Mackerel is a medium-sized fish, on average 30 cm in length, with a characteristic striped back and light golden belly. It is well known to us from fish deli stores, where it is sold after hot or cold smoking. This tasty fish is often served as an appetizer, but can also be a main dish. We'll tell you where mackerel is found, what it eats, and what it is like.
How do you prefer to cook mackerel?
- Salt/smoke 40%, 456 votes
456 votes 40%456 votes - 40% of all votes
- Bake in the oven 35%, 397 votes
397 votes 35%
397 votes - 35% of all votes
- Fry in a pan 9%, 97 votes
97 votes 9%
97 votes - 9% of all votes
- Stew with vegetables 6%, 70 votes
70 votes 6%
70 votes - 6% of all votes
- I don’t cook mackerel 4%, 43 votes
43 votes 4%
43 votes - 4% of all votes
- In a slow cooker 3%, 39 votes
39 votes 3%
39 votes - 3% of all votes
- Prepare first courses 3%, 30 votes
30 votes 3%
30 votes - 3% of all votes
Total votes: 1132
17.04.2020
- Salt/smoke 40%, 456 votes
456 votes 40%456 votes - 40% of all votes
- Bake in the oven 35%, 397 votes
397 votes 35%
397 votes - 35% of all votes
- Fry in a pan 9%, 97 votes
97 votes 9%
97 votes - 9% of all votes
- Stew with vegetables 6%, 70 votes
70 votes 6%
70 votes - 6% of all votes
- I don’t cook mackerel 4%, 43 votes
43 votes 4%
43 votes - 4% of all votes
- In a slow cooker 3%, 39 votes
39 votes 3%
39 votes - 3% of all votes
- Prepare first courses 3%, 30 votes
30 votes 3%
30 votes - 3% of all votes
Total votes: 1132
17.04.2020
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Where does it live in Russia?
It belongs to marine fish and is not found in fresh water bodies. Its habitat is the water column, where a lot of plankton and small fish swim. Heat-loving mackerel prefers water with a temperature of 10-20 degrees. Colder water is detrimental to this fish: at +6...+9 degrees its activity and metabolism slow down, and a temperature of +2 degrees is detrimental to it, the fish falls asleep and drowns in a matter of seconds. Therefore, it cannot be found in polar waters. Its habitat is almost all warm seas and currents. There are not many mackerel in Russia; our waters are too cold for this fish. But there are regions where industrial fishing is carried out.
A large mackerel fishing area was in the Far East. It began to be caught here in the 1960s, but in the late 1980s it became so scarce that industrial fishing lost its meaning, so since 1990, fishing has stopped completely.
Only amateur fishing remains in the Black Sea. Until the 70s, mackerel was caught here commercially, but then large migrations stopped. One of the reasons for this was the difficulty in crossing the Bosphorus Strait, which is polluted by runoff from Istanbul, and this fish is sensitive to the purity of the water. The cessation of mass migration of mackerel to the Black Sea has led to a significant decline in the species of marine fauna in this region. After all, along with the shoals of mackerel, large predators - tuna, swordfish and others - stopped coming here. The fish that used to enter the Black Sea now spawn in Mramornye.
There is a list of three habitats in the Atlantic Ocean where mackerel are found:
- northern - feeding leads in the Norwegian Sea, in the northern branches of the warm Gulf Stream current. This fish is caught here by trawlers from Murmansk;
- western - lives to the west and northwest of the British Isles, reaching the coast of Iceland;
- southern - living south of the British Isles all the way to the west coast of Africa.
The northern and western populations are fatter, and therefore more valuable than the southern ones. These populations are caught in the Baltic Sea, where the fish come to feed. In Russia, schools of mackerel also enter the White and Barents Seas, and industrial fishing is possible there. It enters the northern seas in warm years. Under favorable conditions, you can find schools of it even in the Gulf of Finland, but closer to fresh water bodies and even in estuaries and similar highly desalinated places, you won’t find it: river water makes it impossible for fish to reproduce and is detrimental to the fish itself.
In what form is it sold, how to choose
The following types of mackerel can be found in stores:
- Fresh. It is found only on the shelves of retail outlets located in places where this fish is caught. The reason is that mackerel can be stored for no more than 72 hours. Then it begins to deteriorate. When buying fish, you need to pay attention to its appearance and smell. Good mackerel has a light marine aroma, clear pupils, red gills, and an elastic body without dents or cuts. A stale carcass has dry skin, sunken eyes, and gray gills with a sticky coating.
