Tinned Mackerel Guide: From the Fillet to the Pâté

Tinned mackerel is a fatty fish packed in olive oil, in smoke, in a sauce or blended into a spread, and choosing a tin comes down to three questions: the cut, whether it is smoked, and what it is packed in. NOAA Fisheries, the United States federal fisheries agency, describes mackerel's flavor as rich and pronounced. That richness is the reason a tin of mackerel can make a whole supper on its own. This guide explains which fish the word mackerel names, where the richness comes from, how fillets differ from small mackerel and plain from smoked, the sauces and pâtés, and how to eat each tin once it is open. The complete guide to tinned fish maps the whole category; this is the mackerel chapter.

A few terms first. A fillet is a boneless side of fish cut away from the backbone. Conservas is the Spanish and Portuguese word for preserved foods, used in English for the tinned fish of the Iberian tradition. A genus is a group of closely related species; scientists write a species with two Latin words, the genus first, so Scomber scombrus is the species scombrus in the genus Scomber. A pâté is a smooth spread made by blending cooked meat or fish with fat and seasoning.

Which fish is in the tin

Mackerel is a name shared by several fish, not a single species. The United Kingdom's official list of commercial fish names, the list that says what a seller may legally call a fish, gives the plain name mackerel to all species of Scomber. The same list gives the names horse mackerel, jack mackerel and scad to two other genera, Trachurus and Decapterus. King mackerel and Spanish mackerel are different again: the list places them in Scomberomorus. So a tin that says only mackerel, under the British rules, holds a Scomber. The news report on Britain's mackerel aisle covers British supermarkets selling tinned jack mackerel, a Trachurus, beside Atlantic mackerel.

The species sheets of the Junta de Andalucía, the regional government of southern Spain, describe two Scomber species found in Andalusian waters. Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, has small eyes, a blue-green back crossed by dark wavy bands, and a plain silver belly with no spots. Atlantic chub mackerel, Scomber colias, has larger eyes and yellow-silver flanks and belly scattered with black spots, according to the same sheets.

The labels sort them, for anyone who reads the language. Portugal's official list of commercial names, published by its fisheries authority, the DGRM, gives cavala to Scomber colias and sarda to Scomber scombrus. Spanish names shift by coast: the Andalusian sheets record that caballa generally means the Atlantic mackerel along the Andalusian coast, while in the Mediterranean and parts of Huelva the same word goes to the chub mackerel. The species line in the small print is the only sure answer, and the tinned fish label guide shows where to find it.

José Gourmet's own product pages name the fish cavala. José Gourmet says its mackerel fillets in olive oil are caught in the northeast Atlantic, and its product notes describe the moqueca fillets as Atlantic mackerel from the coastal waters of Portugal.

Why mackerel is rich

Fish divide roughly into two kinds. Lean fish are typically bottom-living and usually hold less than 5 percent fat; most of their fat sits in the liver, and the muscle stays lean. Fatty fish carry most of their fat in the body tissues, concentrated in the flesh along the lateral line, the faint stripe that runs down each side of the body. Both points come from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which notes that the fat in fatty fish varies considerably with the time of year and uses mackerel to chart that seasonal swing. Its composition table lists mackerel (Scomber scombrus) at anywhere from 1.0 to 23.5 percent fat, against 0.1 to 0.9 percent for cod.

That range is the key to mackerel. NOAA Fisheries gives raw Atlantic mackerel 13.89 grams of fat per 100 grams and describes the fish as having a rich, pronounced flavor and a soft, flaky, moist texture. NOAA also suggests cutting away the outer bands of dark meat along the midline for a milder flavor.

The fat also explains why canners care about the season. France's Label Rouge, a government-recognized quality mark, publishes a specification for tinned mackerel (revised in 2024) that accepts only fresh Scomber scombrus and ties the fishing period to the fish's fat content. The document says that period runs generally from November to March, and that fat content, not the calendar, is the deciding test.

Mackerel grows fast. NOAA describes Atlantic mackerel as growing quickly, up to 16 and a half inches and 2.2 pounds, swimming in schools near the surface, and feeding heavily on small crustaceans such as copepods, krill and shrimp. The FDA places Atlantic mackerel in its lowest-mercury tier, covered in the health section below.

Fillets or small mackerel

The first choice on a mackerel shelf is the cut.

