If you’re planning to cook mackerel fillets for the whole family, a 500 g frozen pack could work, provided you can find it in stock: the Carrefour product reviewed is listed as unavailable. For a quicker dinner, tinned fillets are ready prepared, but their small pack size means you’ll need to check the drained weight and work out how many tins you need.
A pack of fillets to cook lets you plan a dish with sides, rather than opening several small tins. Carrefour lists a 500 g pack of frozen fillets with skin, but its product page says it’s unavailable. Check what’s on offer at your store before making it the centrepiece of your menu.
Tinned fillets can be served with a salad or on toast, or added to a dish with vegetables and a starchy side. Carrefour, Auchan and E.Leclerc list different pack sizes, so work out how many tins you’ll need for the number of people you’re feeding.
Ingredients differ between plain fillets and a white wine recipe. Check the label of the product you choose for allergens, seasoning and salt per 100 g.
Consider this: if you want to cook the mackerel yourself as part of a family meal; Carrefour lists a 500 g pack of fillets with skin.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to find a pack in stock and follow its storage instructions.
Consider this: if you’d rather serve ready-prepared fillets, plain or seasoned, with sides.
Bear in mind: you may need several small tins for a family dinner, and ingredients vary between recipes.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this for? |
|---|---|---|
| How much to serve | Check the net or drained weight and work out how many tins or packs you’ll need for everyone. | If I’m making dinner for the whole family, I want to know whether the amount I’ve chosen will be enough with the sides. Around 40% of consumers are said to prioritise how much they’ll get. |
| Preparation time | Decide whether you want to cook the fillets or use a ready-prepared tin. | When dinner needs to be put together quickly, I prefer fillets that are ready to serve or add to a dish. Around 30% of consumers are said to prioritise convenience. |
| Ingredients | Check the ingredients, allergens and salt per 100 g on the tin you choose. | If a seasoned recipe isn’t right for my household, I want to be able to choose with the ingredients in mind. Around 20% of consumers are said to put ingredients at the heart of their choice. |
| Frozen format | Confirm the product is available and check its transport and storage instructions. | If I’m cooking the fillets myself, I prefer a format that needs cooking, while planning how to keep it stored until mealtime. Around 10% of consumers are said to prioritise frozen products. |
A tin of Carrefour Extra fillets contains 85 g net drained weight, while Carrefour also lists a 500 g pack of frozen fillets. One unit of each format won’t give you the same amount of fish to serve.
Start with the number of people you’re feeding, then check the stated weight and planned sides before deciding how many units to buy.
The listing for Carrefour Classic’ 500 g frozen fillets says the product is unavailable. A product page alone doesn’t mean you’ll be able to put it on the menu.
Check availability at the store you plan to visit before you plan to cook it. Plain tinned fillets could be a back-up if they work with your recipe.
E.Leclerc’s ECO white wine fillets recipe includes white wine and sulphites, among other ingredients. Its ingredients can’t be assumed to be the same as those in a plain tin.
Read the full ingredients list and allergen information on each tin, especially if someone you’re serving needs to avoid an ingredient.
Saupiquet says to refrigerate its plain grilled mackerel fillets after opening and eat them within two days.
Follow the instructions on the tin you buy and plan when to use any leftovers.
These products show how pack sizes and recipes can differ. Choose based on the details of the specific product, rather than the brand name alone.
Carrefour lists frozen fillets with skin under Classic’ and tinned grilled fillets under Extra.
The range includes plain, steamed mackerel fillets in tins.
Saupiquet offers, among other products, plain grilled mackerel fillets.
Auchan lists plain mackerel fillets and plain grilled fillets in tins.
E.Leclerc lists Pêche Océan plain mackerel fillets as well as seasoned recipes.
Yes. Anses lists mackerel as an oily fish in its guidance on eating fish. It recommends varying the species you eat and where you source them from; this guidance doesn’t determine whether frozen or tinned mackerel is better for your dinner.
Follow the pack’s transport and storage instructions, and make sure you can keep the product cold until it reaches your freezer. Don’t refreeze a product once it has defrosted; for the Carrefour product, also check the date shown on the pack.
For its plain grilled mackerel fillets, Saupiquet says to refrigerate them and eat them within two days of opening. Check the instructions on your own tin, as they may vary by product.
No. Petit Navire lists salt among the ingredients in its plain steamed fillets, as does Auchan for its 120 g plain fillets. To compare two products, check the salt per 100 g in their nutritional information.