Hot-Smoked Trout Pâté with Capers & Lemon

James Martin's version of this is what put hot-smoked trout pâté on my radar — sharper, brinier, with a little smoked paprika to deepen the smokiness already in the fish. No cook, five minutes, and considerably better the next day.

James Martin's version of this put hot smoked trout pâté on my radar — cream cheese, Greek yoghurt, horseradish, lime. Simple, clever, and immediately worth making. But lime always feels slightly borrowed in this context, and the original is smooth where I wanted texture and a bit more edge.

Capers were the obvious move — briny, sharp, and a natural partner for smoked fish. Lemon instead of lime. A pinch of smoked paprika to deepen the smokiness already in the trout rather than work against it. The result is still a five-minute, no-cook pâté, still made for one ramekin, still considerably more impressive on the table than the effort involved would suggest. Just a little more itself.

Ingredients

• 100g hot-smoked trout, skin removed
• 25g full-fat cream cheese
• 40g full-fat Greek yoghurt
• ¼ tsp creamed horseradish
• ½ tbsp capers, roughly chopped
• Zest of ½ lemon and a squeeze of juice
• Pinch of smoked paprika
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Place the cream cheese, Greek yoghurt, horseradish, lemon zest, lemon juice, and smoked paprika into a bowl. Season and mix well.
2. Flake in the hot-smoked trout, breaking it up gently — you want it chunky, not smooth.
3. Fold in the capers.
4. Taste and adjust — more lemon, more horseradish, more paprika if needed.
5. Spoon into a ramekin and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

To serve

Soda bread is the natural partner here. The Wholemeal Lemon and Rosemary Soda Bread is the obvious match — the lemon runs through both — though the Butter Honey Soda Bread and Honey Buckwheat Soda Bread work just as well if you want something slightly sweeter alongside.

This hot smoked trout pâté is part of the Pâté & Rillettes Recipes hub — a complete collection of pâtés and rillettes from Casa Adora and the road.
It's also part of my Fish & Seafood Recipes collection — recipes cooked and perfected in rural Andalucía, 160km from the open sea.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef