This smoked mackerel and buckwheat salad is exactly the sort of lunch I love – very easy to throw together, full of flavour and substantial enough to keep you properly full afterwards instead of rummaging around the kitchen an hour later looking for toast.
It’s got loads going for it – smoky mackerel, nutty buckwheat, jammy eggs, sharp lemon and fresh parsley – but still somehow feels incredibly simple and unfussy, which is very much my kind of food.
I also love that this works brilliantly both warm and cold. Freshly made, it’s a lovely easy fish dinner or lunch, but it also keeps really well for the next day.
Although I will say, smoked mackerel is perhaps not the most considerate packed lunch to take into a crowded office environment. Work from home lunch? Excellent. Microwaved in the shared kitchen then tiny airless meeting room? Potential HR issue.
Why buckwheat works so well here
I think buckwheat is massively underrated.
Firstly – despite the name – it’s not actually wheat at all. It’s naturally gluten free and has this lovely nutty flavour that works brilliantly with smoked fish.
It also has a much better texture than a lot of grain salads. You know those salads where everything goes soft and sad after half an hour? Buckwheat doesn’t really do that.
Instead, it keeps a little bite, which makes the whole dish feel much more satisfying.
And because it absorbs the lemon juice and all the smoky flavours from the mackerel beautifully, the whole thing somehow tastes even better after sitting for a little while.
The ingredients that make this salad work
- Smoked mackerel – The absolute star. Rich, smoky and packed with flavour, smoked mackerel basically does all the heavy lifting for you here. You barely need to season anything else because the fish already brings so much savoury depth. And you don’t even need to cook it!
- Buckwheat – Nutty, hearty and brilliant at soaking up flavour. If you haven’t cooked with buckwheat much before, this is a very good place to start because the rest of the ingredients are so straightforward.
- Eggs – I love eggs with smoked fish anyway, but here they also soften and balance all the smoky richness beautifully. I usually go for slightly jammy yolks rather than hard boiled because they almost create a little dressing when mixed through everything else, but it’s entirely personal choice.
- Lemon – Really important for cutting through the richness of the mackerel. Without it, the salad feels much flatter.
- Tomatoes and parsley – Freshness and colour. The tomatoes especially work so well against the smoky fish and nutty buckwheat.
How to make Smoked Mackerel and Buckwheat Salad
This is one of those recipes that looks much fancier than the amount of actual effort involved.
1. Cook the eggs
Boil the eggs for somewhere between 8–11 minutes depending on how you like the yolks.
I usually do 10 minutes because this makes the yolks just set without going chalky. Drain and run under cold water before peeling.
2. Cook the buckwheat
Add the buckwheat to a large saucepan with 1 litre of boiling water.
Simmer for around 20 minutes until tender with just a little bite left. You want it soft, but not mushy.
Drain well.
3. Mix the salad
Tip the warm buckwheat into a large bowl.
Add quartered tomatoes, chopped parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Give everything a really good mix so the buckwheat absorbs all the flavours.
4. Assemble
Spoon the buckwheat salad into bowls.
Top each bowl with flaked smoked mackerel and eggs cut into quarters.
Done.
(VERY little effort for something that feels this put together.)
A few easy swaps
You can absolutely adapt this depending on what you have.
Dill works beautifully instead of parsley.
Rocket or spinach can be stirred through the warm buckwheat.
And if you don’t fancy mackerel, hot smoked salmon would also work really well here.
Though personally, I think smoked mackerel is hard to beat when you want maximum flavour for minimum effort.
Smoked Mackerel and Buckwheat Salad
Equipment
- Medium saucepan (for eggs)
- Large saucepan (for buckwheat)
- Colander
- Large mixing bowl
- Knife
- Chopping board
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 250 g buckwheat
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 25 g parsley roughly chopped
- 250 g tomatoes quartered
- 4 smoked mackerel fillets
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Cook the eggs
- Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and carefully add the eggs.
- Cook for 8–11 minutes depending on how you like the yolks. For slightly jammy yolks, cook for around 10 minutes.
- Drain and run under cold water for a couple of minutes before peeling.
Cook the buckwheat
- Add the buckwheat to a large saucepan with 1 litre of boiling water.
- Simmer for around 20 minutes until the buckwheat is tender with a little bite remaining and much of the water has been absorbed.
- Drain well.
Mix the salad
- Transfer the cooked buckwheat to a large bowl.
- Stir through the tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and the juice of the lemon. Season well with salt and pepper.
Serve
- Spoon the buckwheat mixture into bowls.
- Top each bowl with a flaked smoked mackerel fillet and an egg cut into quarters.
Notes
- This salad works brilliantly both warm and cold.
- Slightly jammy eggs work particularly well with the smoked mackerel.
- Dill can be used instead of parsley.
- Rocket or spinach can be stirred through the warm buckwheat for extra greens.
- The salad keeps well in the fridge, making it ideal for meal prep lunches.
More Fish and Seafood Recipes
If you enjoy cooking fish at home, you’ll find plenty more inspiration in my fish and seafood recipes collection. Fish is brilliant for weeknight dinners – it cooks quickly, feels light and fresh, and can be packed with flavour.
Try some of the most popular recipes from the site:
- Pan Fried Sea Bass with Olive Linguine – crisp-skinned sea bass served with a punchy olive pasta. Simple but incredibly satisfying.
- Asian Style Whole Baked Black Tilapia – a fragrant oven-baked fish with bold Asian flavours.
- Lightly Smoked Salmon with Crushed New Potatoes and Mustard Cabbage – a fresh, elegant dish that works beautifully for lunch or dinner.
- Baked Cod with Creamy Chorizo Beans – flaky cod served with rich, smoky beans. A proper flavour-packed dinner.
If you’re looking for easy fish dinners for tonight, these recipes are a great place to start.