One of the foods I grew up with in South Africa was Peck’s Fish Paste on toast. Whether as a quick snack or a breakfast, it was a delicious staple in my diet.

After living in Ireland for 9 years, it’s a nostalgic comfort I’ve missed tremendously. Since it’s impossible to buy here and there’s no real local equivalent, I decided to take matters into my own hands—and the results are absolutely delicious!

After a deep dive online, I finally stumbled across a tried-and-tested recipe from a fellow South African in a Facebook thread. Here is my spin on the recipe that only took about 5 minutes to make.

Ingredients

• 2 tins of sardines
• 1 jar/bottle of anchovies
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp olive oil (plus extra if needed)

Method

1. Add the sardines, anchovies, and tomato paste into a food processor or blender.
2. Blend the ingredients into absolute oblivion until completely smooth.
3. Pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to loosen up the mixture and pulse to combine. If the paste is still a bit too thick, continue adding olive oil a small splash at a time until you reach your perfect consistency.
4. Spoon your new delicious fish paste into a jar, there you go!

The outcome was that my homemade fish paste tasted so remarkably like the Peck’s Fish Paste it was easy to forget it wasn’t store bought.