Mackerel as food

Last updated

Atlantic mackerel on ice in a fish shop. Maquereaux etal.jpg
Atlantic mackerel on ice in a fish shop.
Smoked mackerel Maquereau fume Luc Viatour edit.jpg
Smoked mackerel
Raw Atlantic mackerel
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 858 kJ (205 kcal)
Fat
13.89 g
18.60 g
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Vitamin A 167 IU
Vitamin D
80%
643 IU
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
1%
12 mg
Iron
9%
1.63 mg
Magnesium
18%
76 mg
Phosphorus
17%
217 mg
Potassium
10%
314 mg
Sodium
4%
90 mg
Zinc
6%
0.63 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water63.55 g

Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [2]

Mackerel is an important food fish that is consumed worldwide. [3] As an oily fish, it is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. [4] The flesh of mackerel spoils quickly, especially in the tropics, and can cause scombroid food poisoning. Accordingly, it should be eaten on the day of capture, unless properly refrigerated or cured. [5]

Contents

Preservation

Mackerel preservation is not simple. Before the 19th-century development of canning and the widespread availability of refrigeration, salting and smoking were the principal preservation methods available. [6] Historically in England, this fish was not preserved, but was consumed only in its fresh form. However, spoilage was common, leading the authors of The Cambridge Economic History of Europe to remark: "There are more references to stinking mackerel in English literature than to any other fish!" [7] In France mackerel was traditionally pickled with large amounts of salt, which allowed it to be sold widely across the country. [7]

In Japan mackerel is commonly cured with salt and vinegar to make a type of sushi known as saba-zushi. Historically saba-zushi originated in Kyoto as a solution for transporting mackerel to the inland city, which otherwise would not have made the journey from the coast still fresh. [8] The road linking Obama bay and Kyoto is now also called "mackerel road" (saba-kaido).[ citation needed ]

Popularity

Indian mackerel deep-fried with salt and turmeric in mustard oil. Mackerel fish fry - Kolkata - West Bengal - 1.jpg
Indian mackerel deep-fried with salt and turmeric in mustard oil.

For many years mackerel was regarded as unclean in the UK and elsewhere due to folklore which suggested that the fish fed on the corpses of dead sailors. [9] A 1976 survey of housewives in Britain undertaken by the White Fish Authority indicated a reluctance to departing from buying the traditional staples of cod, haddock or salmon. Less than 10% of the survey's 1,931 respondents had ever bought mackerel and only 3% did so regularly. As a result of this trend many UK fishmongers during the 1970s did not display or even stock mackerel. [9]

Mercury

There is a large variation in the mercury levels found in mackerel. These levels differ markedly for different species, and even for the same species in different locations; however, the strongest positive correlation seems to be connected to the species' size (the larger species being higher on the food chain). [10] According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, king mackerel is one of four fishes, along with swordfish, shark, and tilefish, that children and pregnant women should avoid due to high levels of methylmercury found in these fish and the consequent risk of mercury poisoning. [11] [12]


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sushi</span> Japanese dish of vinegared rice and seafood

Sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared vinegared rice, usually with some sugar and salt, plus a variety of ingredients, such as vegetables, and any meat, but most commonly seafood. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice", also referred to as shari (しゃり), or sumeshi (酢飯).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuna</span> Tribe of fishes

A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which averages 2 m (6.6 ft) and is believed to live up to 50 years.

In the U.S. and Canada, the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products to indicate the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of healthy individuals in every demographic in the United States. While developed for the US population, it has been adopted by other countries, such as Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic mackerel</span> Species of fish

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 down to about 200 m (660 ft). It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific saury</span> Species of fish

The Pacific saury is species of fish in the family Scomberesocidae. Saury is a seafood in several East Asian cuisines and is also known by the name mackerel pike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buttermilk Crispy Tenders</span> Food sold by the fast food chain McDonalds

Buttermilk Crispy Tenders were chicken strips sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's in the United States and Canada. Chicken Selects were introduced in early 1998 for a limited time and offered again in early 2002 and late 2003 and then permanently starting in 2004. In the UK, they were launched on the "Pound Saver Menu", which offers various menu items for £0.99.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butternut squash</span> Cucurbita moschata; type of winter squash

Butternut squash, known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma, is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp with a compartment of seeds in the blossom end. When ripening, the flesh turns increasingly deep orange due to its rich content of beta-carotene, a provitamin A compound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparkle (drink)</span> Lemon-flavored soft drink

Sparkle was a brand for a lemon-flavored soft drink created by Cosmos Bottling Corporation for the provincial markets of the Philippines. Sparkle was sold in many stores in the Philippines and was a very popular among children. Cosmos Bottling Corporation was later acquired by Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines. The brand was later discontinued by Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines and Re-introduced as Royal Tru-Lemon.