Fillets are sides cut from a larger fish, cleaned of bone and often of skin. They lift from the tin in long pieces and break into thick flakes, the most versatile form. Ati Manel's fillets are hand-sliced off the bone and skinned, according to the product page (shop Ati Manel mackerel fillets); Ati Manel is a Portuguese conservas brand originally founded in 1922 and revived by a great-grandson who found his ancestor's recipes and supplier notes, according to the same page. Ramón Peña, from Galicia in northwest Spain, sells its Silver Line fillets boneless and skinless: the fish are cleaned at the port, and the fillets are grilled and then packed by hand with olive oil and a little salt (shop Ramón Peña mackerel). The house is profiled in the Fangst and Ramón Peña guide. José Gourmet, the Lisbon brand launched by Adriano Ribeiro in 2008 according to its product pages, packs its own fillets in olive oil (shop José Gourmet mackerel fillets).

Small mackerel, cavalinhas in Portuguese (literally little mackerel), are small fish packed in the tin, a different form from fillets cut from a larger fish. José Gourmet packs them three ways: plain in olive oil (shop José Gourmet small mackerel), smoked (shop José Gourmet smoked small mackerel), and spiced with piri-piri pepper (shop José Gourmet spiced small mackerel). The José Gourmet producer guide covers the brand and its illustrated tins.

Plain or smoked

A smoked mackerel has spent time in wood smoke on its way to the tin, and the smoke becomes part of the flavor. Smoking comes in two kinds. Hot smoking smokes the fish and then cooks it: the Pacific Northwest Extension guide to smoking fish at home, from Washington State University, Oregon State University and the University of Idaho, calls for heating the fish to an internal 150°F, preferably 160°F, and holding it there for at least 30 minutes. Cold smoking cures and smokes the fish below roughly 80 to 90°F, and the same guide notes that cold-smoked fish is not pasteurized, meaning it has not been heated enough to kill harmful bacteria.

In the kitchen the difference between plain and smoked mackerel is a difference of direction. Plain fillets in olive oil taste of the fish and the oil, and they take on whatever a dish adds: mustard, lemon, herbs, potato. Smoked mackerel arrives with its seasoning built in, and José Gourmet's product page for its smoked small mackerel describes a wood-fired essence and a compact consistency. It wants less help: bread, something sharp and pickled, perhaps a squeeze of lemon. The smoked fish in tins guide covers the rest of the smoked shelf.

The sauces

The packing medium is the third choice, and on a mackerel shelf it ranges wider than for almost any other fish.

Olive oil is the base of the Iberian tradition. It protects the fish in the sealed tin and becomes an ingredient once the tin is open; the guide to the oil and sauce left in a tin covers the dressings, rice and pasta it can turn into.

Piri-piri is a hot pepper, and the spiced tins pair it with the fish. The product page for José Gourmet's spiced small mackerel says the fish's natural oils stand up to the piri-piri, and the same page suggests beans and bay leaf, or toast and tomato with lemon.

Curry turns the tin into a ready supper. José Gourmet's mackerel fillets in curry sit in a thick yellow curry sauce, according to the product page (shop José Gourmet mackerel in curry).

Moqueca is a Brazilian seafood stew, and two Portuguese houses tin mackerel in it. José Gourmet's version holds Atlantic mackerel fillets in a sauce of coconut milk, peppers and spices; the bones are removed by hand before canning and each fillet is packed individually, and the product page suggests warming the tin gently and serving it over steamed white rice or with crusty bread (shop José Gourmet mackerel in moqueca). ABC+, a Portuguese brand whose tins feature internationally inspired sauces, packs its own mackerel fillets in moqueca, with flavors from pepper to coconut (shop ABC+ mackerel in moqueca).

The logic of sauce and fish is the same in each case. Mackerel is rich enough to stand up to strong flavors: chili, curry, coconut.

The pâtés

A fish pâté is the tin already turned into a spread. José Gourmet makes its mackerel pâté from fresh blue mackerel blended with olive oil, sea salt and a few spices (shop José Gourmet mackerel pâté), and a spiced version with piri-piri that the product page calls slightly spicy (shop José Gourmet spiced mackerel pâté). Ati Manel's two pâtés start from smoked mackerel, pate cavala fumada in Portuguese, according to the product page, one plain (shop Ati Manel smoked mackerel pâté) and one spiced (shop Ati Manel spiced smoked mackerel pâté), and the product pages suggest pickled vegetables and crusty bread alongside.

