Mackerel as food

Atlantic mackerel on ice in a fish shop.

Raw Atlantic mackerel

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	858 kJ (205 kcal)
Fat	13.89 g
Protein	18.60 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV^† Vitamin A 167 IU Vitamin D 80% 643 IU Minerals Quantity %DV^† Calcium 1% 12 mg Iron 9% 1.63 mg Magnesium 18% 76 mg Phosphorus 17% 217 mg Potassium 10% 314 mg Sodium 4% 90 mg Zinc 6% 0.63 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	63.55 g
Link to USDA database entry
^†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[2]

Mackerel is an important food fish that is consumed worldwide.^[3] As an oily fish, it is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.^[4] The flesh of mackerel spoils quickly, especially in the tropics, and can cause scombroid food poisoning. Accordingly, it should be eaten on the day of capture, unless properly refrigerated or cured.^[5]

Preservation

Smoked mackerel

Mackerel is highly perishable and was historically difficult to preserve. Before the 19th-century development of canning and the widespread availability of refrigeration, salting and smoking were the principal preservation methods available.^[6] Historically in England, this fish was not preserved, but was consumed only in its fresh form. However, spoilage was common, leading the authors of The Cambridge Economic History of Europe to remark: "There are more references to stinking mackerel in English literature than to any other fish!"^[7] In France, mackerel was traditionally pickled with large amounts of salt, which allowed it to be sold widely across the country.^[7]

In Japan, mackerel is called saba, and is commonly cured with salt and vinegar to make a type of sushi known as saba-zushi. Historically, saba-zushi originated in Kyoto as a solution for transporting mackerel to the inland city, which otherwise would not have made the journey from the coast still fresh.^[8] The road linking Obama bay and Kyoto is now also called "mackerel road" (saba-kaido).^{[citation needed]}

Modern canning allowed mackerel, like many other fish, to be safely stored for long periods without refrigeration, and packed in a variety of sauces. This is due to high temperature processing, where fresh cleaned mackerel is first immersed in a liquid such as a brine, water or vinegar solution, and sauces can be added before sealing off the mixture in an airtight container. The fish then undergoes heat sterilisation at high temperatures to eliminate micro-organisms and bacteria that causes spoilage, and the container is later cooled, which creates a vacuum seal that prevents air from entering and spoiling the fish. As a result, canned mackerel can be stored safely at room temperature for months or even years. The bones in canned mackerel fillets are generally safe to consume as they soften significantly during the curing process, and are a good source of calcium. It is also high in omega-3, in which tends to be better preserved when the mackerel is packed in oil, rather than springwater.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Appeal

For many years, mackerel was regarded as unclean in the UK and elsewhere due to folklore which suggested that the fish fed on the corpses of dead sailors.^[14] A 1976 survey of housewives in Britain undertaken by the White Fish Authority indicated a reluctance to departing from buying the traditional staples of cod, haddock or salmon. Less than 10% of the survey's 1,931 respondents had ever bought mackerel and only 3% did so regularly. As a result of this trend many UK fishmongers during the 1970s did not display or even stock mackerel.^[14]

According to a survey conducted in April 2024 by the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), mackerel was ranked the "most popular seafood product" among South Koreans (14%), surpassing squid (12.9%). The institute also found in earlier surveys, mackerel was the nation's most preferred seafood species in 2017, 2018 and 2019.^[15][16][17]

Mercury

There is a large variation in the mercury levels found in mackerel. These levels differ markedly for different species, and even for the same species in different locations; however, the strongest positive correlation seems to be connected to the species' size (the larger species being higher on the food chain).^[18] According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, king mackerel is one of four fishes, along with swordfish, shark, and tilefish, that children and pregnant women should avoid due to high levels of methylmercury found in these fish and the consequent risk of mercury poisoning.^[19][20] Atlantic mackerel however is categorized as "Best Choice" for consumption by the FDA, as it is low in mercury and high in Omega-3.^[21]

Gallery

• 
  Indian mackerel deep-fried with salt and turmeric in mustard oil
• 
  Indian mackerel curry
• 
  Danish mackerel on rye bread
• 
  German grilled mackerel at Auer Dult
• 
  Spanish mackerel escabeche
• 
  Thai mackerel kaeng som
• 
  Japanese mackerel sushi
• 
  Japanese mackerel donburi
• 
  Japanese teishoku meal with grilled mackerel and miso soup

References

Citations

1. United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
2. "TABLE 4-7 Comparison of Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in This Report to Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in the 2005 DRI Report". p. 120. In: Stallings, Virginia A.; Harrison, Meghan; Oria, Maria, eds. (2019). "Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. pp. 101–124. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. NCBI NBK545428.
3. Croker, Richard Symonds (1933). The California mackerel fishery. Division of Fish and Game of California. pp. 9–10.
4. Jersey Seafood Nutrition and Health, State of New Jersey Department of Agriculture, archived from the original on 2017-07-01, retrieved 2012-04-06
5. "Scombrotoxin (Histamine)". Food Safety Watch. November 2007. Archived from the original on 2010-12-09.
6. Croker (1933), pages 104–105
7. Clapham JH, Postan MM and Rich EE (1941) The Cambridge economic history of Europe CUP Archive, pp. 166–168. ISBN 978-0-521-08710-0.
8. Itou, K; Kobayashi, S; Ooizmi, T; Akahane, Y (2006). "Changes of proximate composition and extractive components in narezushi, a fermented mackerel product, during processing". Fisheries Science. 72 (6): 1269–1276. Bibcode:2006FisSc..72.1269I. doi:10.1111/j.1444-2906.2006.01285.x. S2CID 24004124.
9. "Handling and Processing Mackerel". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
10. "Fish & Seafood Preservation & Storage | Grainshed". Retrieved 2025-12-08.
11. Pastron, Alex (2019-08-20). "The Canned Fish That Beats Tuna Any Day of the Week". Epicurious. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
12. Burrell, Susie (2025-03-23). "A dietitian's guide to the best tinned fish to fill your basket with – and what to watch out for". Good Food. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
13. "Why Tinned Fish is Trending". Right as Rain by UW Medicine. 2024-09-19. Archived from the original on 2025-10-09. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
14. McFarlane, Andrew (2010-08-24). "Why is Britain braced for a mackerel war?". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
15. "Seafood Media Group - Worldnews - The mackerel has become South Korea's most popular fish - most of it is Norwegian". www.fis-net.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
16. "The most favorite fishery product of the Korean people is mackerel, the "national fish," according t.. - MK". 매일경제. 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
17. "Mackerel Remains Korean's Favorite Seafood". Haps Magazine. 2019-04-21. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
18. Storelli MM, Barone G, Piscitelli G, Marcotrigiano GO (2007). "Mercury in fish: concentration vs. fish size and estimates of mercury intake" (PDF). Food Addit Contam. 24 (12): 1353–7. doi:10.1080/02652030701387197. PMID 17852384. S2CID 30973040.
19. FDA. "Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2010)". Food and Drug Administration. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
20. Natural Resources Defense Council (10 March 2016). "Protect Yourself and Your Family". Archived from the original on 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
21. Program, Human Foods (2024-09-05). "Advice about Eating Fish". FDA.

Sources

• Keay JN (2001) Handling and processing mackerel Archived 2018-12-11 at the Wayback Machine Torry advisory note 66.

External links

• Mackerel nutrition facts