Smoked Mackerel Flan (Quiche)
Smoked Mackerel Flan (Quiche)
Mamta Gupta
Flans are easy to make, especially if you use ready-made short crust pastry, which is what I have used here in pictures. Filling can be whatever you fancy. Here, I have used smoked mackerel, but any other smoked fish will work equally well.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the pastry:
175 gm. plain flour (maida)
A pinch of salt
75 gm. butter or margarine
Cold water to knead
For the filling:
2 tbsp. oil or a mix of butter and oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds. You can use dill seeds, if you prefer
1 onion, thickly sliced
A handful of sliced carrots/mushrooms/broccoli/peas or any other vegetable you want to use. Here I have used a mix of yellow and orange carrots
3-4 smoked mackerel fillets, plain or peppered
100 gm. mature cheddar, grated. Parmesan or other cheese (see notes) of choice can also be added.
300 ml. milk or fresh single/double cream or Crème fraîche
4 standard or 3 large eggs
Salt
A good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper (I did not need this here, because my mackerel was liberally sprinkles with black pepper)
1/4-1/2 tsp. chilli flakes or a couple of green chillies, chopped (optional)
Salt to taste (be careful, because mackerel is quite salty
1 tsp. chopped fresh herb of choice like chopped chives or dill
8-9 inch round or oblong flan dish. Use an oblong one, if using ready rolled pastry
Instructions
Pastry
Sift flour in a largish bowl, add a pinch of salt and the butter. Mix with your fingers or in a food processor, until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Add a little cold water at a time and make firm dough. Be careful, it does not need a lot of water. You can knead the dough by hand too.
Cover with a cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Making the Quiche
Heat oil in a pan and lightly fry all vegetables together. They should still be crunchy at the end of frying, so no over frying. Keep aside to cool.
Dust the kitchen table or rolling board with flour and roll out the pastry into about 4-5 mm. thick, a 25 cm. or 10 inch diameter circle, or an oblong to fit your dish. Lift it off by gently rolling it onto the rolling pin. Now unroll it onto a buttered flan dish. Press gently to fit into the corners and sides, reaching slightly over the edges. If using ready rolled pastry like Jus Roll, simply unroll onto your dish, pressing it in gently.
Cover with a wax paper and leave in the fridge again for 25-30 minutes. This stops shrinkage during baking.
Preheat the oven to 190°C or 375°F or Gas mark 5.
Remove the flan dish from the fridge. Trim the edges off the pastry with a sharp knife. You can leave the edges untrimmed, giving it a more rustic look.
Place a sheet of grease proof paper or aluminium foil to cover the pastry. Now fill with baking beans (not baked beans)! This is to stop it from ballooning during baking. If you don’t have baking beans, you can press it with another flan dish that is slightly smaller and fits inside the main dish.
Bake blind (without any filling) for approximately 20 minutes, until it is set and lightly crisp.
Remove the foil or wax paper and baking. Return to the oven for another five minutes, so that the inside corners are also cooked well. Take it out.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Relive baking beads and paper.
Spread half of torn up mackerel and then vegetables on top of the pastry.. Then sprinkle remaining half of the fish evenly over the pastry case.
Place eggs, cream/milk, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and herbs in a bowl, along with any extra spice you are using.
Beat lightly.
Mix half the cheese in and pour over the quiche.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes in the centre of the oven, until just set. It should be a little wobbly, but not runny.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. It will set further.
Serve at room temperature or hot with salad of choice.
Notes
You can use different types of cheeses, like Gruyère, Parmesan, Stilton and cheddar mixor anything else you like.
Use other vegetables like very thinly sliced courgettes/aubergines, sliced red/green pepper, sliced mushrooms, asparagus tips, tinned or cooked corn kernels. Stir fry the vegetables you want to use a little. This will enhance their flavour.
Use Ham and or other cold cuts of meat, left over roast chicken pieces or bacon.
You can make it with peeled prawns.or a fish like salmon, instead.
Add a few chopped green chillies or coarsely ground red chillies always go well in our house.
