Norfolk Broads Smoked Eel Pâté
River Bure reedbeds: smoked eel pâté from the Broads
River Bure reedbeds have long produced Anguilla anguilla for Norfolk tables, and the smoked eel pâté is a riverbank answer to cold mornings and narrow‑boat suppers.
Ingredients: 100 g smoked eel fillet, 70 g cream cheese, 5 ml lemon juice, 10 g chopped chives, 10 leaves wild garlic (optional), 10 g freshly grated horseradish or 5 g English mustard, salt and pepper.
Method
Mash the smoked eel and cream cheese together until a coarse paste. Stir in chives, wild garlic, horseradish, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Chill for two hours so smoke, citrus and root bite settle into a spreadable loaf. Serve on toasted brioche, crusty dark rye or melba toast with a scatter of dill or a slice of pickled onion.
For a firmer, pub‑style terrine, blend 250 g smoked eel with 75 g softened butter, 2 Tbsp cream cheese, a tablespoon of lemon juice, crushed pink peppercorns, dill and horseradish cream; press, chill and slice. On the Broads this goes best with a pint, a hard morning light and reeds sighing against the bank.
Recommended: handheld mixer