Umay FR

Species sheet · The Edible Ocean

Atlantic mackerel

A blue-green torpedo that never stops swimming.

  • Grilled whole over charcoal, marinated in vinegar
  • Made into rillettes with mustard
  • Raw as tartare, only when very fresh
Atlantic mackerel in its natural habitat, Umay image
Scomber scombrus · Umay image, generated from a reference photograph — Assianir, CC BY-SA 3.0
In French
Maquereau
Scientific name
Scomber scombrus
In the water
Open water of the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean, in tight schools near the surface, from the coast down to 200 metres.
Season & buying
Best from spring through autumn, when the flesh is at its fattiest.
Common length
~30 cm
How to identify it
Blue-green back barred with irregular dark wavy lines
Silvery belly with no visible scales
Small extra finlets running to the forked tail

On the plate

Rich, oily flesh, one of the most omega-3-dense fish on the coast.

Avoid: Letting it sit around: its oily flesh turns far faster than a lean fish's.

A mackerel swims continuously its whole life, day and night, because its gills need a constant flow of water to breathe.

In Umay recipes

8 Umay recipes call for it.

Whole smoked mackerel with warm potatoes and lemon creamSherry-marinated mackerel with crisp red onion and bitter greensSoy-glazed mackerel, chili-candied rhubarb, clear scallion brothMackerel TiraditoLemon mackerel rillettesPenang assam laksaSauce graine with smoked fishNigerian egusi soup with fufu