On Monday, I used some whey I'd saved from making yoghurt. Yestereay morning, I had some ricotta with berries and nuts for breakfast. I also wanted to use some of it to make a savoury spread, so I did that, too.
Into a bowl, I dumped the two small fillets in one small can of peppered smoked mackerel, caught nearby and canned locally. I discarded the oil. I took off a few small bits of skin, then mashed this up with a fork. To this I added a couple generous dollops of ricotta, some dried chives, parsley, some peri-peri seasoning, and a sprinkle or two of dried jalapeno flakes. I snipped some scallion and finely diced a piece of yellow bell pepper I had in the fridge that needed using. Then I mashed it all together with a fork. It needed to sit to let the flavours meld, but I couldn't resist having a taste. It is so good! 😋 I gave Bill a taste and he agreed. I put it in the fridge to sit overnight. I think it'll be great on rye crackers.
I still have a bit of ricotta left. Not sure how I will eat/use it, but I'll decide another day.
12 comments:
You could use salmon, smoked or unsmoked, instead of the smoked mackerel. :-)
I should say that I am not a huge fish person in general. I don't eat any shellfish because it made me sick as a kid. I think white fish is pretty meh (I don't broadcast my take-it-or-leave-it attitude towards the fish and chips that are everywhere around here!). But I quite like salmon, mackerel, and trout.
Dear Shari,
It's wonderful that you could make so much ricotta yourself - apparently enough for three meals! I can imagine that we would have liked the mackerel spread too, but I think I would have liked the mix with the berries even more :-)
Have a good start to July! (Today we had a thunderstorm and now it's "Shari-cool" in Austria ;-))
All the best, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/06/tagesausflug-schloss-artstetten.html
My favorite fish for fish n chips is Icelandic Cod or any of their white fishes. They have huge flakes and little likelihood of getting bones or anything gross... I like that they're more mild too but taste 'fresh' and healthy. My local UK Pub serves it so you may have more chance of finding it there too. I am NOT a fish person especially not gamey fish or where they forget to remove the gross stuff before packing it. I'm also allergic to iodine / shell fish and have a tendency to mercury overload. This looks really good and I bet it'll be great on the crackers. I have a friend who makes her own crackers and they are amazing, do you do that too? I love how you're getting your creative cooking vibe going and it's making so many fun dishes for you guys. I'm really hoping to start doing more stuff like this for myself when I finish moving/unpacking. It'll be interesting to see what you do with the rest of it.
There's fish and chips everywhere here. Usually people can choose cod or haddock. I just think it's pretty bland and tasteless and way too greasy. I never had it until we came to Ireland and I have had it a few times since, but not for 4 years or so now. I just choose something else 😃
The spread was fabulous on the crackers! 😋
I understand about the grease and everything. I think this pub does it well, that it has a good batter that isn't heavy, that it's well drained, and that their choice of fish makes all the difference. I don't even like fried foods generally but some places like the PNW (Ivars and Spuds) and this UK Pub have done it very well. I don't eat fish otherwise. I didn't know until I read this that you could get smoked fish like you did.
With white fish I would give it a go!!
I think I maybe that one time had "bad" salmon? It tasted plain awful. But then... I´m a picky eater anyways.
I love crackers, though. Certainly 😁
Your Leprechaun says hi today - thank you soooooo much!
Traude--it's cool that with ricotta it can go either way! My (Italian) mother used to love cannoli. She made hers with sweetened ricotta. When we lived in Niagara Falls for a short time, there was a bakery that made them with sweetened mascarpone. They were even more yummy!
Yay for rain! Hope things stay cool-ish!
Joy--oh yes, the batter! We once had some that was undercooked and the batter was sliding off the fish. It was yucky! And don't tell anyone because it could be considered sacrilege around here, but neither of us actually like the chips (gasp!). They're soggy. But people love them and no matter the takeaway, chips are on the menu. Chinese/Thai? Chips. Indian? Chips. In restaurants, it's standard to have lasagne, coleslaw, and chips on offer. Yikes.
Iris--I never had salmon until I was 30ish. I used to sometimes have fish fingers as a kid, but never had to eat any fish because of the shellfish making me sick. It was the one thing I did not have to eat. I was surprised to love the salmon. Then when we moved to Ireland, there was mackerel everywhere, so I tried that and I found I like that, too.
Glad the parcel got there! Hi to Peanut and the fairies, if you happen to see them :-)
Well as my Irish Gran was oft heard to say 'Oh Ishhhh'. LOL That sounds positively revolting! (The batter.) Maybe people want comfort food a lot so it's anywhere? So many kids wont touch anything nutritious if there aren't chips on offer as the side... It's a bit mystifying tho that they'd let it turn to a greasy pile. (Or unless they never have time to cook their breakfast potatoes through and got used to it?) BTW Salmon grilled with sprigs of rosemary, granulated onion/garlic/jalapeno is amazing!
It is indeed! And I found dried jalapeno flakes when perusing the spices in a grocery store one day--perfect!
Smoked mackerel spread with homemade ricotta sounds wonderful ...
All the best Jan
It was so good! I will definitely make it again!
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