Affordable Seafood, Boston Mackerel

By -

Seafood can be an affordable dining choice. So with that in mind here is one fish that you should consider putting on your menu, Boston mackerel. This small member of the mackerel family Scomber scombrus is also known by some other names such as Atlantic mackerel, tinker, or simply mackerel.

A favorite fish in the United Kingdom and Europe it is barely on the radar to American chefs and consumers. Atlantic mackerel is often sold in tins or smoked. The tinned product makes an excellent and more flavorful alternative to canned tuna. Try to find one packed in olive oil and use it like you would tuna in your favorite salad recipe. Try a mackerel nicoise salad. Smoked fish is always a winner and the rich flavor of mackerel is enhanced with the addition of salt and hardwood smoke, it is great on its own or made into a dip.

Fresh fillets can be quickly sauteed and served with simple garnishes for a truly delicious and elegant meal.

Mackerel is high in healthy omega oils, selenium and low in mercury. The United States Atlantic grounds are well stocked with sustainable yields available even though some pressures have been put upon the European supply. You can enjoy this fish almost the entire year round with peak catches occurring in late winter and early spring. Ask your fishmonger to bring some in.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fish Yields - or - How Much Does This Really Cost Me?

By -
Image
I often find it necessary to explain the yield (amount of usable flesh) off of various fish. By knowing what percentage of meat will be available when a whole fish is filleted one can make an accurate analysis of; A. how much whole fish must be purchased and B. what is the true fillet cost. Knowing how to correctly perform these calculations will benefit not only seafood suppliers, restaurant chefs, but also the casual cook. Below is a list of some common fish and the net yield percentages. Actual percentages may vary depending on skill of the butcher. Salmon (head-on gutted) yields 75% skin-on fillet Snapper (head-on gutted) yields 40% skin-on fillet Mahi (headed and gutted) yields 65% skin-on fillet Monkfish (tail) yields 70% skinless fillet Cod (headed and gutted) yields 60% skin-on fillet Grouper (head-on gutted) yields 35% skinless fillet Halibut (headed and gutted) yields 66% skin-on fillet Tuna (headless bullets) yields 75% untrimmed loins Sword (headless bullets) yields 80% cen
Read more

Flounder and Sole: or A Fish By Any Other Name Would Still Taste as Sweet.

By -
Image
Ever wonder what the differences are between Sole and Flounder? Some customers recently asked me the question so I thought I would take a moment to shed a bit of light on the subject. Here in North America we have no true sole only flounders. When Europeans came to the Americas they called flounders soles because they looked like the fish they knew in the "old world". This has led understandably to much confusion over the years. The only true sole would be Dover Sole, Solea solea . Lemon sole is one of the names given to winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus , (also known as black back). Usually at the retail level when multiple flounder sku's are sold; flounder is the name given to the refreshed less expensive product, and sole (or lemon sole) is the name given to the more expensive fresh cut product. Fluke, Paralichthys dentatus also called summer flounder can also be sold as sole fillet. Sometimes there is a distinction
Read more

Wild Edibles Seafood Update

By -
Image
Chefs and Buyers,   The local waters, however cold they may be, are still giving up some great fish: We have sea trout (weakfish) 4-6lbs that are extra firm and in rigor from this side of the Mason-Dixon.   Jumbo black sea bass with candy red gills from Rhode Island.  Boston and Spanish mackerel that are both crudo worthy, just off of some short trip boats into Jersey. Since we had so many requests we acquired some local silver Dory from a Long Island boat, these dory are in the 2-5lb size range. Cod prices have dropped to very reasonable levels and makes it a great buy for the next few days. If cod isn't a menu item why not make this versatile fish your fresh catch of the day?   From the West coast we bring you wild Sturgeon, fresh black cod (sablefish), a wide selection of oysters and  Manila clams.   Cockles from New Zealand are likely to remain in very short supply until next week. We will have ample Manila clams available to substit
Read more