Simon Hulstone's mackerel pâté recipe includes pickled cucumber which perfectly cuts through the mackerel pâté. This mackerel recipe calls for poaching the mackerel fillets in fish stock before flaking and forming into a thick pâté. It's a wonderful starter course for any summertime meal
Method
1.
For the cucumber pickle, heat the 600ml of water up to boiling point and add the cloves, peppercorns, caraway seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaf and tarragon. As soon as the water boils, remove from the heat and allow to cool
2.
When the mixture is cold, add the vinegar to the pan. Place the sliced cucumbers into a kilner jar and cover with the vinegar mix. Leave until required, the longer the better
3.
To poach the mackerel, place the fish stock and the mackerel fillets into a wide pan. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the mackerel to cool in the stock. Once cooled, discard the fish stock and separate the flesh from the mackerel skin
4.
Place the mackerel flesh in a bowl and add the butter, crème fraiche, horseradish and paprika to taste
5.
Combine all of the ingredients with a fork, until the mackerel has broken up into fine strands, and season. You want the mixture to be dry enough so you can quenelle it later on - if it isn’t, just add a little more crème fraiche. Cover and allow to chill in the fridge
6.
Once ready to serve, quenelle the pâté and serve with the pickled cucumber
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