Mackerel: The Budget Seafood

You really like seafood and know its good for you but you could use a healthy alternative fish that you and your family can afford and that tastes pretty decent too. In Most cases you'll have to look no further than your favorite grocer's canned meats aisle.

Mackerel is one of those overlooked and undervalued sea foods. It's commonly called Jack Mackerel. You might also hear it referred to as Atlantic or Spanish Mackerel, Pacific, Horse or just Jack Mackerel. There's also the King or Cavalla which is more commercially known and valued because of its quick maturity, high production rate and resiliency to the rigors of a tough fishing industry.

Ironically there's a mackerel variety called the wahoo or ono that looks like and swims like a mackerel but in no way tastes like a mackerel so be warned of anyone offering an unbelievable deal on fresh mackerel.

Mr. Mackerel is rarely seen on the family table unless it happens to be a family tradition or someone fell in love with this delicious fish after tasting it somewhere. Many who eat it regularly comment on its similarity to salmon. Others disagree and that could go on forever. Indeed our taste buds are varied and subjective.

Fresh mackerel like most fresh fish is fairly expensive unless you catch it yourself. That leaves canned fish still in high demand for most families.

Jack Mackerel in the can if you find that you enjoy it is a frugal choice even over tuna and it's worth it enough in cost to give it a try. They are usually sold in 15 oz cans for an average cost of $1.49. this is compared with an average cost of $.69 for a 5oz can of tuna. As far as taste goes, unless you are a serious connoisseur you might not be sure exactly what kind of fish you are eating, tuna fish or a big sardine.

One thing is for certain. Mackerel is loaded with many health promoting ingredients. The one ingredient that might give anyone cause for concern is mackerel's high cholesterol content. It most certainly is a fatty fish. But it is also armed with high quality protein, a low glycemic load and effective anti-inflammatory substances. To that add a high fullness factor to aid in weight maintenance, fairly generous amounts of phosphorus, vitamin D, niacin, B12 and selenium. For a not so popular seafood, it is packed full of good nutrition. So if good nutrition is what you're looking for besides a break in your wallet or purse, mackerel is more than worth adding to your grocery list to try.