For hot mackerel as a main course, choose a frozen product to cook, checking its cut, the quantity you need and the preparation instructions. For a cold starter or buffet, tinned mackerel takes less preparation, but the recipe and proportion of fish matter just as much as the format.
If mackerel is taking centre stage, check the product format, number of pieces, cooking instructions and whether you have room to keep it chilled until mealtime. A whole or headless frozen fish is not the same as fillets when it comes to serving.
Whether you’re having dinner for two or entertaining guests, start with the number of portions you need. The weight of a bag of frozen fish and that of a tin don’t necessarily represent the same amount of fish to serve. For fish in sauce, check the drained weight in particular.
Plain or seasoned tinned mackerel makes it easy to prepare toast, a salad or bite-sized snacks without cooking the fish. Choose a recipe that goes with the other dishes, and check its ingredients and allergens.
First, decide whether the mackerel will be served hot or cold. Then check how much fish you’ll actually be able to serve and how much preparation is needed at dinnertime.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Hot main course | Fish format — fillets or pieces that need preparing — and the cooking instructions for your chosen product. | If I want to serve hot fish on a plate, a tin isn’t a substitute for pieces that need cooking; around 43% of consumers put this main-course requirement first. |
| How much to serve | Number of pieces, usable weight and, for tinned fish, the drained weight if it’s shown on the packaging. | To serve each guest without choosing the wrong format, I need to know how much fish is available. Around 29% of consumers prioritise getting the right portion sizes. |
| Preparing a starter | Whether the recipe is plain or seasoned, the stated proportion of fish and any ingredients to consider for your guests. | When I’m preparing a cold starter or buffet, I look for a product that’s easy to put together with the rest of the menu; around 28% of consumers prioritise this ease of serving. |
Tinned mackerel is handy for a quick cold dish, but it won’t automatically give you the hot main course you had planned for dinner.
Decide how mackerel will fit into your menu before choosing between a tin and a frozen product to cook.
A recipe in sauce may contain a different proportion of fillets from its total weight. The Petit Navire mustard recipe listed on Joybuy states that it contains 56% mackerel fillets.
When planning portions, check the proportion of fish and the drained weight if stated, then adjust your side dishes accordingly.
According to Anses, histamine that may form in certain fish, including mackerel, is not destroyed by cooking or freezing.
Maintain the cold chain and follow the storage instructions on the packaging of your chosen product.
These products illustrate different formats. Check the exact product before planning your menu.
Picard offers frozen skin-on mackerel fillets in a 600 g bag.
The range considered here includes plain and seasoned tinned mackerel fillets.
The tinned mackerel range at Auchan includes plain and seasoned recipes.
Tinned mackerel from this brand features in the selection listed by Supermarchés Match.
This raw, frozen product is for anyone planning to cook fish for dinner. It is headless and gutted, while the frozen fillets mentioned above are a different format. Check which cut you want before choosing.
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Worth considering for a hot fish dish that you’ll cook, rather than a ready-to-serve starter.
The pack size is listed as 1 kg; the fish is described as glazed and should be kept at −18 °C or below. Check the number of pieces and whether there may be any bones when planning how to serve it. The product description says not to refreeze after defrosting.
Yes, for the skin-on fillets from Picard: its product information says they can be cooked without defrosting and gives several preparation methods. Follow the instructions for the product you’ve bought rather than using those for a different frozen product.
Don’t refreeze Picard fillets after defrosting: the product information expressly advises against it. The description of the frozen TCT Jack mackerel gives the same instruction. Always follow the guidance for the product you’re serving.
Maintaining the cold chain helps limit the risk of histamine forming in the fish. Anses says that mackerel is one of the fish affected, and that neither cooking nor freezing destroys histamine that has already formed.
First, check the labelling for the fish and the exact recipe. Picard’s fillet information lists fish and possible traces of crustaceans and molluscs. A tin in sauce may contain other ingredients, including mustard in the Petit Navire recipe in question.