Mackerel Pate
January 22, 2017
Once of the killers for me when I'm trying to eat a little healthier is convenience- even more so now with the kiddos.
I would much prefer to eat toast smothered in smoked salmon & creme fraich or cashew ricotta & pesto. To satisfy my munchies with a fresh made salsa & corn chips or pitta & pea hummus dip... But when there's only moments left of nap time (if you've been following me on instagram stories you'll understand) it seems a lot easier to grab a slice of leftover pizza and chug a coke.
I would much prefer to eat toast smothered in smoked salmon & creme fraich or cashew ricotta & pesto. To satisfy my munchies with a fresh made salsa & corn chips or pitta & pea hummus dip... But when there's only moments left of nap time (if you've been following me on instagram stories you'll understand) it seems a lot easier to grab a slice of leftover pizza and chug a coke.
This updated recipe uses a lower fat content cream cheese, dill instead of tarragon, and does away with the butter crust. Tarragon is delicious with mackerel and I'll definitely switch up the herbs I use when making batches of this pate, but the cream cheese tastes no different and I don't miss the butter topping- which saves me a few fat filled calories!
I'm no evangelist when it comes to healthy eating (i'm writing this right now with a Dominos box next to me.. so there will be left over pizza in the fridge tomorrow #babysteps). I think that a 'everything in moderation' approach is the way to go, you can ramp up the indulgence in this recipe by using full fat cream cheese and topping the pate off with melted butter and it WILL TASTE AWESOME.
You can also swap out some of those heavy hitters for equally delicious lighter alternatives which will give you a little wiggle room on treats for the rest of the week. Have your cake (or pate) and eat it.
Ingredients:
12oz mackerel- i've previously used smoked mackerel but I tried this recipe with tinned and it came out fab, just be sure to check for bones
8oz Neufchatel cream cheese
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 heaped tablespoons chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper
toast, to serve
Method:
Drain the tins of mackerel of excess oil and add to a mixer or food processor. You can make this by hand but it's SO much easier to use a gadget!
Add the cream cheese, lemon juice and zest. (If you are going to make this by hand let the cream cheese stand at room temperature for half an hour or so to let it soften. It'll make it easier to mix)
Mix well until completely blended. When you have the texture you like add in the dill. It's better to wait until the end to add the dill, other wise it can get over blended and give the pate a green hue.
The pate will store in the fridge for a week in waiting for you to heap it on to taste whole grain bread.
It goes brilliantly with beetroot, radish and avocado as well!
If you fancy adding the butter topping to individual potted portions of pate, check out my original post (from nearly five years ago?!) here.
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