- Fresh frozen. It occurs most often, since according to GOST the shelf life at temperatures below 18 degrees is from 2 to 8 months, depending on the type of fish. Atlantic mackerel can be kept frozen the longest. The freshness of the product must be determined by the thickness of the glaze and the appearance of the carcass. On good fish, there is a layer of ice up to 1 mm thick that does not peel off when tapped, and there are no red or rusty streaks. Carcasses should not be stuck together. If this is not the case, then the mackerel was re-frozen.
- Hanging. It is prepared by salting it in a marinade and then drying it. Stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. When purchasing, you need to choose carcasses that do not have an unpleasant odor, blood or red streaks. The fish should have a shiny, slightly wrinkled skin.
- Smoked. Prepared using hot and cold methods. With the first method, the shelf life in the refrigerator should not exceed 3 days. With the second, the duration depends on the packaging. At temperatures from 0 to minus 4 in a vacuum, mackerel remains of high quality for up to 20 days, in cardboard packs - a week, opened without a vacuum - 10 days. Good carcasses have a uniform golden hue, intact skin, a light woody aroma, and dense meat. Vacuum packages must be free of moisture.
- Salty. There is a spicy salting and a regular one. Sold uncut and without head. Shelf life according to GOST depends on the amount of salt used and storage location. Without the head, lightly salted mackerel in a barrel remains of high quality for 5 months, medium salted mackerel for 6 months. Uncut fish can be stored for 1 month less. In plastic buckets it does not deteriorate for up to 90 days. When purchasing, you need to choose fish with shiny, moist skin, without foreign aromas or blood stains.
- Canned food. The most common types are natural mackerel in oil and pieces in tomato sauce. When purchasing, it is better to take a product made from unfrozen raw materials, produced on a floating vessel. You can recognize such a dish by the marking P08; if the number 13 is indicated, the fish was preserved on land. It is necessary to pay attention to the type of jar and the inscription on the label. You cannot take a product with a suitable expiration date, in a damaged or swollen jar, or made not in accordance with GOST. In addition to fish, it should not contain additives other than salt, spices, oil and tomato dressing.
- Kippers. It is a smoked, cut and spread out carcass. When purchasing, you need to choose small-sized mackerel, vacuum-packed. Such fish can be stored longer - up to 45 days, and the composition and date of manufacture are indicated on it.
Benefits of eating caviar
Mackerel with milk and caviar rarely hits the shelves. The reason is that the fish go far into the ocean or sea during spawning and are not caught. Caviar contains more iron than meat, so it quickly eliminates anemia. It also helps you lose weight, helps lower cholesterol levels, and speeds up the cell repair process.
Milk is less fatty, but rich in protein, which is absorbed faster than from fillet. The product also contains a lot of vitamin E, which is beneficial for the skin.
The liver contains a large percentage of omega-3 acids, but preparing it at home is difficult, since this organ is small in fish. The by-product is not used in cooking, but by producers of fish oil, which is sold in pharmacies as a dietary supplement.
Harm from smoked mackerel and canned food
Hot and cold smoked mackerel is a delicious appetizer or addition to a side dish of potatoes. The product is nutritious, delicate, and has a pleasant smell. However, eating such fish is harmful to health.
The reason is that during processing in the smokehouse, mackerel is saturated with carcinogens that provoke malignant tumors. The disadvantage of the product is also its high calorie content and salinity. Smoked fish can cause swelling and excess weight.
Canned food is sold under different brands. For example: “5 Seas”, “For the Motherland”, “Forward”, “Connoisseur”, “Leopard”, “Captain of Taste”, “Baltic Seine”, “Kuril Coast”, “Trawl Fleet”, “Fischerel”, “Goldfish” ", "Dobroflot", "Fish menu". Far Eastern natural mackerel with added oil is especially popular.
Manufacturers position the product as a healing and nutritious dish. However, only canned food made at home without adding chemical components that increase shelf life can be beneficial. Prepared foods in jars are harmful. Causes:
- If production rules are violated, bacteria can enter the packaging and cause poisoning.
- Preservatives that cause cancer and liver and kidney damage are often added to industrial products.
- During storage, fish may oxidize. In this case, compounds are formed that are hazardous to health.
- During the long heating required for the production of canned food, vitamins are destroyed. The product turns into “dead food”.
Are there any benefits to salted and dried fish?
Salted, dried, and hung fish are cooked without prolonged heating, so all the beneficial substances are retained. This mackerel can have a healing effect, but with moderate consumption. The disadvantage of the products is that they contain a large amount of salt.
