Fish pate

Fish Pâté

I've made this fish pâté a few times, especially when I have a lot of fresh fish and don’t want it to go to waste. It's the kind of recipe that requires some effort in cleaning and boiling, but the result is hearty, filling, and keeps well in jars. Besides fish, it includes many vegetables, and using roasted peppers gives it a unique flavor. If you pay attention to a few details during boiling and cleaning, it’s not complicated at all.

Quick Info

Total Time: 3-4 hours, depending on the amount of fish and how quickly you can clean the bones
Preparation Time: ~1 hour (cleaning and preparing ingredients)
Cooking Time: ~2-2.5 hours
Servings: about 10 jars of 400 ml, from 10 kg of fish
Difficulty: medium, especially the bone part
Recipe Type: preserve, for winter or when you want something ready to spread on bread

Ingredients

10 kg fish (carp, bream, roach, or pike fillet if available; avoid fatty fish for this recipe)
2 large onions
2 carrots
2 red peppers (for roasting)
1 parsley root
2 parsnip roots
300 ml oil
100 ml vinegar
a few bay leaves
whole pepper
hot paprika (to taste)
salt

Preparation Method

1. Cleaning the Fish
Clean the fish of scales and intestines. Wash it thoroughly to ensure there are no traces of blood or broken gallbladder, otherwise the pâté will taste bitter. Remove all impurities as much as possible.

2. Boiling the Fish
Put the cleaned fish in a large pot. Add bay leaves, a little salt, whole pepper, and 50 ml of vinegar from the total amount. Pour in enough water to cover the fish and set it on low heat. Let it simmer until the meat separates from the bones, without letting it boil too hard so the bones don’t disintegrate. If it boils too much, you’ll have a hard time removing the small bones.

3. Preparing the Vegetables
Meanwhile, peel the onion, carrots, parsley, and parsnip. Grate them on a fine grater, either separately or together, according to your preference. Roast the peppers on the stovetop or in the oven, then peel off the skin and seeds and chop them into small cubes.

4. Removing the Fish and Cooling
Once the fish is boiled, remove it onto a tray or in a wide bowl and let it cool slightly so you can work with it. Don’t throw away the water it was boiled in – you'll need it later.

5. Removing the Bones
When the fish is cool enough, carefully remove all the bones. This part is a bit tedious, but it’s important for the final texture. Discard the skin if you don’t want a very dense pâté.

6. Sautéing the Vegetables
Heat the oil in a large skillet or pot. Add the finely chopped onion and let it soften slightly without burning. When it becomes translucent, add the grated carrots, parsnip, and parsley, then the roasted peppers. Stir and let sauté for a few minutes.

7. Cooking the Vegetables with Fish Broth
Add a ladle of the broth from boiling the fish over the sautéed vegetables and let them simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat until everything is well softened.

8. Passing the Fish through the Meat Grinder
Pass the boiled and cleaned fish through a meat grinder. If you want a very fine pâté, grind everything twice. There’s no need to add anything else at this stage.

9. Mixing the Composition
Put the fish paste in a large bowl, add the sautéed vegetables and the remaining vinegar (50 ml left). Season with salt, pepper, and hot paprika to taste. Mix well.

10. Preserving (if you want to keep the pâté for winter)
Put the hot paste into clean jars, seal immediately with lids. Sterilize the jars in a pot of water on low heat for about an hour and a half from the moment the water starts to boil.

Why I Make This Recipe Often

It’s one of the few ways to preserve fish simply, without preservatives or gelling agents. I also like it because you can vary the vegetables based on what you have at home. It spreads easily on bread, keeps well in jars, and is suitable for breakfast or quick snacks.

Tips and Variations

Tips

- Don’t let the fish boil excessively; small bones become hard to detect and are difficult to remove later.
- Use fresh fish, not salted or smoked fish.
- For sterilization, make sure the water in the pot covers at least 3/4 of the jars.
- Check for any remaining bones; if necessary, you can pass the mixture through a sieve, but it’s quite labor-intensive.
- Add salt and paprika at the end, taste, and add more only if you feel it's necessary.

Substitutions

- If you don’t have red peppers, you can also use kapia peppers or even roasted bell peppers.
- The vinegar can also be wine or apple vinegar, just make sure it’s not flavored.
- If you don't have parsnip or parsley root, just use carrots, but it will have a slightly different flavor.

Variations

- You can also use smaller fish (bleak, sprat) if you have the patience to clean them, or mix different types of fish.
- If you don’t want the pâté to be spicy, use sweet paprika.
- For a creamier texture, blend it at the end with an immersion blender, but it’s not mandatory.

Serving Ideas

- The simplest: on slices of toasted bread.
- It can also be used as a filling for roasted peppers or hard-boiled eggs.
- Works well as a cold appetizer, on platters with lemon slices and dill.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use frozen fish for this recipe?
Yes, if it’s thawed properly and well-drained, but fresh fish is preferred for taste and texture.

2. How can I avoid small bones in the pâté?
Clean carefully after boiling, work in good light, and take your time. You can pass the mixture through a sieve if you want to be sure.

3. How long can I keep the pâté in jars?
If sterilized correctly, it lasts a few months in a cool, dark place.

4. Can it be made without roasted peppers?
Yes, but the flavor will be less aromatic. Substitute with fresh bell peppers.

5. What do I do if the pâté turns out too dense?
Add a little of the leftover fish broth or a splash of oil, as needed, and mix well.

Nutritional Values

Estimate for 100 g of pâté: approximately 140-180 kcal (estimated value, depending on the type of fish used), 12-15 g of protein, 7-10 g of fat (depending on the amount of oil and the fish used), carbohydrates under 5 g. It is a dish rich in protein and lower in carbohydrates, with some fat from oil and fish.

Storage and Reheating

The pâté is stored in sterilized jars, in a cool and dark place, for up to a few months. After opening, keep it in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days. It is not reheated, only consumed cold. If you don't sterilize the jars, the pâté should be eaten within 2-3 days.

 Ingredients: 10 kg of fish (carp, bream, red mullet, fillet of singer) 2 large onions 2 carrots 2 red peppers 1 parsley root 2 parsnip roots 300 ml of oil 100 ml of vinegar bay leaves whole pepper hot paprika salt

 Tags:  fish paste