A crostini is that perfect snack for when your friends come round, have at parties, or even just pack a few in a lunch box to snack on at work. They are made from freshly baked bread, sprinkled with sea salt and drizzled with olive oil. Fillipo Berio, known for his famous olive oil has launched a new range of crostini’s using his signature oil and combining it with some fantastic flavours consisting of fennel and garlic, sun dried tomato, rosemary and sea salt as well as formaggio. I was fortunate to discover them at The Food Sauce Christmas Party a few weeks ago and have been snacking on them since!

For Christmas dinner we always have a starter, main and far too many desserts and this year were going to make our usual of prawn cocktail and stuffed mushrooms however I thought I’d try something a little different using the crostini’s and making a dip to go with them.

My mum makes an amazing mackerel pâté and I thought that would be a perfect accompaniment for the fennel and garlic crostini’s and so gave it a go. Both the pate and crostini are very flavoursome however, they do not overpower the other. Rather the freshness and smoothness of the pâté is delicious with the garlic and the crunch texture of the crostini. Give it a go and let me know what you think!

This recipe needs to be made the day before serving to give the pâté time to set. You will also need a blender.

Ingredients (To fill 6 little pots)

4 mackerel fillets

250g soft cream cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

Sprinkle of pepper

Method

1. Peel the skin off the mackerel fillets and break the hard bit of skin at the bottom of the fish off and throw away. Break the mackerel fillets into small pieces and put into the blender.
2. Empty the contents of the cream cheese into the blender with the mackerel. Squeeze the lemon juice over and sprinkle with a pinch of pepper.
3. Blend all the ingredients up together for a few minutes ensuring there are no big bits of mackerel but rather it forms a smooth consistency. Use a spoon to mix the paste around to let you see if it is completely smooth.
4. Spoon your pâté mixture into the 6 little serving pots and leave in the fridge overnight to set.
5. Serve with your crostini’s for a delicious appetiser!