This supplement is harmful to people with hypertension and kidney disease, as it retains water in the body, which provokes congestion in the kidneys and increased blood pressure. These effects are especially evident if the fish is eaten at night. Salted and dried mackerel are also dangerous because they may contain parasite larvae that remain viable if the product is not heat treated.
Test purchase, results
In the “Test Purchase” program, the quality of canned mackerel with the addition of oil was checked. The participants included products from the following brands:
- "5 seas";
- "Captain of Flavors";
- "Delicious canned food";
- "Steering wheel";
- "Fur seal".
The verification consisted of 3 stages:
- Evaluation of taste, appearance, smell. The analysis was carried out by visitors to the shopping center. During the tasting, they did not know what the canned food was called. Based on the results of this stage, the product was recognized as the best, and mackerel as the worst.
- Laboratory testing for the content of toxic impurities: lead, cadmium, mercury, tin. All canned foods were found safe.
- Measuring the mass fraction of fish from the total mass of the product. The study showed that more raw materials - 79% are contained in a dish from.
Based on the test results, the canned food rating looks like this:
- "5 seas"
- "Fur seal".
- “Steering Wheel” and “Tasty Canned Food”.
- "Captain of Flavors"
Reproduction and lifespan
Mackerel lives in schools, in which fish of approximately the same size and, accordingly, age gather. Flocks migrate, primarily in search of water at a comfortable temperature.
Mackerel begins to reproduce at the age of 3, and the lifespan of one fish is 18-20 years or more. The spawning period depends on the age of the fish: adults begin breeding in mid-spring, young fish - in early summer. Comfortable depth for spawning is 190-210 meters. The number of eggs that the female lays depends on the species, but they are always so small that it is impossible to see them with the naked eye. They swim in warm water until the larvae hatch.
The larvae develop from the eggs in 10-20 days, the exact time depends on the water temperature. The warmer it is, the faster development occurs. In the first weeks of their existence, the larvae and fry eat literally everything they can find. The mackerel retains its gluttony even in adulthood, but the most severe natural selection occurs among the fry: the stronger ones also feed on weaker relatives.
The most active growth occurs in the first six months: the fry, hatched in the spring, reach a length of 18 cm by October. When the fry reach a body length of 3 cm, they exhibit school behavior and begin to migrate.
Origin of the species and description
Photo: Mackerel
The ancestors of fish appeared a very long time ago - over 500 million years ago. The very first reliably established one is a pikaya, a creature 2-3 centimeters in size, looking more like a worm than a fish. Pikaia had no fins, and it swam by bending its body. And only after a long evolution the first species resembling modern ones appeared.
This happened at the beginning of the Triassic period, at which time the class of ray-fins, to which mackerel belongs, arose. Although the most ancient ray-finned animals are also very different from modern ones, the basics of their biology remain the same. And yet, the ray-finned fish of the Mesozoic era almost all became extinct, and those species that inhabit the planet now arose already in the Paleogene era.
Video: Mackerel
After the extinction that occurred at the border of the Mesozoic and Paleozoic, about 66 million years ago, the evolution of fish went much faster - like many other orders. Speciation became much more active, because it was fish that began to dominate in water bodies, suffering less from extinction than other aquatic animals. It was then, at the very beginning of the new era, that the first representatives of the mackerel family appeared: the then extinct Landanichthys and Sphyraenodus, as well as the bonito genus, which has survived to this day. The oldest finds of these fish date back more than 65 million years.
The mackerels themselves appeared somewhat later, by the beginning of the Eocene, that is, approximately 55 million years ago, at the same time, most of the other genera belonging to the mackerel family were formed, and its real flourishing began, which continues to this day. The period of most active speciation ended precisely then, but individual species and even genera continued to appear in subsequent eras.
The genus mackerel was described by C. Linnaeus in 1758 and received the name Scomber. It is noteworthy that the family to which it belongs (mackerelidae) and even the order (mackerelidae) were named after this fish. From a systematic point of view, this is not entirely true, because mackerels were not the first to arise even in the family, but this genus is the most famous.
Kinds
In some sources, mackerel and mackerel, including king mackerel, are called the same fish. The confusion in the names arose due to the fact that in English these two species of fish belonging to the mackerel family are called by the same word mackerel. Sometimes the British give the same name to tuna, but tuna is definitely not mackerel, it just belongs to the same family.
