Smoked Mackerel Pate

The Danish element in our family means there’s a deep love of smoked fish but I’ve not always found it easy to get mackerel into my diet. My Dad used to fish for mackerel in Loch Fyne and cook it straight away on his boat with just salt and olive oil which was incredible. In Suffolk, hundreds of miles away from the Scottish lochs, I make this easy smoked mackerel pate to get the benefits of this oily fish in a tasty lunch. In keeping with the Danish style I serve Smoked Mackerel Pate with beetroot and it’s such a delicious and filling mid-week dinner.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids
3 smoked mackerel fillets
150g cup cream cheese
60g sour cream
1 tbsp prepared horseradish
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt
chives
optional: serve with edible flowers, pickled beetroot slices and ciabatta or rye bread

• Remove the skins from the three mackerel fillets and break up into a food processor. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish and salt then grate in the zest of a lemon and squeeze in half the juice. Keep the other half to serve with the pate.
• Pulse the ingredients for a minute then set the processor to high and allow to blend for 1 minute. Check the consistency and scrape down the sides then blend for another minute if necessary.
• Spoon the pate into a serving dish, sprinkle with sea salt, chopped chives and edible flowers (if in season). You can chill the pate if serving later and save leftovers in a sealed container.
• Serve with fresh bread, lemons quarters and sliced pickled beetroot.