Smoked mackerel pâté with treacle bread and beetroot pickle
This fish pâté is served with freshly made bread and a spicy beetroot pickle. The bread does not need bread flour, but uses plain and self-raising.
Ingredients
For the treacle bread
- butter, for greasing
- 225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour (or use 225g/8oz plain flour and 1 tbsp baking powder)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbsp black treacle (or use maple syrup, honey, pomegranate molasses or golden syrup)
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú porridge oats, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling (these are to add texture - can be left out if none available)
- 475ml/17fl oz milk
- 1 tsp sea salt
For the pâté
- 500g/1lb 2oz smoked mackerel, skin and bones removed, flesh flaked (alternatively use any cooked or smoked fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines or tinned crab meat)
- 350g/12oz cream cheese (or crème fraîche or cottage cheese)
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú plain yoghurt
- 1 tbsp horseradish sauce (or Dijon mustard or wasabi paste)
- 1 lemon, juice only
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the beetroot pickle
- 100g/3½oz pickled beetroot in a jar, grated, plus 1 tsp juice from the jar (or picked red cabbage, piquillo peppers or gherkins)
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 tbsp walnut oil (or another type of oil)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (if available)
- 6 drops Tabasco sauce (or pinch of chilli flakes)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- handful fresh parsley leaves, to garnish (or any other herbs, salad leaf or rocket)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Method
To make the treacle bread, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and grease a loaf tin with butter.
Mix all of the bread ingredients together in a large bowl until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Place in the loaf tin and sprinkle the remaining oats on top (if using). Bake for around 35–40 minutes, or until golden-brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Place on a wire rack to cool.
To make the pâté, place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well. Do not blend - this makes a rough textured pâté. Season with salt and pepper.
To make the pickle, place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the pâté, slices of the bread and the beetroot pickle on four plates. Garnish with the parsley and drizzle with the oil to finish.