Mackerel pate

Following hot on the heels of my introduction, I thought I’d kick off with a recipe. This mackerel pâté is a good source of complete protein (more about this in a later post), and chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are big news nutritionally, as increased consumption of oily fish has been linked with reduced risk of heart disease¹ and male cancers², and enhanced recovery from physical exercise by reducing inflammation in the body³. The fact that it’s incredibly tasty means that there are plenty of great reasons to tuck in! Enjoy.

Ingredients (serves 2):

250g smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed

3 tablespoons natural yoghurt

1 tablespoon horseradish sauce

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

                   

Method

Take half the mackerel, and puree in the food processor with all the other ingredients. Flake in the other half of the fish, so you have a mixture of smooth and chunky textures. Interesting extras to add another dimension include chopped spring onions, gherkins or capers.

Serves this on a slice of wholemeal toast topped with cucumber slices, with cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks on the side, for a delicious and nutritious lunch. If you’re on a gluten-free diet, use this as a dip for raw veg.

Nutrition

One serving of this pâté, served on wholemeal toast with veg as described above will give you the following nutrients:

kCalories: 714

Protein: 34g

Carbohydrates: 40g

Fat: 48g (of which saturates 17g)

 Hmm, not sure this makes it look as tasty as it is!

References

1: Mozaffarian D, Appel LJ, Van Horn L. Components of a cardioprotective diet: new insights. Circulation 2011; 123: 2870-91

2: Augustsson K, Michaud DS, Rimm EB et al. A prospective study of intake of fish and marine fatty acids and prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2003; 12: 64-7

3: Gray P, Gabriel B, Thies F et al. Fish oil supplementation augments post-exercise immune function in young males. Brain Behav Immun 2012; 26: 1265-72.