For Sunday lunch, choose a tin made with organic agricultural ingredients if you want to serve a recipe that’s already seasoned. Go for plain fillets if you’d rather put the dish together yourself. According to the DGCCRF, wild-caught fish cannot be certified organic, so check which ingredient the ‘organic’ claim refers to.
You want to know precisely which agricultural ingredient is organic, without confusing the claim with certification of the wild mackerel itself. The ingredients list and certifying body’s code are important when making your choice.
For Sunday lunch, you’re looking for fillets to serve with bread, a salad or other sides, without having to make a marinade yourself.
You prefer a short ingredients list, consisting mainly of mackerel and salt, so you can choose the seasoning and sides yourself.
When planning Sunday lunch, first decide whether your priority is organic ingredients, a recipe that’s ready to serve, a simple ingredients list or portion control.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| What the ‘organic’ claim covers | Look for the agricultural ingredient concerned, its proportion and the certifying body’s code. According to the DGCCRF, wild-caught fish cannot be certified organic. | If I prioritise organic ingredients, I want to tell certified oil or herbs apart from the fish itself. Around 36% of consumers would put this clarification first. |
| Ready-to-serve recipe | Compare the marinade or oil, ingredients list and tin size with the sides you plan to serve. | When entertaining without making a sauce, I prefer a tin that’s already seasoned. This convenience would be the priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Short ingredients list | Check the ingredients list and the proportion of mackerel. The plain options described by Auchan and Petit Navire each contain 99% mackerel and salt. | I want to choose the seasoning myself rather than serve a pre-made marinade. Around 21% of consumers would put this flexibility first. |
| Size and leftovers | Check the tin’s weight, how much you’ll need for your guests and the storage instructions once opened. | If there are only a few of us at the table, I want to avoid opening more mackerel than we need. Portion control would be the main consideration for around 14% of consumers. |
According to the DGCCRF, products from wild fisheries cannot be certified organic. For the tinned recipes in question, the organic claim may refer to agricultural ingredients such as olive oil or herbs.
Check the ingredients list, the proportion covered and the certifying body’s code rather than relying on the recipe name alone.
The oil, marinade and other ingredients are all part of the product you eat. So your choice of recipe affects what you serve, not just the type of fish.
Compare the ingredients lists and, if nutritional information matters to you, use the same basis of comparison per 100 g. Also distinguish between the figures for the whole product and for the drained product, where both are provided.
An opened tin needs to be stored correctly and should not be treated like an unopened tin.
Choose the number and size of tins to suit your guests, then follow the packaging instructions once opened.
Any food left uneaten could go to waste if you don’t plan how to use the leftovers.
According to Saupiquet’s product information, its mackerel fillets in extra virgin olive oil contain 78% mackerel and 20% olive oil from organic farming.
A Carrefour product listing for a Mouettes d’Arvor marinated recipe states that it contains 60% mackerel fillets, along with herbs in the preparation.
Petit Navire’s 110 g plain mackerel fillets contain 99% mackerel and salt.
Auchan’s 120 g plain mackerel fillets contain 99% mackerel fillets and salt.
Carrefour’s listing for the Mouettes d’Arvor marinade details the proportion of products of organic agricultural origin and the certification code.
E.Leclerc has a Bio Village range of sardines and mackerel.
No. According to the DGCCRF, products from wild fisheries cannot be certified organic because the animals’ feed and living conditions cannot be controlled. However, a tin may contain organic agricultural ingredients, which you can identify in the ingredients list.
The claim may refer to the oil rather than the fish. Saupiquet’s product information for its fillets in extra virgin olive oil states that 20% of the oil comes from organic farming and gives the code FR-BIO-10. Check the ingredients of the product you’re buying.
Start with the number of guests and the other dishes you’re serving to work out how much to open. If you expect to have leftovers, check the storage instructions for the product you’ve chosen.
Not necessarily. Check which part of the product the claim refers to before assuming it indicates a catch area. The DGCCRF states that the fishing area must be given for unprocessed fishery products. Check the information on the processed tin you choose.