Suffolk Smoked Kipper Pâté
Rich, smoky kipper pâté blended with butter, cream cheese, and fresh lemon. A classic coastal Suffolk starter served with warm crusty toast.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 285 kcal
Equipment
- •Heatproof dish
- •Food processor
- •Citrus zester
- •Kitchen paper
- •Ceramic ramekins
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 285 kcal
- fat
- 25 g
- carbs
- 1 g
- fibre
- 0 g
- protein
- 14 g
- calories
- 285 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the kipper fillets flat in a shallow heatproof dish.
- 2
Pour freshly boiled water over the kippers until completely submerged.
- 3
Leave to stand for 5 minutes until the fish is warm and flakes easily.
- 4
Drain the fish thoroughly and pat completely dry with kitchen paper.
- 5
Check carefully for any small pin bones and discard them.
- 6
Flake the kipper flesh into a food processor bowl.
- 7
Add the softened butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- 8
Pulse the mixture until creamy yet retaining a slight coarse texture.
- 9
Add the black pepper, cayenne pepper, mace, parsley, and chives.
- 10
Pulse briefly for two seconds to fold the fresh herbs through.
- 11
Spoon the pâté into small ceramic ramekins and level the tops.
- 12
Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm before serving.
Chef's tips
Do not add extra salt, as traditional oak-smoked kippers are naturally salted during the curing process. For a classic rustic texture, you can mash the fish and butter with a fork rather than using a food processor. Top with a thin layer of melted clarified butter before chilling if you want to seal it for longer storage.
Ingredient substitutions
- full-fat cream cheese → crème fraîche or thick double cream
- smoked kipper fillets → hot-smoked mackerel fillets
Storage
Store covered tightly in the fridge and consume within 3 days.
Reheating
Serve chilled straight from the fridge; do not reheat.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding table salt, which makes the naturally cured kipper overly salty.
- •Skipping the draining step, which leaves excess moisture and makes the pâté watery.
- •Over-blending into a totally smooth purée rather than keeping a pleasant flecked texture.
Serving suggestions
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