For a savoury cake where you want to control the seasoning, choose plain mackerel. A frozen fillet works if you can find it and prepare it, while plain tinned mackerel saves you having to defrost the fish but has a different texture. Marinated tinned mackerel is only suitable if its sauce and flavourings work with your recipe. Be sure to check how much fish you need, too.
Plain mackerel lets you choose the herbs and other ingredients for your cake. Carrefour Classic' lists 500 g packs of frozen skin-on fillets, but the product page shows them as unavailable. Check what you can actually buy before building your recipe around this format.
If your recipe works with the texture of tinned fish, smaller packs of plain fillets may be suitable. The products listed by Auchan and Petit Navire contain 120 g and 110 g respectively. Check how much you need before deciding how many tins to buy.
Flavoured tinned mackerel can work in a cake designed to bring out those flavours. The €co+ white wine fillets listed by E.Leclerc contain 59% mackerel, along with liquid and flavourings, so they aren’t a like-for-like substitute for plain fillets.
For a savoury cake, start with the amount of fish your recipe calls for. Then decide whether the mixture can take a marinade or whether you’d rather season plain mackerel yourself.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this for? |
|---|---|---|
| Usable quantity | Compare the amount required by the recipe with the product size. For tinned fish in liquid, check the drained net weight if it’s listed. | If I’m making a large cake, I want to know how much fish will actually go into the mixture rather than relying on the size of a single tin. Around 42% of consumers put usable quantity first. |
| Flavour and moisture | Read the ingredients: plain fish and mackerel in white wine don’t provide the same seasoning. Drain tinned fish if your recipe calls for fish with less moisture. | When I choose the herbs for my cake, I don’t want a marinade to bring a different flavour to the mixture. Around 33% of consumers prioritise control over seasoning. |
| Availability and storage of frozen fish | Check whether the fillet you want is available locally and plan to keep it frozen until you’re ready to prepare it. | If I’m planning to use a frozen fillet, I need to be able to buy it and store it properly before cooking. This is the main priority for around 25% of consumers. |
The €co+ white wine tinned mackerel listed by E.Leclerc contains 59% mackerel fillets, as well as water, white wine, vinegars and vegetables. The liquid and flavours can affect the result if you’re seasoning the mixture separately.
If you want to choose the flavourings yourself, read the ingredients and opt for a plain product that suits your recipe.
The product page for Carrefour Classic' 500 g skin-on fillets shows them as unavailable. So, simply finding a product listing isn’t enough to plan a recipe that specifically needs this format.
Check what’s available at your local shop or through its online grocery service before settling on the other ingredients and quantities for your recipe.
The plain tinned mackerel products from Auchan and Petit Navire listed here come in 120 g and 110 g sizes, while a tin of marinated mackerel also contains liquid and other ingredients. The number of tins you need depends on how much fish you want in the cake.
Check the size of each product and the drained net weight if it’s shown on the label.
Transporting and defrosting the fish are part of preparing a frozen fillet. Anses recommends using defrosted food promptly and not refreezing it once it has thawed.
Buy frozen fish towards the end of your shop, carry it in an insulated bag and choose a suitable defrosting method before adding it to your recipe.
These products show the different forms of mackerel available for cooking. Check the product page and label for the exact item you’re considering.
Carrefour lists 500 g packs of frozen skin-on mackerel fillets.
€co+ white wine mackerel fillets are marinated tinned fish, best suited to recipes that work with this seasoning.
Auchan lists a 120 g tin of plain mackerel fillets for recipes that work with tinned fish.
Petit Navire lists 110 g packs of plain steamed mackerel fillets.
Saupiquet offers a range of plain mackerel tins and varieties with different seasonings.
Yes, if your recipe works with the texture of tinned fish and you adjust the moisture and seasoning in the mixture. To stay in control of the flavours, the plain products listed by Auchan and Petit Navire contain 99% mackerel and salt. Marinated tinned fish also brings its own sauce and flavourings.
Keep the fish frozen during transport, then defrost it using a suitable method before preparing it according to your recipe. Anses recommends using defrosted food promptly and not refreezing it once thawed. Also check the instructions on the packaging.
Start with the amount of fish your recipe calls for, then check the pack size and, if the fish comes in liquid, the drained net weight shown on the label. This will help you work out how many tins to use without confusing the total contents with the amount of fish available for the mixture.
Read the product name, ingredients, net quantity, nutritional information and storage instructions. The DGCCRF advises that allergens in prepacked food must be highlighted in the ingredients list. Remember to check for allergens in the other ingredients for your cake, too.