Mackerel rillettes
This recipe for mackerel rillettes (or potted mackerel) starts with poaching the fish. The flesh is then taken off the bones and forked into a seasoned mixture of butter, mustard, cream and lemon juice.
In France this is traditionally eaten as an aperitif snack, served on small slices of toast.
In France this is traditionally eaten as an aperitif snack, served on small slices of toast.
56 K 3/5 (5 reviews)
1 hour
Easy
300 g
10 IngredientsLast modified on: June 19th 2019
2 mackerel
1 tablespoon 
70 g 
2 tablespoons 
1 tablespoon Mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
chive flowers (optional)
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 40 min.
Cooking: 20 min.
All in all: 1 hour
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1
Ask your fishmonger to prepare 2 mackerel for you: cleaned and the head cut off.
Stage 2 - 3 min.
Rinse thoroughly under cold running water, then put in a large pan of cold water with 1 tablespoon coarse salt.
Stage 3 - 20 min.
Put on low heat and poach gently at a simmer for about 10 minutes.
Ideally, check the temperature of the fish flesh with an electronic thermometer. It will be cooked once the centre of the thickest part reaches 122°F (50°C).
Ideally, check the temperature of the fish flesh with an electronic thermometer. It will be cooked once the centre of the thickest part reaches 122°F (50°C).
Stage 4 - 30 min.
Remove the mackerel from the poaching water and leave to cool, then take all the flesh off the bones and discard the rest (skin, bones, etc.).
Unfortunately, there's no getting away from it: this is a long and tedious job.
Put all the boned flesh into a bowl.
Unfortunately, there's no getting away from it: this is a long and tedious job.
Put all the boned flesh into a bowl.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Stage 6 - 2 min.
Mix well with a fork.
Check the seasoning. Transfer into jars and leave overnight, at least, in the fridge.
Check the seasoning. Transfer into jars and leave overnight, at least, in the fridge.
Stage 7
When you want to serve your rilletes, toast some slices of bread (rounds of French baguette here).
Stage 8
Spread the rillettes generously on the toast and decorate, if you like, with a few chive flowers. Then enjoy!
Remarks
Do feel free to vary either the ingredients or the amounts in this recipe. The general spirit of it is: poached mackerel flesh, a little butter and/or cream, herbs and spices of your choice, plus a hint of acidity (normally lemon juice, but vingar or white wine will also work).
For a tastier version, poach the mackerel in a fish stock, rather than salted water.
For a tastier version, poach the mackerel in a fish stock, rather than salted water.
Keeping: A few days in the fridge, in a sealed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 160 RDI=50 % | 8 RDI=1 % | 140 RDI=20 % | 1,880 RDI=70 % | 7,870 RDI: 70 % |
| Per 100 g | 20 RDI=5 % | 0 | 20 RDI=2 % | 220 RDI=8 % | 920 RDI: 8 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 300 g : 3.00 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Butter
Like these other recipes: Rosemary steamed fish, Roasted cauliflower, Chocolate mug cake, Mouna, Clementine cake, ... See them all 468
Lemon juice
Like these other recipes: Sea bass with coriander cream en papillote, Baked sea bass fillet with lemon and tarragon, Peach and verbena feuilleté, Tarte Jurassienne, Salmon and leek fondue tart, ... See them all 72
Cream
Like these other recipes: Gratin Comtois, Crème brulée, Chocolate ganache, Chicken and mushroom pie, Bounty-style tart for Alison, ... See them all 115
Mackerel
Like these other recipes: Mackerel Fillets in White Wine, ... See them all 1
Other recipes you may also like
Chaud-froid of grapefruit, pineapple and lime custard
Cold grapefruit quarters with slices of hot caramelized pineapple, lime custard (crème anglaise) and citrus crunch.December 20th 2010260 K4.5 2 hours 5 min.
Mixed seed grissini
Little crusty bread sticks of Italian origin, these are delicious for aperitifs, plain or with dips like tuna rillettes, guacamole or houmous.February 21th 2011269 K4.2 2 hours 30 min.
Leek and egg frichti
A "frichti" is a rough-and-ready dish, born of the French bistro tradition, that you can throw together with what you have to hand. This version mixes leeks with hard-boiled eggs, cream and ham.September 26th 202130 K 40 min.
Quiche filling mixture
The basic mixture for filling quiches is made with seasoned eggs, cream and/or milk. It can be used in many kinds of savoury quiches and tarts, with different ingredients added (lardons, cheese, salmon, etc.).April 17th 202283 K3 4 min.
Exotic fruit tart
An exotic fruit tart (bananas, kiwi and pineapple), with crisp pastry and almond cream which are cooked beforehand. It's a rather simple recipe, but the final result will impress your guests.May 27th 2020322 K5 2 hours 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-18)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.