Spicy Smoked Mackerel Parcels
We had some filo pastry sitting in the freezer for a while now (I’m going to make Apple Pie Samosas as some point) and I was wondering whether or not there was a filo pastry recipe for smoked mackerel.
First hit I found was this recipe from Waitrose, who are usually spot on but this time were ever so slightly off.
One clove of garlic is neither use nor ornament, if a recipe requires garlic it requires at least three fat cloves, and cooking onions for 3-4 minutes is no use, 6-10 minutes over a medium heat gets them nicely soft and translucent.
So with these changes in mind I set to making them, and the smell of the onions and Ras el Hanout was gorgeous, the spice mixture we have has a lot of rose in it so it was especially fragrant.
Everything else from the recipe was spot on and 15 minutes after they went in the oven they were done.
We served them with a red cabbage and apple slaw, pickled beetroot, pickled onions, apple chutney, and green leaf.
They are also great as a lunch, all parcelled up with a salad.
ingredients
- 1 ½ tsp Ras el Hanout
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 25g sultanas
- 3 clove garlic, crushed
- 250g hot-smoked mackerel
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 8 sheets filo pastry
putting it all together
Preheat the oven to 190C, gas mark 5. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a non-stick frying pan and gently cook the onion for several minutes until softened, then add the sultanas and garlic and cook for another minute or so. Then add the Ras el Hanout and cook this off, stirring occasionally, for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
Flake the mackerel, discarding any skin and bones. Add to the bowl, with the lemon zest and some freshly ground black pepper, mix to combine mackerel and onions.
Lay a sheet of filo pastry on a clean chopping board and cut in half lengthways. Brush one half with a little of the remaining olive oil and lay the other half on top. Place 1½-2 tbsp of the mackerel mixture on one corner of the pastry and fold over to form a triangle shape. Continue folding in a triangle shape until you reach the end of the sheet. Repeat to make 8 pasties.
Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet and brush with a little oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and crisp. Cool on a wire rack.
