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Video recipe

About this recipe

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Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Smoked mackerel, soft potatoes, crunchy pickles, red onion, dill, lemon, and yogurt turn into a bold Balkan seafood spread made for bread. 🐟

Ingredients

• Smoked mackerel base 🐟
• 🐟 300 g smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed and flaked (10.6 oz)
• 🥔 350 g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (2½ cups / 12.3 oz)
• 🥒 120 g pickles, finely chopped (¾ cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🧅 80 g red onion, finely chopped (½ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🧄 2 garlic cloves, finely grated (2 cloves / 0.35 oz)
• 🌿 15 g fresh dill, finely chopped (½ cup loose / 0.5 oz)
• 🌿 15 g fresh parsley, finely chopped (½ cup loose / 0.5 oz)
• 🍋 25 ml lemon juice (1 tbsp + 2 tsp / 0.85 fl oz)
• 🍋 4 g lemon zest (2 tsp / 0.14 oz)
• 🫒 35 ml olive oil (2 tbsp + 1 tsp / 1.2 fl oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• Creamy finish 🥛
• 🥛 180 g thick plain yogurt (¾ cup / 6.3 oz) dairy
• 🥄 15 g Dijon mustard or mild mustard (1 tbsp / 0.5 oz)
• 🥒 20 ml pickle juice (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• 🧂 2 g fine sea salt, only if needed (⅓ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• To serve 🍞
• 🍞 Toasted bread or rye bread gluten
• 🥒 Cucumber slices
• 🍋 Lemon wedges
• 🌿 Extra dill
• 🫒 A small drizzle of olive oil

Preparation

• 1 Boil the potatoes 🥔 Place the potatoes in salted water and boil for 15 min, until tender. Drain well and let them steam dry for 5 min so the spread does not become watery.
• 2 Mash the potatoes 🌿 Mash the warm potatoes roughly with a fork. Keep some small pieces for texture instead of making a completely smooth mash.
• 3 Prepare the mackerel 🐟 Remove the skin from the smoked mackerel and check carefully for bones. Flake the fish into small rustic pieces with your fingers or a fork.
• 4 Mix the fresh base 🥒 Add pickles, red onion, garlic, dill, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and black pepper to a wide bowl. Stir for 30 sec so the onion and herbs start to soften.
• 5 Add fish and potatoes 🥄 Add the flaked smoked mackerel and mashed potatoes to the bowl. Fold gently so the fish stays in small visible pieces and the potatoes help bind the spread.
• 6 Make it creamy 🥛 Add thick yogurt, mustard, and pickle juice. Mix gently until creamy, smoky, and spoonable. Add salt only if needed, because smoked mackerel and pickles are already salty.
• 7 Rest for flavor 🛋 Cover and chill for 20 min. This helps the smoky fish, lemon, pickles, dill, and yogurt settle into one balanced spread.
• 8 Finish and serve 🍋 Spoon the spread into a dark bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, and top with extra dill, black pepper, and lemon zest. Serve cold with toasted bread, cucumber slices, and lemon wedges.

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