Mackerel is a separate genus of predatory perch-like fish of the mackerel family. The king can be distinguished by the fact that it is twice the size of mackerel, for which 60 cm is the maximum length, and for mackerel it is the average. The mackerel has markings on its belly. From a culinary point of view, mackerel is a less fatty and less valuable fish. It is not so good with gourmet cooking methods - salting, smoking and baking. Most often, they try to deceive the buyer by passing off mackerel as a special mackerel. But all representatives of this genus are similar to each other, and mackerel are easy to distinguish from them, which significantly reduces the list of subspecies of the family.
There are 4 known species of mackerel. These are Atlantic, Japanese, African and Australian. They are all very similar to each other. The Atlantic has important anatomical differences from other species, and the rest differ from each other insignificantly in the eyes of a non-specialist.
Types of mackerel
There are 4 types of mackerel:
- Australian. It lives in the Pacific and Indian oceans at depths of up to 300 meters. Maximum grows up to 50 cm.
- African. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean, most common in the southern Mediterranean. The most prolific of its kind. Grows up to 30 cm.
- Japanese. Lives off the coast of the Kuril Islands, migrates along West Africa and California. Reaches a length of 64 cm. Lives in warm water at an average temperature of 25–27 degrees.
- Atlantic. Distributed in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Most often found on store shelves in the CIS countries. Stretches up to 30–60 cm.
Australian or blue mackerel (Scomber australasicus)
African (Scomber colias)
Japanese or Pacific (Scomber japonicus)
Atlantic (Scomber scombrus)
Based on habitat and catch, mackerel is conventionally divided into northern and southern varieties. Individuals differ in fat content. Northern fish has more calories, the meat is softer and more tender.
Atlantic
Typical view. These are fish with an average length of 30-40 cm, weighing 1-1.5 kg. They can reach a maximum length of 58-63 cm, weight – 1.7 kg. Although it is impossible to say exactly what the largest specimen of mackerel caught is - it is caught with nets and the total weight of the catch is calculated.
Looking at the photo, it is impossible not to identify the fish depicted on it. The body of this species is spindle-shaped, the muzzle is pointed. The back is painted in blue-green colors. There are wide, twisted dark stripes across the back, imitating the shadows of bottom plants. The sides and belly are light golden, plain, without markings. The transition between dark and light colors is sharp. The fins are well developed and hard. The teeth are small, adapted for eating small prey.
Atlantic mackerel does not have a swim bladder. Fish need this organ to regulate the depth of their dive. Those species that lack it are forced to adapt differently. Sharks are forced to constantly move; if they stop, they will begin to sink to depth. In Atlantic mackerel, fat takes over the function of maintaining the body in water. The absence of a swim bladder gives the fish an advantage - the ability to accelerate quickly. It is capable of reaching a speed of 80 km/h in 2 seconds. This property helps the fish hunt more successfully and stay alive after encounters with predators. This is impossible with a bubble - with a sharp acceleration, the gas comes out of it, and the fish goes to the bottom.
The marching speed of a school of mackerel is 20-30 km/h. The fish can maintain this pace for hours, provided there is plenty of food.
How does mackerel eat?
Mackerel are classic predators. They eat plankton and small crustaceans that are filtered out of the water. Adult fish can eat squid or small fish.
When attacking its prey, the mackerel makes a throw, reaching a speed of up to 80 km/h in a matter of seconds. During the hunt, mackerel gather in schools. Often attacks anchovy, sandfish, and sprats.
Acting in a school, mackerel forces its prey to rise to the surface. Essentially drives opponents into a corner. And then he starts eating. It is also joined by surrounding predators, such as dolphins or seagulls. Such a gathering of fish is clearly visible from above.
Despite its relatively small size, mackerel is very voracious. The Australian mackerel has the most brutal appetite. She eats everything without really thinking about whether it is edible. This is often used by Australian anglers. Such mackerel can be caught even on a hook without bait.
Japanese
Look at the photo: at first glance, Japanese (sometimes called Pacific or Far Eastern) mackerel looks exactly like its Atlantic relative. She has the same characteristic color. There are nuances in the structure of the fins and teeth, but the main difference lies inside. Japanese mackerel, like other species except the Atlantic, have a swim bladder, and they move much more slowly than their Atlantic relatives. There are also external differences - a more pointed muzzle, a different shade (in addition to the blue-green main color, the Japanese species also has blue variants). During 1 spawning, it lays about 1 million eggs.
