.

How to serve

As a simple lunch dish with a few salad leaves, some thinly sliced cucumber and a good squeeze of lemon juice. It makes me think of summer sunshine no matter what the weather is doing outside the kitchen window.

This pate would be perfect for parties too, so remember it when Christmas comes along (oh shit, that’s it the C word has been mentioned!) and you have friends and family coming round.

Turn it into a dip with a bit more liquid and serve with crudites or breadsticks.

Looking for more super easy dips and spreads to make at home? Then check these out before you go;

Skordalia, Greek garlic dipping sauce

Mediterranean Smoked Mackerel Pate

Traditional Greek taramasolata

Homemade traditional style hummus

Stilton pear and walnut dip

Spinach and ricotta dip and sauce

Greek beetroot tzatziki

Homemade super simple Greek tzatziki

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.