Every tin, by form and first use

Tin Form Packing First use
Shop Ati Manel fillets in olive oil Skinless fillets, hand-sliced off the bone Olive oil Warm potato salad, sandwiches, pasta
Shop José Gourmet fillets in olive oil Fillets Olive oil Toast with mustard, rice with pickled vegetables
Shop Ramón Peña Silver Line Boneless, skinless fillets, grilled before packing Olive oil and salt A cheese and conservas board, rillettes
Shop José Gourmet small mackerel Small mackerel Olive oil Straight from the tin, or a mackerel melt sandwich
Shop José Gourmet smoked small mackerel Small mackerel, smoked Olive oil Rye or crusty bread with pickles and lemon
Shop José Gourmet spiced small mackerel Small mackerel Olive oil with piri-piri Beans and bay leaf, toast and tomato
Shop José Gourmet fillets in curry Fillets Thick yellow curry Warmed over rice
Shop José Gourmet fillets in moqueca Fillets, boned by hand Coconut milk, peppers and spices Warmed gently over steamed white rice
Shop ABC+ fillets in moqueca Fillets Moqueca sauce, pepper and coconut Warmed over rice
Shop José Gourmet mackerel pâté Pâté Olive oil, sea salt, spices Toast, crackers, the aperitif hour
Shop José Gourmet spiced mackerel pâté Pâté Piri-piri Toast with a squeeze of lemon
Shop Ati Manel smoked mackerel pâté Pâté of smoked mackerel Smoke Crusty bread with pickled vegetables
Shop Ati Manel spiced smoked mackerel pâté Pâté of smoked mackerel Smoke and spice Crusty bread with pickled vegetables

The health numbers

Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of fats the body needs; the two found in fish are called EPA and DHA. The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, drawing on USDA data, lists 3 ounces of cooked Atlantic mackerel at 0.59 grams of DHA and 0.43 grams of EPA, a little over 1 gram together. That puts it in the same range as 3 ounces of drained sardines canned in tomato sauce, which the same table gives 0.74 grams of DHA and 0.45 grams of EPA, about 1.2 grams together. The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish, and names mackerel among them; it counts a serving as 3 ounces cooked, about three quarters of a cup of flaked fish.

Mercury is the other half of the question, and here the different fish called mackerel part ways. In the FDA and EPA advice for people who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding and for children ages 1 to 11, Atlantic mackerel and Pacific chub mackerel are Best Choices, the lowest-mercury tier, at two to three servings a week for adults in that group. Spanish mackerel is a Good Choice. King mackerel, a Scomberomorus, is on the list of choices to avoid, for the highest mercury levels. Under Portugal's official names, a tin labeled cavala holds a Scomber, not king mackerel, and the species line on any tin confirms which fish is inside. The species-by-species health guide puts mackerel beside tuna, sardines and anchovies.

How to eat it

From the tin. Plain fillets and small mackerel at room temperature, lifted onto grilled bread with flaky salt, a few drops of the oil and black pepper, are the simplest use and the best test of a tin. One plain, one smoked and one spiced tin side by side show how far the same fish travels, and the tinned fish tasting guide sets up the table.

With potatoes and mustard. The first recipe to learn is a warm potato salad with a Dijon vinaigrette (a dressing of sharp French mustard, vinegar and, here, the oil from the tin), the fillets folded through at the end: the tinned mackerel recipe to learn first gives the method and the French reasons mustard and mackerel belong together.

As rillettes. Fillets mashed with a fork into softened butter, Dijon and lemon make a coarse spread for toast in ten minutes; the mackerel rillettes recipe has the ratios. The pâtés are the ready-made version of the same idea.

Over rice. Curry and moqueca tins are good heated, and José Gourmet's moqueca page says to warm the contents gently: tip the tin into a small pan, warm it gently without boiling so the fillets hold together, and spoon it over steamed rice. The product pages for the olive oil tins suggest the same pairing with pickled vegetables and lemon, a bowl that needs nothing cooked except the rice.

On a board. Pâté on crackers or rye, smoked small mackerel, cornichons (small, sour pickled cucumbers) and pickled onion make an aperitif plate, the small bites served with drinks before dinner, with almost no work.

For how long an opened tin keeps and how to store it, see the guide to tinned fish after opening. For the history of Portugal's canneries, see the Portuguese conservas guide.

A fish that takes a strong hand

Tuna in a tin is about restraint, and anchovy is about salt. Mackerel is about fat, and fat is what lets it go where other fish cannot: into smoke, into piri-piri, into curry and coconut, into a spread, and still taste of itself. The rule for choosing a tin follows from that. Pick plain fillets when the dish supplies the flavor, small or smoked mackerel when the fish should supply it, and a sauced tin or a pâté when the tin is the whole meal. The wider shelf is in the tinned fish collection, and the neighboring chapters are the tinned tuna guide and the anchovies guide.

The shop is at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver, and products ship nationwide from theambrosianpantry.com.

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