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Smoked mackerel is one of the most useful things you can keep in the fridge. Most smoked mackerel sold in the UK is hot-smoked, which means it is already cooked: you can flake it straight into a salad, warm it through in pasta or kedgeree, or mash it into pâté in five minutes. Its rich, smoky flavour loves sharp, fresh partners such as horseradish, lemon, beetroot, mustard and dill. Here are seven easy ideas, each serving two unless we say otherwise, followed by how long smoked mackerel keeps and how to smoke your own.
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Home smoking essentials that make the advice easier to put into practice.
1. Smoked mackerel pâté
The classic, ready in ten minutes, and the easiest starter for a crowd at Christmas. Skin and flake 3 hot-smoked mackerel fillets and mash them with 150g of crème fraîche (or soft cheese for a firmer pâté), a teaspoon of creamed horseradish, the zest and juice of half a lemon and plenty of black pepper. Keep it rough and rustic or blitz it smooth, then finish with snipped chives. Serve with hot toast, oatcakes or crisp lettuce leaves.
Our full smoked mackerel pâté recipe has the method and serving ideas. It keeps for a few days in the fridge, so it is a good one to make ahead.
2. Smoked mackerel kedgeree
Kedgeree is traditionally made with smoked haddock, but it is just as good with mackerel, and quicker because the fish is already cooked. It makes a lovely late breakfast on Boxing Day or a weekend brunch.
Hard-boil 2 eggs for 8 minutes, then cool, peel and quarter them. Meanwhile, soften a chopped onion in a knob of butter, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of mild curry powder and 150g of basmati rice, then pour in 350ml of hot stock. Cover and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, adding a handful of frozen peas for the last 3 minutes, until the rice is tender and the stock absorbed. Take the pan off the heat, fold in 2 flaked smoked mackerel fillets, cover and leave for a few minutes so the fish warms through. Top with the eggs, chopped parsley or coriander and a squeeze of lemon.
3. Smoked mackerel, beetroot and horseradish salad
A bright winter salad that takes five minutes. Toss a bag of salad leaves or watercress with 2 or 3 cooked beetroots cut into wedges (the vacuum-packed ones without vinegar work well), a few cooked new potatoes and 2 flaked mackerel fillets.
For the dressing, mix 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche with 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot horseradish, a squeeze of lemon and a splash of water to loosen it, then spoon it over. A few toasted walnuts or some sliced apple add crunch. For a heartier plate, serve it with our potato salad with horseradish.
4. Smoked mackerel pasta with lemon and crème fraîche
A fifteen-minute weeknight supper. Cook 180g of pasta, such as linguine or penne. While it boils, gently warm 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche in a frying pan with the zest and juice of half a lemon and a couple of handfuls of spinach or peas.
Drain the pasta, keeping a mugful of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce, 2 flaked mackerel fillets and enough of the water to make it glossy, then finish with black pepper, chopped parsley or dill and a few capers if you like them. Warm the fish through rather than cooking it hard, or it dries out. You will not need extra salt: the mackerel brings plenty.
5. Smoked mackerel fishcakes
Makes 4 fishcakes. Mash 400g of cooked, dry floury potatoes (leftover mash is perfect) with 2 flaked mackerel fillets, a tablespoon of horseradish or wholegrain mustard, 2 chopped spring onions, a small handful of chopped parsley and some lemon zest. Shape into four cakes and chill them for 30 minutes to firm up.
Dust the cakes in flour, dip them in beaten egg and coat them in breadcrumbs, then fry in a little oil over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until golden and hot all the way through. Serve with a green salad, lemon wedges and a spoonful of tartare sauce.
6. Smoked mackerel and scrambled eggs on toast
A good weekend breakfast. Scramble 4 eggs slowly in butter over a low heat and, just before they set, fold in 1 flaked mackerel fillet so it warms through. Pile onto hot buttered toast, sourdough or a toasted bagel, and finish with snipped chives and black pepper. A spoonful of horseradish cream on the side is good too.
7. Smoked mackerel and new potato traybake
Almost no washing up. Halve 500g of new potatoes and toss them in a roasting tin with a sliced red onion, a tablespoon of olive oil and some black pepper. Roast at 200°C (180°C fan) for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden and tender.
Lay 2 to 3 smoked mackerel fillets on top for the last 5 minutes, just to warm them through. Serve with spoonfuls of crème fraîche mixed with chopped dill and a little wholegrain mustard, plus lemon wedges and a green salad.
Is smoked mackerel cooked? Can you eat it cold?
Hot-smoked mackerel, the kind most UK shops sell, is cooked during smoking, so you can eat it cold straight from the pack. Cold-smoked fish, such as smoked salmon, is different: it is smoked at a low temperature and is not cooked. Kippers are cold-smoked herring and are usually cooked before eating.
If you warm smoked mackerel, do it gently and only until hot, because the fillets dry out quickly. When you are cooking for someone vulnerable, such as an older person or anyone with a weakened immune system, heat it until it is steaming hot all the way through, as in the kedgeree, pasta and fishcakes above.
If you are pregnant, the NHS advises that cold-smoked and cured fish must be cooked until steaming hot, and that you should eat no more than two portions of oily fish a week, which includes mackerel. See the NHS guide to foods to avoid in pregnancy for the latest advice.
How long does smoked mackerel keep?
Eat shop-bought smoked mackerel by its use-by date and, once the pack is open, within the time the label gives, which is usually a couple of days. Keep it wrapped in the fridge, or everything else in there will start to smell of smoke.
Home-smoked mackerel has no packaging and often less salt, so treat it like any other cooked fish: cool it quickly, wrap it, keep it in the fridge and eat it within a couple of days.
Smoked mackerel also freezes well. Wrap the fillets tightly, freeze them on the day you buy or smoke them, and use them within a month or two for the best flavour. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Frozen fillets are best used in cooked dishes or pâté rather than served as they are.
Is smoked mackerel healthy?
Mackerel is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fats you can buy, and the NHS recommends eating at least two portions of fish a week, one of them oily. A portion is about 140g. The catch with smoked mackerel is salt: it is cured before it is smoked, so it is much saltier than fresh fish. Enjoy it as part of a varied diet, go easy on extra salt in the recipes above, and lean on lemon, herbs and horseradish for seasoning instead.
How to smoke your own mackerel
Smoking mackerel at home is easier than most people expect, and very good value when mackerel are plentiful. In short: gut and fillet the fish (see how to gut and fillet a mackerel), give the fillets a short cure or brine, let them dry until the surface feels tacky, then hot-smoke them over oak, beech or alder until they are cooked through. Our fish smoking times and temperatures guide gives sensible starting points.
Our hot-smoked mackerel recipe takes you through it step by step, and our guides to hot-smoking fish, brining fish before smoking and the best wood for smoking fish cover the details. Our complete hot smoking kit includes a stainless steel smoker with its own burners, six woods and brining salt. If you already have a barbecue, a BBQ smoker box with coarse oak or cherry chips will do the job with a lid down.
