We have had this mackerel pâté on and off the menu at Cook House from the beginning. I often take it off the menu thinking it is quite boring, but people always rave about it. Feeling lazy the other week I bought a ready-made pot from a high-end supermarket, and now I see why; it was really quite disgusting. This is so easy, delicious and so far removed from the shop mush.
SERVES 6
• 1 pack of smoked peppered mackerel fillets, about 300g
• 150g full-fat cream cheese
• 100g full-fat crème fraîche
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• 3 tbsp grated fresh horseradish
EQUIPMENT
• ceramic pot or Tupperware container
Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets and discard. Flake the fish into a large bowl, trying to pick out any bones as you go. Have a sift through it afterwards to look for any you have missed. Add the cream cheese, crème fraîche, lemon juice and horseradish and beat together with a fork.
Pack the mixture tightly into a ceramic pot or Tupperware container, trying to avoid any air bubbles, then seal the top with clingfilm. It will keep in the fridge for five days or until you are ready to use it. Serve on hot buttered toast with some pickled fennel (see page 293) and a green salad with lots of fresh mint.
NOTES
If you can’t find fresh horseradish it is still very tasty without. And if you do ever find some, then peel it, cut it into smaller pieces and freeze it. It keeps well and you can grate it from frozen.