Potted Smoked Mackerel

We are crazy about pâté.  As unhealthy as it is being laden with fat and cholesterol…sometimes it is totally necessary to dive in.  You know, on those trying days.  Those days when you finally get the kids to sleep and just want something a little extra special to erase the stress of say a defiant child who is unhappy that you moved to a new house an impossible day.  And if you are going that route anyway… you might as well go ahead and cover the pâté in hardened butter and throw in a glass of excellent white wine.  Why not?  Just don’t do it every day.

This recipe could not be easier.  We started with some smoked mackerel, lemon juice, lemon zest, capers, créme fraîche, salt, pepper and mustard.  We blended this together in our food processor and added some herbs (tarragon and thyme).  This mixture was then potted into ramekins where we added a few tarragon leaves for decoration.  The ramekins were topped with melted butter and placed in the fridge for a few hours.  So simple.  So decadent.  So worth it.