CarneAtlas

Mackerel

Fish · Scombridae
Mackerel — Scombridae fish

Mikael Nyman, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Also called
🇲🇽Macarela🇦🇷🇪🇸Caballa🇫🇷Maquereau🇵🇹🇧🇷Cavala🇮🇹Sgombro🇩🇪Makrele

Atlantic mackerel is an oily, strongly flavored fish with iridescent blue-green skin and rich, dark flesh. It is affordable, nutritious, and sustainable. In Spain it is marinated in vinegar as escabeche. In France it is grilled or smoked. In the UK it is popular smoked or pan-fried. Its high fat content makes it ideal for smoking, grilling, and curing.

Useful gear for preparing fish

$ · lifting and turning delicate fish fillets

OXO Good Grips Little Fish Turner

Sliding beneath fillets and turning them with less tearing than a thick spatula.

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$$ · filleting, skinning, and trimming whole fish

Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Flexible Fillet Knife

Following the bones and contours of whole fish with a narrow, flexible blade.

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Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesMackerel
🇬🇧United KingdomMackerelprimaryPopular smoked or pan-fried; one of the UK's most sustainable fish choices
🇲🇽MexicoMacarela
🇦🇷ArgentinaCaballa
🇫🇷FranceMaquereauOften served grilled with mustard sauce or marinated
🇪🇸SpainCaballaPopular marinated in vinegar with onion — caballa en escabeche
🇵🇹PortugalCavala
🇧🇷BrazilCavala
🇮🇹ItalySgombro
🇩🇪GermanyMakrele

Culinary substitutes

Sardinha
Sardinha

Both are small, oily, strongly flavored fish with similar nutritional profiles — mackerel is larger and meatier, sardines are smaller and typically grilled or canned.

Sierra
Sierra

Both are Scombridae with strong, oily flesh suited to grilling and curing — sierra is larger and firmer with a more pronounced flavor, Atlantic mackerel is smaller and more delicate.