Busy family lifestyles need quick options for healthy and quick meals and this smoked mackerel hotpot is one of my go to dishes. It’s definitely a dinner in a dash – it doesn’t take long to cook and that’s a bonus after a long day at work, particularly if there’s the added energy draining task of taking and collecting kids from after school school activities.
A pack of the smoked mackerel fillets from the supermarket is ideal for this recipe although it’s a versatile dish and can be made with other types of smoked fish, including tinned fish. Varying the vegetables also adds to the versatility and if you’re trying to get the kids to pack in the 5 a day fruit and veg for a healthier diet, it works well with celery, courgettes, spring onions, peas and green beans.
I normally use pre made gnocchi as it cooks so quickly, normally 2-3 minutes, and, as a standby by for last minute meals I usually keep a pack of the long life gnocchi in the store cupboard. It makes a nice change from pasta or potatoes and with its quick cooking time, what’s not to like.
- 300 g Smoked mackerel fillets skin removed and flaked into bite size pieces
- 1 small red onion -finely chopped
- 1 leek - sliced
- 1 red pepper - diced
- 1 green pepper - diced
- 4 tomatoes - chopped
- 200 g pack of cream cheeese
- juice of 1 lemon
- 50 ml milk Add extra milk if sauce is too thick
- 3 tbsp chopped dill or parsley
- 400 g Fresh gnocchi
- 75 g breadcrumbs Optional
- 75 g Grated Cheddar Optional
- freshly ground black pepper Check seaoning before adding salt as the smoked mackerel can be quite salty.
- Remove the skin from the mackerel - it should peel away easily - flake the flesh into bite size pieces and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and leek and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Add the peppers and tomatoes and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes.
- Mix the cream cheese, milk and lemon juice together, add to the pan along with the herbs, stir to mix well and until thick and creamy.
- Cook the gnocchi according to the instructions on the packet. This normally takes 2-3 minutes. Once cooked, add to the pan along with mackerel and gently fold through the sauce. Tip the mixture into a shallow oven proof dish.
- Optional. sprinkle over the breadcrumb and cheese mixture and brown under a hot grill for 5 minutes or until golden brown
The cheese and breadcrumb topping is optional but I think it gives a nice texture to the dish and contrasts well with the soft gnocchi and creamy sauce.