Lemon and Dill Smoked Mackerel Pâté with Pickled Cucumbers

Name: Lemon and Dill Smoked Mackerel Pâté with Pickled Cucumbers
Cuisine: Swedish
Ingredients: 100 ml white wine vinegar; 25 g caster sugar; 1 tsp flaky sea salt; ½ tsp coriander seeds; ½ tsp mustard seeds; ½ tsp black peppercorns; 15 cm cucumber, very thinly sliced; 2 tbsp roughly chopped dill; 250 g smoked mackerel; 175 g full fat cream cheese; zest and juice of 1 lemon; 2 tbsp creamed horseradish; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; small handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped, plus more for garnishing; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; sourdough, toasted

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Seasonal Snacks

By Gabriella English

Published 2026

About

Smoked mackerel is a winter snack hero – super versatile, available all year round, full of omega 3s to give your brain a boost AND it keeps in the fridge for days. This pâté is so simple. Smoky, lemony and herbal with a hint of aniseed from the dill, it immediately takes me back to summers spent in Sweden.

Ingredients

for the pickled cucumber:

100 ml white wine vinegar
25 g caster sugar
1

Europe
Sweden
Snack
Vegetarian
Winter
January

Method

To make the pickled cucumber, put the vinegar, sugar, salt, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and peppercorns in a small saucepan with 150ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof jug and set aside to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, put the cucumber and dill into a sterilised jar. Pour the cooled vinegar over the cucumber, cover