For this pasta with smoked mackerel recipe choose a good pasta like De Cecco which typically takes around 10-12 mins, the pasta should be cooked through but with a little bite to it. You can’t get a better place to source mackerel than Scotland so make sure you get something that it is good quality, Italian food is simple and relies on great ingredients.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a cold frying pan and add the crushed garlic. Put on the heat and gently fry for 1-2 minutes until the garlic starts to turn golden then add the smoked mackerel and the tomatoes and allow to bubble for a few minutes stirring gently.
Cook the penne pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente, you’ll need about 2 litres of boiling water with about 1-2 tablespoons of salt.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the creme fraiche and parsley. Mix well and cook for a few minutes until all the flavours have amalgamated. Add a generous amount of pepper and taste. You may or may not need salt as the smoked mackerel is quite salty.
Drain the pasta, reserving a tablespoon or two of the cooking water. Add this water to the sauce and mix through before adding the pasta to the smoked mackerel mixture. Mix well and serve with toasted ciabatta and a nice glass of wine.