Who are these options for?

Hosts preparing a hot dish

If you want to season and cook the fish yourself, look for a frozen product in a cut that suits your recipe. Make room in the freezer and check that your chosen product is available before finalising the menu.

People putting together a quick apéritif

Pre-cooked tinned fillets can be used for toast, a salad or a pâté, with no need to defrost or cook them on New Year’s Eve. Check the recipe and the storage instructions after opening.

Households hosting guests who need extra care

Storage and cooking require particular care when your guests include pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems or young children. Anses recommends that they avoid raw, smoked or undercooked fish.

What sets these options apart?

Frozen fish to cook

Choose this if: your New Year’s Eve dish involves cooking and seasoning the fish yourself.

Bear in mind: you’ll need freezer space, to maintain the cold chain and to choose a cut that suits your recipe.

Tinned fillets

Choose these if: you’re making toast, a salad or a cold starter to serve without cooking.

The trade-off: the fish is already prepared and, depending on the product, already seasoned; it won’t work as a raw fillet that needs cooking.

What to consider What to check Who it matters to
Cooking and storage Check the cut, the storage instructions on the pack and the freezer space available. If I’m preparing a hot dish and want to choose the seasoning myself, I’m looking for fish I can store until New Year’s Eve; around 31% of consumers would prioritise preparing it this way.
Quick serving Tell ready-to-serve tinned products apart from frozen ones, and read the instructions for after opening. If I’m putting together toast or a cold starter at the last minute, I’d rather avoid defrosting and cooking; this would be the main priority for around 25% of consumers.
Storage and cooking Follow the temperature stated on the pack and transport frozen food without breaking the cold chain. When guests who need extra care are sharing the meal, I want to make sure the fish is stored properly and cooked through; around 25% of consumers would prioritise these precautions.
Seasoning For marinated tinned fish, compare the ingredients list and the proportion of fish. For a cold starter, I might prefer a ready-seasoned recipe rather than preparing the seasoning myself; around 19% of consumers would prioritise this ready-to-serve flavour.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Confusing tinned fish with frozen fillets

    Pre-cooked fillets are suitable for serving cold, but not for a recipe that calls for raw fillets to be cooked.

    Read the product description and storage instructions. If your recipe calls for frozen fillets, check that the cut is clearly specified too.

  • Planning your menu around a specific product without checking it’s available

    Carrefour France’s listing for 500 g frozen mackerel fillets displays “Product unavailable”.

    Check that the product you plan to buy is available before settling on your recipe. Tinned fish can work as a cold starter, but it can’t replace the fillet in a dish that needs cooking.

  • Letting frozen food warm up while you shop

    The DGCCRF points out that a rise in temperature speeds up microbial growth. Carrefour’s frozen fillet listing says not to refreeze a product once it has been defrosted.

    Pick up frozen food last, use an insulated bag, put it away promptly and follow the instructions on the pack.

  • Planning to serve raw or undercooked fish to all your guests

    Anses recommends that pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and young children avoid raw, smoked or undercooked fish.

    If any of these guests are joining you, prepare the fish thoroughly rather than serving it raw or undercooked.

Brands and ranges to know

Carrefour Classic'

Carrefour France’s listing features frozen, skin-on mackerel fillets in a 500 g pack.

  • The listing specifies the species as Scomber scombrus and says to store at −18 °C.
  • It displays “Product unavailable”, so check availability before planning to serve these fillets.

Petit Navire

Auchan France’s listing describes plain grilled tinned mackerel fillets in a pack of 3 × 110 g.

  • The listed ingredients are grilled mackerel fillets, water and salt.
  • These fillets are already prepared, not frozen fillets that need cooking.

Saupiquet

Auchan France’s listing features plain grilled tinned mackerel fillets in a 3 × 120 g format.

  • The listing suggests enjoying them as they are or on toast.
  • Once opened, they should be kept between 0 and 4 °C and eaten within 48 h.

Auchan

The retailer offers various recipes for tinned mackerel fillets, including plain, grilled and seasoned options.

  • These recipes let you choose between a plain flavour and fish that’s already seasoned for serving cold.
  • Check the category of each product: tinned fish is not the same as frozen fish that needs cooking.

Pêche Océan (Marque Repère / E.Leclerc)

E.Leclerc’s listing describes lemon and olive marinated mackerel fillets in a 176 g pack.

  • The listing describes a ready-seasoned recipe containing 59,7 % mackerel fillets.
  • These marinated tinned fillets are no substitute for plain frozen fillets in a recipe where you want to choose the seasoning and cooking method.

A frozen product to consider

If you’re making a hot dish with frozen fish, the TCT Jack mackerel below is worth considering. If your recipe specifically calls for mackerel fillets, check the species and cut before choosing it.

TCT Jack mackerel, raw, headless, gutted, glazed and frozen, 1 kg

TCT Jack mackerel, raw, headless, gutted, glazed and frozen, 1 kg

Worth considering for a hot New Year’s Eve dish; if you need fillets, check the cut before buying.

Raw frozen fish in a 1 kg pack: make sure you have room to store it in the freezer and cook it before serving.

View on Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Can you refreeze mackerel fillets after defrosting?

Don’t refreeze Carrefour Classic' frozen fillets after defrosting: the product listing explicitly says not to. For any other product, follow the instructions on its packaging, particularly those on storage and defrosting.

How should you transport frozen fish before New Year’s Eve?

Pick it up last while shopping, carry it in an insulated bag and put it in the freezer promptly. The DGCCRF points out that a rise in temperature speeds up microbial growth; also follow the storage temperature shown on the pack.

Can you serve raw or undercooked mackerel to all your guests?

No. Anses recommends that pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and young children avoid raw, smoked or undercooked fish. Make sure the fish is thoroughly cooked for these guests.

Can tinned fish replace frozen fillets on the menu?

Yes, for a cold starter, toast or a salad, but not for a recipe that requires raw fillets to be cooked. Once opened, follow the instructions for the tin you’ve chosen; Auchan’s listing for Saupiquet plain grilled fillets says to keep them between 0 and 4 °C and eat them within 48 h.