The Humble Mackerel
Mackerel is the common name associated with over 21 species from the pelagic fish family Scombridae. They are found all around the world’s oceans in both temperate and tropical seas and are mostly located in shoals running alongside the coastline.
Mackerel is an oily fish and a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids. The health benefits associated with eating foods high in omega 3 include reducing the risk of cancers and cardiovascular diseases to name but a few. Research into health benefits is still on-going, and the debate is still very controversial. Therefore we will come back to this topic in a future blog article to discuss this further and update our findings.
Available in many forms other than that of fresh from the fishmongers counter, there are various other methods for cooking Mackerel including smoking, pickling and curing and of course canning. These all made transporting fish possible before the invention of refrigeration, but today provide us with such delightful and diverse flavours from such a humble ingredient.
Mackerel, although simple and possibly looked upon as a little boring has such potential in the kitchen. Try it smoked or dry cured or even better pop a fresh fillet under the grill and serve with a quarter of a lemon. Mackerel… Humbly simple……..
