Food: Mackerel [edit]

Other Names: 鲭鱼 (Chinese), ماكريل (Arabic), Sarda (Portuguese), Maquereau (French), Caballa (Spanish) All Translations

Photo: Flickr user FotoosVanRobin

Photo helpful? Yes No

See all photos...

Edited by: Desiree Lowe, Alisa, Emily

Related Blogposts

Bloggers, have you written about Mackerel? Add a widget!

gourmet traveller: “homemade flatbreads (and smoked mackerel pâté)”

October 19, 2009

There’s usually some bread in the freezer for lunches but we’re all out, so this morning I made batch of fresh flatbreads. There’s something wonderfully therapeutic about ...

full post | More from this user

Related Content

Wikipedia

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus maculatus''), enter bays and can be caught near bridges and piers. Common features of mackerels are a slim, cylindrical shape (as opposed to the tunas which are deeper bodied) and numerous finlets on the dorsal and ventral sides behind the dorsal and anal fins. The scales are extremely small, if present. The largest species called "mackerel" is the king mackerel (''Scomberomorus cavalla'') which can grow to 66 inches (1.68 m). A female mackerel lays about 1,000,000 eggs at a time. Shearwater, tuna, dolphins, whales, orca, seagulls, marlins, sharks, and humans may hunt mackerels. Mackerels are prized (and are highly harvested) for their meat, which is often very oily. They are known for their fighting ability, and are an important recreational and commercial fishery. The meat can spoil quickly, especially in the tropics, causing scombroid food poisoning - it must be eaten on the day of capture, unless cured. For this reason, mackerel is the only common salt-cured sushi. Mackerel fishery is well established in India, the species caught is usually ''Rastrelliger kanagurta''. Family Scombridae * Atlantic mackerel ''Scomber scombrus'' * Atlantic chub mackerel, ''Scomber colias'' * Atlantic Spanish mackerel ''Scomberomorus maculatus'' * Blue mackerel ''Scomber australasicus'' * Broadbarred king mackerel ''Scomberomorus semifasciatus'' * Chub mackerel ''Scomber japonicus'' * Australian spotted mackerel ''Scomberomorus munroi'' * Double-lined mackerel ''Grammatorcynus bilineatus'' * Happened mackerel ''Happundreus maculatus'' * Indian mackerel ''Rastrelliger kanagurta'' * Indo-Pacific king mackerel ''Scomberomorus guttatus'' * Indo-Pacific mackerel ''Rastrelliger neglectus'' * Short(-bodied) mackerel ''Rastrelliger brachysoma'' * Island mackerel ''Rastrelliger faughni'' * Japanese Spanish mackerel ''Scomberomorus niphonius'' * King mackerel ''Scomberomorus cavalla'' * Streaked Spanish mackerel ''Scomberomorus lineolatus'' Family...... Carangidae * Atlantic horse mackerel ''Trachurus trachurus'' * Blue jack mackerel ''Trachurus picturatus'' * Cape horse mackerel ''Trachurus capensis'' * Cunene horse mackerel ''Trachurus trecae'' * Greenback horse mackerel ''Trachurus declivis'' * Japanese horse mackerel ''Trachurus japonicus'' * Mediterranean horse mackerel ''Trachurus mediterraneus'' * Pacific jack mackerel ''Trachurus symmetricus'' Family Hexagrammidae * Lingcod ''Ophiodon elongatus'' * Painted greenling, ''Oxylebius pictus'' * Arabesque greenling ''Pleurogrammus azonus'' * Atka mackerel ''Pleurogrammus monopterygius'' Family Gempylidae * Black snake mackerel ''Nealotus tripes'' * Blacksail snake mackerel ''Thyrsitoides marleyi'' * Snake mackerel ''Gempylus serpens'' * Violet snake mackerel ''Nesiarchus nasutus'' * White snake mackerel ''Thyrsitops lepidopoides''

Comments

You need to sign in or sign up to leave a comment.

[edit] About Mackerel

A mackerel is any one of a number of different species of fish, mostly in the family Scombridae. They live in tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus) enter bays and can be caught near bridges and piers. The largest mackerel is the king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) which can grow to 66 inches (168 cm). They are easily identified by having a slim, cylindrical shape (as opposed to tuna, which are deeper bodied) and numerous finlets on the dorsal and ventral sides behind the dorsal and anal fins. They are prized for their meat and fighting ability, and are an important recreational and commercial fishery. Mackerels are high in Omega 3 fats. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are also known as essential fatty acids. Omega 3 has been proven to have a role in preventing heart disease and is thought to help treat bi-polar disorder and depression.

Add a Mackerel recipe