Tasty and nutritious, a source of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron and vitamin D, canned mackerel lends itself to different uses in the kitchen: from fast lunch when you have little time as an ingredient for elaborate recipes.
Here are some tips to choose it best.
Atlantic and Pacific
Mackerel are usually fished in the Atlantic Ocean and worked fresh on the fishing site, generally in Morocco, Portugal, Albania, Spain, Ireland, Iceland but also in Peru. To ensure that fishing takes place in compliance with protected species and the marine ecosystem, the Friend of the sea certification was born, to which several Italian companies also adhere.
In the boxes they can end different species of mackerel: the most common is it Scomber scombrus, which lives mainly in the Atlantic ocean and part of the Mediterranean sea. But in some boxes you can find it Scomber japonicus which also comes from the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The mackerel meats are canned after being steamed, in water or on the grill. And they can be preserved naturally (i.e. in water and salt) or in oil (from seeds, olives or extra virgin): in the latter case the percentage of oil must be indicated on the label, which can range from 28 to 34% of the total weight of the product. A counter-test also comes from the net weight of the drained product, mandatory on the label.
How we work
The fresh mackerel is cleaned, washed and steamed, in water or grilled salty so that it remains firmer.
After cooking, the pieces are cleaned by hand, eliminating skin, bones and dark parts and the fillets of the desired size are obtained. So the mackerel comes immediately packaged in metal boxes or in glass jars, and then covered with a liquid of government which guarantees its conservation and which can be oil, brine or sauce. Thereafter the packages are sealed and subjected to sterilization at 110-120 ° C. This heat treatment guarantees its stability allowing a long conservation.
Eye on labels and packaging
The box labels usually show i nutritional values of the drained product, the indication of the origin, or rather the catch area and also the method of fishing. Before buying a can of mackerel, also check the integrity of the same: avoid putting dented or bulging packs in the cart, they could be signs of the presence of gas andalterations, also determined by microorganisms or pathogenic germs.
Another important information to look for on the label, to choose the best product, is the type of oil used: to prefer that olive compared to seed oil, while for those who follow low-calorie diets, it is advisable to prefer natural mackerel.
If you choose the glass packs, increasingly popular in recent times, you can also observe the consistency of the fillets: the more compact they are, the higher the quality.
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