Is Spanish Mackerel a Good Fish to Eat? A Guide to This Underrated Seafood

Mackerel is a popular nutrient-dense fish. It has great commercial value throughout the world. People mostly catch these fish for food and sport. Due to their oily and firm flesh, they also make an excellent bait for catching other fish. You can find them on the menu of most restaurants worldwide. Most fish lovers consider them a great food choice for their incredible flavor and various health benefits. Â.

“Mackerel” doesn’t mean just one type of fish or even just one species of fish. Rather, its a common name for various swift-moving seawater fishes, most of which belong to the Scombridae family. The rest come from families like Gempylidae, Hexagrammidae, and Carangidae. Mackerels are close relatives of tuna and bonito, both of which also belong to the family Scombridae.

There isn’t a single trait that can be used for all “mackerel” fish because there are so many of them. But youll find most fishes of this kind having a long, slender body with a deeply forked tail. Also, many of them have colored, luminous skin with distinct irregular stripes. Mackerels vary in size, ranging from the smaller bait fish to the bigger game fish. Â But compared to tuna, most of them are generally slimmer and smaller. Â.

Mackerels are mostly found in temperate and tropical seas. They live either along the coast or offshore in the ocean. Since they appear all around the globe, many countries produce and trade them. Among them, their top producers and exporters are Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan, China, and Norway.

These fish travel in groups called schools. Many mackerel schools swim across oceans to find good places to spawn, but most of them stay in a certain area. This is what gives many of them their names. Others are named for their most distinctive features. Â.

Stock assessments are done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to see how healthy and large the fish populations are in a certain area. Based on these assessments, the fish are given these stock statuses:

There are many types of fish that fall into the mackerel category. NOAA does stock assessments of most of the common types. Based on these assessments, each variety has been designated its own stock status. As an example, the 2021 stock assessment of Atlantic mackerel found that the population in the New England/Mid-Atlantic region had been overfished and was at risk of being overfished again.

When it comes to king mackerel, neither the South Atlantic nor the Gulf of Mexico stocks were found to be overfished or being overfished. The stock status for the Spanish mackerel is the same.

This means that while some types of mackerel are being overfished, others have large populations that are not at risk of being overfished.

Are There Any Precautions to Take Before Having Mackerel?

When you eat mackerel, make sure it’s a type that doesn’t have a lot of mercury in it, like the North Atlantic mackerel. Don’t eat fish like king mackerel and Spanish mackerel because they contain a lot of mercury and can poison you. According to the U. S. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that young children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should stay away from king mackerel even more.

Before cooking mackerel, you need to follow the right steps to keep it fresh. Otherwise, you can get scombroid fish poisoning. This is an illness that you can get from eating fish in the Scombridae family, like mackerel and tuna, that have high levels of histamine in them. This happens when these fish go bad because they weren’t kept cool enough, letting bacteria grow on them and making too much histamine.

Because histamines don’t react with heat, this illness could happen even if you eat fish that has been properly canned or cooked. People who eat scombroid fish might get a headache, sweat, feel sick, throw up, get a rash, feel dizzy, and feel like your mouth is burning or tingling. Your symptoms should resolve on their own within 12 hours. If that doesnt happen, get medical help as soon as possible.

What Are the Health Benefits of Mackerel?

There are many well-known health benefits of mackerel. Because it’s full of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, this fish is good for you in the following ways:

May boost heart health. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fatty fish like mackerel per week. Theres a reason for that. Mackerels, being oily fish, have high amounts of omega-3s. These good fats are known to reduce blood pressure and decrease the levels of cholesterol in your body. Researchers have found that people who eat mackerel often have lower blood pressure and less cholesterol in their blood.

Having lower blood pressure means your heart doesnt have to work too hard to pump blood. Similarly, less cholesterol leads to less fat buildup in the arteries of your heart. As a result, your heart will stay strong and face fewer problems. Â.

Many prevent brain disorders. Fish like mackerel, especially DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), has omega-3s that are good for you and help your brain grow. These fats control the release of chemical messengers in your brain, in turn helping to maintain brain function. Marine omega-3s, like the ones found in mackerel, have also been shown to lower the risk of mental health problems like autism, bipolar disorder, and depression.

May strengthen bones. There are many nutrients in mackerels that can help to keep your bones healthy. The most vital one is vitamin D. This vitamin helps in the metabolism of phosphorus and calcium — two minerals your bones need to grow. Getting enough vitamin D can lower your risk of bone loss and fracture. Besides this vitamin, mackerel also contains copper and selenium — minerals needed for maintaining your bone density.

May help in weight loss. Mackerel has good amounts of healthy fats and proteins. Research shows that fats and proteins are better at lowering ghrelin levels than carbohydrates. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone that makes you want to eat more. Moreover, as a high-protein food, mackerels can keep you feeling full for a longer time. This may stop you from overeating and help you maintain your weight.

Fillet Spanish Mackerel Step By Step (And How To Get Rid Of The “Fishy” Taste!)

Are Spanish mackerel good to eat?

Yes, Spanish Mackerel are good to eat. They have a firm, white flesh that is mild and slightly sweet. Spanish Mackerel can be prepared in a variety of ways, including grilling, baking, and pan-frying. It’s important to properly clean and fillet the fish before cooking to ensure the best flavor.

Does smoked mackerel contain vitamins?

Smoked mackerel is a type of oily fish rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids and minerals like selenium, magnesium and phosphorus. One of the most notable vitamins in smoked mackerel is vitamin B12, a 100g serving of smoked mackerel provides about 9 micrograms of vitamin B12, far more than the recommended daily intake for adults. Smoked mackerel also provides niacin, vitamin B6 and riboflavin, and vitamin D.

Are Spanish mackerel a good game fish?

Spanish mackerel are one of our favorite types of game fish to fish for from shore. They hit many different types of lures, and are some of the fastest fish in the ocean. We like fishing for them off of piers when we visit our friends in Florida, as well from shore during the mullet run.

Is Spanish mackerel a good barbecue fish?

Many consider Spanish mackerel to be the best barbecue fish in the ocean. In order to cook them as barbecue fish, you’ll need to dice the mackerel fillets into small chunks, which will then be cooked according to your recipe.