<i>Kanpyō</i> (food) Strips of dried calabash gourd used in Japanese cuisine

Kanpyō, sometimes romanized and pronounced kampyō, are dried shavings of Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida, a variety of calabash gourd. The gourd is known as yugao or fukube in Japanese. Kanpyō is an ingredient in traditional Edo style Japanese cuisine. Cooked and flavored kanpyō is commonly used in futomaki sushi roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakaway (biscuit)</span> Brand of chocolate-covered digestive biscuit from Nestlé

Breakaway was a brand of chocolate-covered digestive biscuit from Nestlé, which started production in 1970 in the United Kingdom, manufactured by Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Nestlé acquired the brand in 1988. It was discontinued in February 2024 after 54 years due to falling sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liver (food)</span> Liver meat used as food

The liver of mammals, fowl, and fish is commonly eaten as food by humans. Pork, lamb, veal, beef, chicken, goose, and cod livers are widely available from butchers and supermarkets while stingray and burbot livers are common in some European countries.

Rice cereal is the name commonly given to industrially manufactured baby food based on rice. It is also commonly used in Rice Krispy treats. Its ingredient list is not well defined and depends on the manufacturer. It has been recommended by pediatricians in the United States as the initial food for solid food-ready babies for the second half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fried potatoes</span> Fried or deep-fried slices of potatoes

Fried potatoes are a dish or a component of other dishes essentially consisting of potatoes which have been fried or deep-fried in hot cooking oil often with the addition of salt and other seasonings. They are often served as a side dish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herring as food</span> Type of fish used as food for humans

Herring are forage fish in the wild, mostly belonging to the family Clupeidae. They are an important food for humans. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast. The most abundant and commercially important species belong to the genus Clupea, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, including the Baltic Sea, as well as off the west coast of South America. Three species of Clupea are recognized; the main taxon, the Atlantic herring, accounts for over half the world's commercial capture of herrings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sardines as food</span>

Sardines ("pilchards") are a nutrient-rich, small, oily fish widely consumed by humans and as forage fish by larger fish species, seabirds and marine mammals. Sardines are a source of omega-3 fatty acids. Sardines are often served in cans, but can also be eaten grilled, pickled, or smoked when fresh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salmon as food</span> Fish used for eating

Salmon is a common food fish classified as an oily fish with a rich content of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Norway is a major producer of farmed and wild salmon, accounting for more than 50% of global salmon production. Farmed and wild salmon differ only slightly in terms of food quality and safety, with farmed salmon having lower content of environmental contaminants, and wild salmon having higher content of omega-3 fatty acids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cod as food</span> Gadidae fishes in human nutrition and cooking

Cod and other cod-like fish have been widely used as food through history. Other cod-like fish come from the same family (Gadidae) that cod belong to, such as haddock, pollock, and whiting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrimp and prawn as food</span> Crustaceans used for culinary purposes

Shrimp and prawn are types of sea animals that are consumed worldwide. Although shrimp and prawns belong to different suborders of Decapoda, they are very similar in appearance and the terms are often used interchangeably in commercial farming and wild fisheries. A distinction is drawn in recent aquaculture literature, which increasingly uses the term "prawn" only for the marine forms of palaemonids and "shrimp" for the marine penaeids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal meat</span>

Seal meat is the flesh, including the blubber and organs, of seals used as food for humans or other animals. It is prepared in numerous ways, often being hung and dried before consumption. Historically, it has been eaten in many parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habanaga</span> Chili pepper cultivar

The Habanaga is a cultivar of the chili pepper Capsicum chinense. This pepper was developed in New Mexico when a university student unintentionally crossed a Habanero and a Bhut Jolokia.

References

Citations

  1. United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN   978-0-309-48834-1. PMID   30844154. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  3. Croker, Richard Symonds (1933). The California mackerel fishery. Division of Fish and Game of California. pp. 9–10.
  4. Jersey Seafood Nutrition and Health, State of New Jersey Department of Agriculture, archived from the original on 2017-07-01, retrieved 2012-04-06
  5. "Scombrotoxin (Histamine)". Food Safety Watch. November 2007. Archived from the original on 2010-12-09.
  6. Croker (1933), pages 104–105
  7. 1 2 Clapham JH, Postan MM and Rich EE (1941) The Cambridge economic history of Europe CUP Archive, pp. 166–168. ISBN   978-0-521-08710-0.
  8. Itou, K; Kobayashi, S; Ooizmi, T; Akahane, Y (2006). "Changes of proximate composition and extractive components in narezushi, a fermented mackerel product, during processing". Fisheries Science. 72 (6): 1269–1276. Bibcode:2006FisSc..72.1269I. doi:10.1111/j.1444-2906.2006.01285.x. S2CID   24004124.
  9. 1 2 McFarlane, Andrew (2010-08-24). "Why is Britain braced for a mackerel war?". BBC News . Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  10. Storelli MM, Barone G, Piscitelli G, Marcotrigiano GO (2007). "Mercury in fish: concentration vs. fish size and estimates of mercury intake" (PDF). Food Addit Contam. 24 (12): 1353–7. doi:10.1080/02652030701387197. PMID   17852384. S2CID   30973040.
  11. FDA. "Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2010)". Food and Drug Administration . Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  12. Natural Resources Defense Council (10 March 2016). "Protect Yourself and Your Family". Archived from the original on 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2019-04-18.

Sources