Times have changed. Luxury cold meat is a money issue only, and we can buy citrus fruits all year round. My children couldn't imagine anything else. They listen to my memories about food coupons, queues and lack of basic products like they were stories about dinosaurs. These changes have another aspect for me: Sometimes I would like something else for bread other than ham or summer sausage.

Due to such nostalgic deliberating in front of the open fridge, I made two pastes from smoked mackerel. The first one is more mellow but with a bit of mayonnaise and horseradish, and the second one more spicy with mustard and chili pepper. You should add the seasonings with care so as not to lose the distinctive taste of the smoked fish.

Paste 1

Ingredients:

smoked mackerel

2 dill pickles

a fistful of minced chives

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 teaspoon of horseradish

salt and pepper

Pare the mackerel from the skin and remove the bones. Crumble it up. Dice the cucumber. Mix in the mackerel, cucumber and chives. Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise and horseradish, and spice it up with salt and pepper. Stir once again. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Paste 2

Ingredients:

smoked mackerel

2 eggs

half a fresh pepper

half a chili pepper

4 dried tomatoes in olive oil

1 tablespoon of mustard

a fistful of minced parsley

salt and pepper

Pare the mackerel from the skin and remove the bones. Crumble it up. Hard boil the eggs. Dice the pepper, chili pepper, dried tomatoes, and eggs. Mix in all the ingredients. Add the minced parsley and mustard, and spice it up with salt and pepper. Stir once again. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Enjoy your meal!