This smoked mackerel salad with chickpeas is one of the easiest salads you could ever make – it takes just a few minutes to put together and is perfect for a super quick, nutritious and healthy meal.
I’ve been trying to find different, quick-to-prepare and healthy lunch ideas and this simple smoked mackerel salad ticks all the boxes for me. It’s very simple to put together and all the flavours go together very well.
I absolutely love smoked mackerel – it’s so good for you and it’s ready to eat straight from the packet. It’s what I call real convenience food!
ingredients you’ll need to make this smoked mackerel salad
This is just a quick shopping list – keep scrolling to find the printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Ready-to-eat smoked mackerel fillets. I like peppered mackerel, but the normal fillets or the sweet chilli kind work just as well here.
- A bag of mixed salad leaves.
- Cherry or plum tomatoes
- Green or black olives – if you aren’t a fan of olives, leave them out.
- diced red onion, or you can use sliced spring onions if you like.
- A can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained. Chickpeas add great texture to the salad and provide a bit of “bite”. If you like, you could use a tin of Cannellini or butter beans instead.
- Fresh Mint or Basil leaves (or you could use both)
- Lemon – you’ll need both the zest and juice, so if possible, try and use an unwaxed lemon. If I only have waxed lemons, I give them a good scrub in hot water before using to remove some of the wax. It won’t get rid of the wax completely, but it makes me feel better (this is personal preference!)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
playing around
If you don’t fancy adding a certain ingredient, you can easily swap it for something else. This salad is pretty versatile!
- For instance, you could use chopped cucumber, radishes, or sliced avocado – anything you like! I often add ready-to-eat beetroot which is so good with the mackerel
- Use a different herb, such as fresh dill or parsley
- swap the chickpeas for butter beans, cannellini beans or black beans
can I make mackerel salad in advance?
The salad is best prepared and eaten straightaway, but you could make it a few hours ahead of time. It’s best eaten within 24 hours of making.
More salad recipes for you to try
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Smoked mackerel salad
This smoked mackerel and chickpea salad couldn't be easier to prepare and is packed with goodness! It's perfect for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 ready to eat smoked mackerel fillets
- One 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Finely grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
- 1/2 a red onion, finely diced
- A large packet of mixed salad leaves
- 50 g cherry or plum tomatoes, halved
- 50 g green or black pitted olives
- small handful fresh mint or basil leaves, torn
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- One tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- The juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add the lemon zest.
- Empty the salad leaves into a bowl and add the chickpeas.
- Tear the mackerel into chunks and add to the bowl along with the onion, tomatoes , green olives and basil/mint leaves.
- Mix the oil and lemon in a small bowl and add a good grinding of sea salt and black pepper. Pour over the salad and using your hands, mix to coat everything in the dressing.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
please feel free to change up the ingredients in this salad - beetroot, sliced radishes, cucumber, celery, grated carrot are all good!
You can also swap the chickpeas for a tin of butter beans or cannellini beans.
This salad is best eaten on the day it is made. It can be made in advance but should be served within 24 hours.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 618mgCarbohydrates: 85gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 20gSugar: 28gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 31g
Mmm, looks and sounds delicious.
This looks great! Easy to throw together and satisfying! Might make this for lunch tomorrow.
Thanks Nicola – it was my lunch for two days running!
Thanks, it is really good!
I just love smoked mackerel and this looks like a wonderful main meal salad. Definitely going to try this as I always have chickpeas and often have a pack of smoked mackerel in the fridge.Thanks Janice, it’s really simple but lovely ?