Deep Dives: A Month of Mackerels

Perfect as a salad topper, or the protein add in to a pasta salad or wrap, we find mackerel fillets to be an indispensable pantry staple. Fish of a thousand uses.

125g (4.4oz) tin

Pictured on whole wheat toast with dijon mustard and lemon juice.

Boneless and skinless mackerel fillets with lemon and just a hint of coriander. Lovely fillets with delicious, subtle flavorings added. Great on their own or in place of canned tuna in any recipe you love enough to want to upgrade the experience.

115g (4 oz ) tin

Boneless and skinless mackerel fillets with just a subtle smoke flavor. A versatile ingredient to keep in your pantry at all times for a quick snack or as a killer ingredient for sprucing up leftovers or incorporating into new dishes. The fish of the future, we’re not afraid to say it out loud.

115g (4 oz ) tin

Lightly smoked mackerel fillets in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Just a gorgeous tin, inside and out. Adds just a hint of smoke, which rides along perfectly with the mackerel flavor profile.

105g (3.7oz) tin

A really great tin of mackerel fillets, hand-packed in Portugal entirely by hand, without the use of machines. Also available in a spiced version.

Ranked #2 in the Mackerel category and #69 on the Overall list at worldbestfish.com.

125g (4.4oz) tin

These are small whole mackerels, not mackerel fillets. For when you start thinking to yourself, “Maybe it’s time to explore the world of tinned seafood beyond sardines.” these are a great transition into other fishes. You love Nuri, right? You’ll love Nuri mackerel, too.

Ranked #6 in the Mackerel category and #80 on the Overall list at worldbestfish.com.

125g tin

A really great tin of mackerel fillets, hand-packed in Portugal entirely by hand, without the use of machines. Also available in an un-spiced version.

125g (4.4oz) tin

Meaty and delicious and sustainable, Americans are just coming around to tinned mackerel. The Italians and Spanish and Portuguese got there long before us. Delicious straight from the can, or dressed up in all the ways you might treat tuna and all the ways you might treat sardines. It’s the fish that bridges both worlds.

125g tin (4.4 oz)

Pictured on wheat toast with herb pesto and greens.

White mackerel is also known as chub mackerel. These are boneless and skinless fillets packed in organic extra virgin olive oil with a pinch of salt.

125g (4.4 oz) tin

Pictured in a wing bean salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette, topped with chives.

White mackerel is also known as chub mackerel. These are boneless and skinless fillets packed in organic extra virgin olive oil with organic sweet and hot peppers, onions and garlic.

125g (4.4 oz) tin

We call our mackerel “white, white” because in our production we use essentially mackerel from the Scomber japonicus species, the species that abounds in the Portuguese continental shore.

Ranked #75 on the worldbestfish.com Overall list, and #4 on the Mackerel list.

120g (85g drained) tin

Just three ingredients: mackerel, olive oil and salt is a tight-rope walk of technique. How each great conserverie distinguishes itself is in the sourcing, handling, and preparation. We love this product from Conservas de Cambados, one of Spain’s most respected brands. Each tin is hand-packed in the traditional manner.

115g tin

The traditional abundance of mackerel in Portuguese waters, and its frequent intake has provided it with a special status at our table. Captured in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, this fish represents a food product which has attracted increasing interest, motivated by scientific evidence regarding its nutritional properties.

Tired of living winter time in the dark depths of the ocean, a certain mackerel wanted to change its destiny. It turned into fillets and became the seahorses’ keeper, in disguise. Thus, it stopped trembling in fear, and began shaking from the cold.

Recipes

CHILDREN IN THE KITCHEN

Chub mackerel fish fingers
Blend together 3 tins of chub mackerel and 150g fresh hake fillets. Place the mix into the mould for making ice cubes and allow to harden.  Dip the cubes into 1 egg yolk and bread crumbs. Deep fry. Serve with a side salad and mayonnaise.

ADULTOS GOURMET

Tuna tataki in a meIi—mélô with chub mackerel
Cut 200g of fresh tuna into a parallelepiped shape, season with sea salt and fry in a pan with olive oil over high heat. Cut into slices of 1/2 cm and alternate With 3 tins of chub mackerel fillets with approximately the same size. Serve with crispy salad seasoned with olive oil and cherry vinegar. Decorate with a reduction of balsamic vinegar until it has a syrup consistency. Can also be served with toasts as an appetizer or with mashed potatoes as a main course.

Illustration Teresa Lima
Text Eugénio Roda
Recipes Luís Baena

Ranked #81 on the worldbestfish.com Overall list, and #7 on the Mackerel list.

Sustainable purse seine method is used to fish these out of the Northern Atlantic for Cole’s (Coles). Each fish is hand skinned and de-boned before being tinned in olive oil.

125g tin

Pictured as patties mixed with tuna, onion, panch phoron, dill seed, mayo, mustard, egg, and breadcrumbs.

