Smoked Mackerel

ebaybaby

Hope this is the right place to post this, I love M&S smoked mackerel pate and have had a go at making my own this evening....it turned out beautifully and I could easily eat the lot!!!
The problem is, Im trying to lose weight and was hoping this would be a way to include more fish in my diet, but, when I looked at the nutritional info it is loaded with fat and high in cals????
Can anyone shed any light on this? It was pure mackerel fillets, with salt added.

Quasar

Mackerel is an oily fish containing high levels of Omega 3 essential fat, which is very beneficial BUT it does have the same calorie content as any other fat: 125 calories per tablespoon. If you include it in your diet in moderate amounts all good and well. Even weight reducing diets do need some essential oils. Just bear that in mind when you plan your meals, and good luck!

Incidentally I take two tablespoon of pure, cold pressed cod liver oil per day (it doesn't taste awful because it's the fresh stuff), yet have lost 5 kgs in the last 3 months without making very great changes to my diet - just eating a bit less of everything.

ebaybaby

Thanks Quasar, that really helps. Good for you on your weight loss, thats my plan...Im sick to death of paying money to slimming clubs etc, I plan on eating less and (hopefully) exercising a bit more!!

Quasar

ebaybaby wrote: »

Thanks Quasar, that really helps. Good for you on your weight loss, thats my plan...Im sick to death of paying money to slimming clubs etc, I plan on eating less and (hopefully) exercising a bit more!!

Trouble is, slimming diets and exercise plans are good as long as they last, but when you've lost the weight and go back living normally, on it piles again. The only sure and safe way to lose weight permanently is to change one's eating habits. I've cut down massively starchy and fatty foods (except the oily fish and liver oils), and replaced things like biscuits with a piece of fruit when I feel peckish. It works and it's a lot healthier too.

So tuck into your mackerel pate and enjoy it - just go easy on it.

msb5262

Hello OP,

You said your smoked mackerel pate was pure mackerel fillets, with salt added.

Do you mean you made it just by mashing the fish up?

A friend of mine does this, adding only the juice of a lemon, but it's rather overpowering for my taste.

My method is as follows:

Chop an onion extremely finely (or grate it if you like).

Use a fork to mash up about 2 fillets of smoked mackerel. Combine with onion.

Add 1/2oz melted butter, a small pot (5fl oz) of natural yoghurt and the juice of a lemon. Taste to check seasoning. Add more yoghurt or lemon juice if required.

Pack into a bowl, smooth the surface and garnish with either a slice of lemon or a shake of paprika.

Serve with bread or toast and salad.

If you use low-fat or fat-free yoghurt, and leave out the butter if you prefer, this would be a bit lighter on the calories than the pure fish version or indeed the cream cheese kind.

HTH

MsB

ETA If you want a more luxurious version, use cream (fresh, sour or creme fraiche) instead of the yoghurt. This is delicious but I prefer the sharpness of the yoghurt version these days.

foxgloves

I make smoked mackerel pate by putting 1 tub 'Quark' (fat free soft cheese), 2 or 3 mackerel fillets, a few grinds of black pepper & a squeeze of lemon juice in the food processor and blitzing it. It's really nice. Also make it with the Philadelphia-type cheeses, extra-lite varieties and it also seems to work with those. I don't worry too much about the fat content of oily fish as it's the type of fat our bodies & brains need to function. I always think that it's all the less good quality fat in things like crisps, biscuits, cakes, etc, that needs cutting down...............tho' am terrible biscuit monster & don't always follow my own advice!

ubamother

I might not be remembering this rightly, but on Slimming World smoked trout/salmon is free - if you like smoked trout you could simply swap, or do half trout half mackerel so you get your mackerel taste fix as well as a satisfying amount of food. If you have it with crackers etc. you might find they adding more calories to your day than the pate.

lisa26_2

I make smoked mackerel pate by whizzing together the mackeral and some low fat natural cottage cheese and soe seasoning. its lovely with pink pepercorns in too!