Creamy, crunchy avocado toast topped with flakes of smoked mackerel, spring onions and zesty lime. Heaven in every bite!
I’m no hipster, but I do have a long history with avocados!
My parents were pretty adventurous with food and introduced us to all sorts of weird and wonderful fruit and veg. We’d eaten avocados on a childhood holiday in Israel in the 1970s, even though they were still quite exotic in the UK at that time.
Avocado cafe
I remember that sometime afterwards we had a trip to London to visit family. We went to the cafe in John Lewis, or possibly Fenwick’s, for lunch. In the display fridge were avocado halves filled with prawn cocktail – the height of 70s chic! – and I asked if I could have one without the prawns, since they’re not kosher.
The lady behind the counter seemed quite shocked by a 4 year old demanding something as sophisticated as an avocado! I remember her expression quite clearly, although I have no memory of eating the avo (or not!).
How times have changed
These days, avocado is such an everyday staple that plenty of babies are weaned on it! It’s easy to spoon, and its packed with healthy fats, vitamins and other nutrients. Not to mention it’s delicious!
With all that goodness, it’s really no wonder that avocado is also extremely popular. I enjoy it particularly when it’s combined with another great foodie love of mine – toast.
Sourdough? Of course!
I was in a super-cool hipster coffee place with some friends recently, and we had to laugh when 80% of the menu was avocado toast – avocado toast with egg, avo toast with smoked salmon, avo toast with radishes… endless variations.
Of course the toast was sourdough. Two hipster birds with one stone, right there.
Avocado toast – not just for hipsters
My own homemade avocado toast uses whatever bread I have to hand, which is usually a sliced wholemeal or 50:50 loaf. I like to squash the avocado on with a fork rather than slice it – the slices always seem to fall off when I eat it! Personally, I think smoked mackerel goes amazingly well with avocado – try this quick avocado and mackerel pate if you have any fish and avocado left over.
The best avocado toast
Personally, I think the best avocado toast is the one you’ve made for yourself and taken the time to enjoy! Freshly smashed avocado on hot toast, topped with your favourite things – YUM!
Obviously this recipe is for toast with avocado and smoked mackerel, but you can add all sorts of different toppings. Here are a few ideas:
- Thinly sliced radishes and wild rocket, for a peppery sensation
- Feta, cherry tomatoes and fresh mint if you’re feeling Mediterranean
- Yogurt, chilli oil and roasted tomatoes if you want something a bit spicy
- Humous, olives and a shake of za’atar for an Israeli-inspired toast
Really, you can let your imagination run wild! Sliced egg, mixed seeds, pickled onions, pomegranate seeds, grated carrot… Your toast is a blank canvas – what’s stopping you?!
Ingredients in avocado toast with mackerel and lime
This is really a quick lunch or substantial snack, so it just has a few ingredients – the sorts of things you’re likely to have hanging around in the pantry and/or fridge.
To make it you will need:
- Bread – whatever kind you prefer/have on hand
- Avocado – you only need about half an avocado per person, depending on the size
- Smoked mackerel fillet
- Spring onion – also called scallion in the USA
- Fresh lime – for squeezing
Avocado toast for brunch, lunch or breakfast
This recipes makes two slices of avocado toast, which I’d say serves one. You can easily scale it up to serve more people – the recipe card has buttons for 1, 2 or 3 servings, or if you hit ‘print recipe’ you can choose as many servings as you like!
This makes a perfect brunch, lunch or even a healthy breakfast idea for a summer’s day.
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📖 Recipe
Avocado toast with smoked mackerel & lime
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread – whatever kind you like!
- ½ an avocado
- 1 smoked mackerel fillet
- 1 spring onion (scallion)
- ¼ a lime
- freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Toast the bread to your liking.
- While the bread is toasting, remove the skin from the avocado. Remove the skin and any bones from the mackerel and break into flaky chunks. Trim and thinly slice the spring onion.
- Once the toast is ready, squash half the avocado onto each slice using a fork. Scatter the mackerel pieces and sliced spring onions over.
- Squeeze over the lime and season with black pepper if desired.
- Serve immediately!
Notes
Nutrition
More delicious mackerel recipes
If you like smoked mackerel you’ll probably also enjoy this delicious smoked mackerel kedgeree – a fabulously easy family dinner.
Or if you want more lovely toasty lunch ideas, how about an overstuffed bagel toast, a fruity pear and stilton toast, or a delicious flower toast aka ‘egg in the basket’.
Janice Pattie
This looks incredible, why did I never think of pairing avocado with smoked mackerel?
Helen
Thanks Janice. They go brilliantly together! You might also like this smoked mackerel and avocado pate.
Barbara
looks absolutely yummy and I will try!!!
Corina
This looks absolutely delicious and I love the picture of the ingredients as the colours just go so well together! I remember my mum used to sometimes get an avocado but because they were expensive she used to eat it all herself and we’d just get a little bit to try! Maybe that’s why I like them so much now!
Helen
Making up for lost time, eh? I’m glad they’re not such an expensive luxury any more – we eat them all the time!
Kate Veggie Desserts (@veggie_desserts)
Ha! You were an original hipster child 🙂 I love avocado toast with lime!
Helen
Avocado and lime is a classic. Maybe I’ve just grown out of my hipster tendencies…
Sarah
Just tried this today and oh my goodness absolutely delicious. Five stars avocado is never the wrong choice 😀
Helen
Thanks Sarah! So glad to hear you enjoyed it so much.
recipesfromapantry
I love, love, love those two things separately and I really have never thought to put the two of them together. What a seriously awesome idea.
Helen
Thanks! I love them in combination.
Elizabeth
Oh this sounds like utter perfection! I’m a recent convert to the wonderful world of avocados (and smoked mackerel!) so I definitely have to try this soon!
Helen
Thanks Elizabeth! They are fantastic individually and terrific when put together 🙂