Just a little bit of zip from the piri piri pepper, we love to fork these onto crackers, or drain the oil and add a dab of mayo and a dab of mustard and mash it all together into a spread.

120g tin

The fish of a thousand uses, mackerel fillets in olive oil are a pantry staple everyone should always have on hand in multiples. Can be used in all the ways you’d use sardines and all the ways you’d use tunas, making this, easily, the most versatile tinned fish.

120g tin

In three short years since introducing their line of mackerel fillet products King Oscar has become the world leader in mackerel sales. Repeat customers are the reason for this unprecedented feat.

115g tin

Pictured on wheat toast with avocado an lemon.

If you spend any time in any of the online groups where tinned fish lovers gather in any kind of numbers a few fan favorites become obvious, and this is definitely one of them. People who try this love it. We did and do, too.

It’s perhaps a tad stronger flavored in the fishy sense than other mackerels, and it’s not packed to be the centerpiece of your seacuterie board, but the quality of the meat and the flavor of the additional ingredients makes this an excellent tin to stock up on.

115g tin

Pictured on crostini with chive cream cheese, red onion, and scallions.

Lemon and fish, need I say more? OK, I will. Nothing cuts through the oil in the same way as citrus, it’s one of the world’s most firmly fixed pairings for a reason: lemon makes seafood taste better.

115g tin

Pictured on tabbouleh with cucumbers and tomatoes.

Nothing beats the combination of mackerel fillets and jalapeño pepper in our book. This is one of our go-to tins when we just want a quick snack between meals or as a lightning fast meal.

115g tin

Pictured in onigiri.

We love mackerel here, and believe it’s the sustainable future of seafood. People who don’t like mackerel either have never tried mackerel, or only know the soup can bone-filled version. Try using this any way you normally use tuna, or sardines. You will be surprised at how versatile it is, and you’ll wonder what took you so long to learn about mackerel.

85g tin

White mackerel is also known as chub mackerel. These are boneless and skinless fillets packed in extra virgin olive oil with sweet and hot peppers, onions and garlic.

125g (4.4 oz) tin

White mackerel is also known as chub mackerel. These are boneless and skinless fillets packed in only extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.

125g (4.4 oz) tin

White mackerel is also known as chub mackerel. These are boneless and skinless fillets with a hint of anise flavor.

125g (4.4 oz) tin

Our Atlantic Mackerel is packed with organic lemon, capers and extra-virgin olive oil. Meaty yet bright-tasting, it’s a great pantry staple for adding to pasta and salads.

The seasonings are on the bottom, so flip the open can onto a plate to allow them to flow evenly over the fish.

Each can contains 4.2 oz; fully cooked.

Pictured in pasta aglio e olio with red pepper flakes, garlic, and parmesan.

Our Atlantic Mackerel is packed with roasted garlic and silky extra-virgin olive oil. Meaty, savory, and mild, it’s great straight from the can on toast, or added to pastas and salads.

The seasonings are on the bottom, so flip the open can onto a plate to allow them to flow evenly over the fish.

Each can contains 4.2 oz; fully cooked.

Pictured in pasta aglio e olio with red pepper flake, extra garlic, and parmesan.

Our Atlantic Mackerel is seasoned with a slow-cooked blend of onion, red bell pepper, garlic and paprika, and packed in extra-virgin olive oil. Rich and mellow, with a hint of heat, it’s a great pantry staple for adding to pasta and salads.
The seasonings are on the bottom, so flip the open can onto a plate to allow them to flow evenly over the fish.

Each can contains 4.2 oz; fully cooked.

Pictured on braised fennel and carrots.

Nothing highlights the delicate flavor of wild Atlantic Mackerel like our simple, savory blend of extra-virgin olive oil, salt and bay wood smoke. Add to pasta and salads, or eat straight from the can with crusty sourdough, using the silky-smooth olive oil as a dipping sauce.

Atlantic mackerel is the small fish with the mild flavor and big, meaty texture of a large fish. But there are many other reasons to give it a try. Unlike large apex predators like tuna and swordfish, these mackerel are small, schooling fish that occur in great abundance, providing a truly sustainable harvest. They’re caught by hook and line, with little to no bycatch, by traditional fishing families in northern Spain. Since Atlantic mackerel are low on the ocean food chain, they don’t have the high levels of mercury and other toxins that can concentrate in larger fish. And they are an excellent source of protein, vitamin B-12, and other essential nutrients, with 500 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids per serving.

Each can contains 4.2 oz; fully cooked.

Pictured with a mustard vinaigrette.

Small whole mackerel (meaning, like sardines, headless and gutted) in organic EVOO. We consider sardines to be mild flavored, and small whole mackerel full flavored.

135g (4.76 oz) tin

These are small Pacific Chub Mackerel in olive oil and hot pepper.

120g tin

Pictured in mini tacos with tomato and avocado salsa.