Polish Smoked Mackerel Pâté

Polish smoked mackerel pâté requires only a handful of ingredients, is satisfying, nutritious, versatile and ready in minutes.

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Polish

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 91kcal

7.76 ounces smoked mackerel weigh after removing skin and bones, approx. 3 fillets
5.29 ounces Polish semi-skimmed twarόg cheese see *Notes below
2-3 scallions/spring onions finely chopped
4 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons ketchup
Pepper to taste

Remove the skin and bones from the fish. See **Notes below.
Place the mackerel in a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients.
Pulse several times until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and the mixture has the texture you want (it can be quite coarse but you can pulse it a little longer for a smooth finish).
Transfer your smoked fish pâté to a bowl and adjust the seasoning as required. You can also add more yogurt or mayonnaise to loosen the consistency and make the mixture creamier. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

Be sure to remove all the bones from the mackerel before making the recipe.
**Supermarkets tend to sell smoked mackerel fillets which usually still have some bones in them. Any lingering bones will be located down the centre of the fillet and can be removed using tweezers.
*If you can’t get Polish twarόg cheese (called (‘pόłtłusty’ in Polish) use cottage cheese instead (and halve the amount of yogurt).
This pate with smoked mackerel can have a coarse texture (as in the photos), but you can process it for longer to get a smooth, creamier finish if you prefer.
Smoked fish is quite salty so you probably won’t need to add any salt to this recipe, but be generous with pepper.
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
Best served within 3 days.
Freeze for up to 3 months.