Mackerel
Scomber scombrus (Atlantic) / various species
The Atlantic mackerel, also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel or just mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic Ocean, where it is extremely common and occurs in huge shoals in the epipelagic zone.
Atlantic mackerel is an oily food fish sold fresh, frozen, smoked, or canned. It's very high in oil, with nearly twice the omega-3 per unit weight of salmon.
Atlantic mackerel is common in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic. It forms huge schools of similarly sized fish near the surface in warmer months, moving offshore as colder weather arrives.
Also known as
- Atlantic Mackerel
- Pacific Mackerel
- King Mackerel
- Spanish Mackerel
- Wahoo
- Boston Mackerel
- Norwegian Mackerel
Kosher Mackerel in foreign languages
| Scientific | Scomber scombrus (Atlantic) / various species |
| Hebrew | מקרל |
| Arabic | الإسقُمريّ المعروف |
| Spanish | Caballa |
| Portuguese | Cavala |
| French | Maquereau |
| Italian | scombro |
| German | Makrele |
| Greek | Σκουμπρί |
| Russian | Атлантическая скумбрия |
| Turkish | Uskumru |
| Chinese | 大西洋鲭 |
| Japanese | タイセイヨウサバ |
| Korean | 대서양고등어 |
| Vietnamese | Cá thu Đại Tây Dương |
| Thai | ปลาแมกเคอเรลแอตแลนติก |
Gallery
- True Atlantic mackerel has fins and small scales (which give it a velvety feel), so it is kosher.
- Snake mackerel and escolar are different fish in the family Gempylidae, not true mackerel. Escolar can cause keriorrhea (oily diarrhea) because it can't metabolize its wax esters.
- Escolar is often mislabeled as white tuna or super white tuna, so watch the labeling.
- Scombroid (histamine) poisoning risk if the fish isn't chilled quickly after catch.