Smoked Mackerel Pâté Recipe for One — Creamy and Quick

I made this smoked mackerel pâté in Cantabria, parked at the área de autocaravanas in the lovely village of Bárcena de Pie de Concha. The area has every service except an electric hook-up, so this is a pâté that works with a small USB blender and a van fridge.

I can’t find smoked mackerel in my local supermarkets, but earlier this year I stumbled on vacuum-packed smoked mackerel loins from Conservas Nardín, a small family firm that only buys the Cantabrian catch in season. The mackerel, verdel in Spanish, is smoked naturally with no preservatives or additives. A 75g pack cost €6.30. That’s not cheap, but it’s worth it for a treat, and one pack makes exactly one generous ramekin of smoked mackerel pâté for one.

Smoked Mackerel Pâté Recipe — Ingredients

Serves 1

• 75g smoked mackerel loin (I used Conservas Nardín)
• 25g mascarpone
• 15g crème fraîche
• 1 teaspoon cream
• Finely grated zest of ¼ lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
• White pepper, to taste

To finish

• A few extra chives
• A tiny pinch of lemon zest

How to Make Smoked Mackerel Pâté — The Method

1. Reserve about 15g of the mackerel and flake it into small pieces.
2. Put the remaining mackerel, mascarpone, crème fraîche, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and a pinch of white pepper into a small food processor or blender. I have a small USB blender in the van.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Fold in the reserved flaked mackerel and the chives.
5. Taste, and add a little more lemon juice if it needs it.
6. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

To Serve

Spread the pâté generously on toasted buckwheat sourdough and finish with the extra chives and a little lemon zest.

A Note on the Smoked Mackerel

The mascarpone and crème fraîche soften the smoke without hiding it, so the quality of the mackerel matters more than anything else here. If you can’t get Nardín’s, any good smoked mackerel fillet will do. Skin and bone it first.

For more mackerel ideas, see my Mackerel Recipes guide, my tinned mackerel recipes, or try my Nearly Fortnum’s potted mackerel with ghee. For the rest of the tins, see my Tinned Fish Recipes guide.

If this smoked mackerel pâté made your supper, you can buy me a coffee ☕ on Ko-fi.

Footnote

This smoked mackerel pâté is part of my Pâté & Rillettes Recipes collection, my Tinned Fish Recipes guide, my Mackerel Recipes guide and my Inland Fish and Seafood hub. It also features in my Campervan Cooking Recipes — food cooked in Florie, from Andalucía and the road.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef