Smoked mackerel is mackerel cured over wood smoke, either hot-smoked into a fully cooked, flaky fillet or cold-smoked for a silkier, more delicately flavored result. Smoking fish for flavor and preservation is an ancient coastal technique practiced long before refrigeration, and mackerel, an oily fish found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, takes to it especially well because of its high fat content. It's a staple in Scandinavian and Baltic kitchens, served on open-faced smørrebrød sandwiches or worked into salads and pâtés; in the UK it turns up in fish cakes, pies, and dips, and it appears in Eastern European fish soups and stews as well. The flavor is rich, oily, and faintly sweet, with the smoking deepening the fish's natural umami; the texture is firm and flaky with a moist interior. Its assertive flavor pairs well with citrus, crème fraîche or sour cream, peppery greens like arugula or watercress, and grain- or pasta-based salads.