Photo: Laurel Fan / Flickr

This kipper or smoked haddock paté recipe takes half an hour to prepare and a quarter of an hour to cook. The taste will be dictated by the quality of the fish so try to find the best product you can. If you can’t get hold of good kipper or smoked haddock, smoked trout will do instead. Alternatively, add some grated horseradish to improve the flavour of a bland-tasting fish. Serve your kipper or smoked haddock paté with savoury biscuits.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients for six servings: 2 large smoked haddock fillets or 4 kippers (or 2 smoked trout), 130 grams of soft butter (not melted) and the juice of one freshly squeeze lemon (sifted). You will also need some clarified butter and some salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the fish

The smoked haddock should be cooked for about 10 minutes in milk and water until the fish is tender. Kippers should be cooked for the same amount of time in a pan of water. If you’re using trout, there’s no need for any cooking at all.

Once the fish is cooked and has cooled a little, remove the skin and bones. Don’t worry about the smaller kipper bones as these will be well blended in the next step.

Blend the ingredients

Place half the lemon juice, the butter and some pepper into a blender. Add the fish and blend the ingredients together until you have a smooth consistency. Add seasoning to taste and the balance of lemon juice if needed.

Allow the mixture to cool and then spoon it into a clean paté pot. Pour clarified butter over the top of the paste in order to seal it, should you wish to keep it for a few days. However, fish is always best when eaten as soon as possible.

Serving

There are a variety of options when it comes to serving your kipper or smoked haddock paté, besides savoury biscuits. You could use melba toast and serve the paste as a starter or top a baked potato with it for a hearty meal.

Tags: cooking, food, recipes