Calorie content of mackerel
Depending on the cooking method, the calorie content of 100 g of the finished product may vary:
- fried mackerel – 218 kcal;
- boiled mackerel – 200 kcal;
- hot smoked – 221 kcal;
- cold smoked – 150 kcal.
Cold smoked mackerel has the least amount of calories, but do not forget that all smoking methods use a lot of salt, and in the process harmful carcinogenic compounds are formed, in particular benzopyrene. In addition, various food additives, such as carrageenan, are used in industrial preparation.
Smoked Atlantic mackerel. Photo credit: Chick Bowen, CC BY-SA 3.0
African
For a long time it was considered a variety of Pacific mackerel, but has now been isolated as an independent species. It looks almost like the Japanese mackerel, but differs from it in the large number of spines in the first dorsal fin, sometimes in fewer rays in the posterior dorsal fin, and in the fact that African mackerels always have only one row of palatal teeth, while Japanese mackerels can double it. African mackerel is one of the most prolific; it lays up to 2.6 million eggs during spawning. Lives near the Canary and Azores Islands.
Miracle mackerel, its places of residence
Let's try to figure out which family mackerel belongs to .
Among marine commercial fish, the mackerel family is highly valued, represented in our markets by its large representatives:
- tuna, bonito - weighing from 2 kg to 4 kg;
- mackerel, with a maximum weight of 1.6 kg, has a silver color with a black characteristic pattern inherent in the fish’s habitat.
Interesting! A case of catching tuna 4.6 meters long and weighing 684 kg was recorded.
Several seas are considered places of its mass accumulation: the Mediterranean, Marmara, North, Black, Baltic, Barents, and the open expanses of the Atlantic Ocean, washing the European shores from the Canary Islands to Iceland and North America from Labrador to Florida.
Energy value and chemical composition
The calorie content of raw mackerel is attractive - 191-205 kcal per 100 g. But it is not eaten raw, and the calorie content when cooked is significantly different.
| Mackerel | kcal | squirrels | fats | carbohydrates |
| Raw Atlantic | 205 | 18,6 | 13,89 | 0 |
| Raw Far Eastern | 239 | 19,3 | 18 | 0 |
| Salty | 305 | 18,5 | 25,1 | 0 |
| Cold smoked | 150 | 22,4 | 9,94 | 0 |
| Hot smoked | 258,6 | 21,16 | 18,79 | 1,82* |
| Boiled | 211 | 19,6 | 14,7 | 0 |
| Baked | 167 | 17,1 | 10,3 | 0 |
| Fried | 218,3 | 17,1 | 15,9 | 1,8 ** |
* carbohydrates come from sugar, which is used for marinade before smoking
** if breading was used.
Mackerel is rich in B vitamins, especially B12; it contains 8.7 mcg of this beneficial compound per 100 g, or 363% of the daily intake of an adult. It also contains a lot of vitamin D - 16.1 mcg or 107.3% of the norm.
Of the minerals, mackerel meat is rich in selenium; 100 g contains 44.1 mcg, or 88% of the daily requirement.
In mackerel meat, saturated fatty acids (“bad” cholesterol) are only 3.26 g per 100 g, but monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (“good” cholesterol) are 5.46 and 3.35 g, respectively.
Smoked mackerel is said to be the healthiest. But naturally smoked products, both hot and cold, contain dangerous substances that, if consumed excessively, provoke the development of cancer. There is controversy surrounding the imitation of smoking using “liquid smoke” - carefully filtered fractions of smoke from the combustion of wood or coal. Therefore, if you are looking after your health, smoked mackerel should be treated as a delicacy. It has a rich, rich taste, and eating smoked meats in small quantities on holidays is not harmful, but it is better not to introduce them into the diet on an ongoing basis. For a healthy diet, fish prepared in the usual way is more suitable: grilled, baked or steamed. Find out more about how healthy mackerel is.
Enemies in the wild
Mackerel is hunted by various marine animals: dolphins, large tuna, sharks, marlins, sea lions, pelicans and seagulls. In the Black Sea, large numbers of fish are eaten by bonito. The movement of a school of mackerel is clearly visible not only by the splash and darkening of the water, but also by the accumulation of fish-eating predators.
However, the main consumer of mackerel is humans. Mackerel is a valuable commercial fish. It is caught mainly with purse seines and mid-water trawls. Gill nets, hook and line fishing and seine nets may also be used, but less frequently. Part of the catch is used to prepare canned food and preserves, and the other part is frozen. In addition, mackerel is smoked and salted.
Photo by: GastroyPolitica By FB, CC BY 2.0
