fillets Archives - Sardeenz!

Maria Organic Mackerel Fillets with Organic Piri-Piri

These Maria Organic Mackerel Fillets with Organic Piri-Piri came from Caputo's a few weeks ago. It's been a while since I cracked open a can of mackerel, and I also wanted to compare this one to some from Minerva I had about six weeks ago.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Some really pristine looking mackerel fillets. I don't see any piri-piri pepper (yet), and the oil is a greenish gold rather than the expected tinge of red from the pepper. The aroma isn't revealing anything about the fish or the seasoning. A sip of the oil is similarly ambiguous.

Let's See What We Have Here

There are three hefty fillets. Each pulled from the tin intact. And there's the lone piri-piri pepper. (That Minerva I had before was spiced with the traditional pickle, carrot and pepper.)

A substantial amount of oil remained in the deep can. It's organic EVOO, and not wanting to let it go to waste, I poured it all over everything. Initially perhaps a bit of overkill, but in retrospect not.

The meat is firm but tender and flakes readily. The flavor is mild with only a very slight "tang". The salt level is enough to be complementary without being obtrusive. I'm ambivalent about experimenting with any condiments, but ultimately decide against it.

The thing that's lacking, though, is any real input from the piri-piri. In some cases, one lone pepper can really fire things up; in others two or three might do nothing. I don't suppose the heat potential of any pepper can be realistically assessed in the canning process.

I finished the fish, then ate the pepper, seeds and all. No flavor to it whatsoever. Fortunately, the mackerel stood on its own quite well, so the disappointment over the spiciness was minimal.

Main Takeaways

Beautiful mackerel fillets
High quality organic EVOO
Piri-piri spice MIA

Breaking down the carton for archiving, I noticed the date stamp indicated it was packaged December 2023. I was a bit surprised this can purchased in January 2026 had taken that long to sell.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Maria Organic
Description: Mackerel Fillets with piri-piri in organic EVOO
Species: Scomber japonicus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8-9

Ati Manel Mackerel Filets in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I got these Ati Manel Mackerel Filets in Olive Oil from Caputo's a few months back. After trying a variety of different tins in the interim, it seemed like a good time to revisit mackerel. You may remember my experience with another Ati Manel mackerel did not go so well. This time, I'm sure it will be different.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Relief.

Some gorgeous mackerel filets. There's no discernable aroma coming from the can. The oil is transparent, and a sip of it is neutral.

A small bite of fish reveals a rich, mild flavor with none of that "tang" for which tuna is generally known. And I think that's what attracts me most to mackerel. The texture is firm but still tender at the same time, the meat flaking readily.

Mackerel Three Ways

I'm able to pry the filets from the can mostly intact. There are four in total. There was about a quarter inch of oil left in the can, and I poured about half over the fish and rice.

One filet I ate plain, just to assess flavor and salt level. The meat is not juicy per se, but at the same time not dry. The saltiness was very subdued, almost undetectable, which ended up being a good thing, as I was about to kick things up a bit.

Bring On The Umami

I added two different toppings. Upper in the photo is some garlic furikake. I thought its delicate flavors and relatively low salt level made for a delicious combination.

Below that is some Fly By Jing Xtra Crunchy Sichuan Chili Crisp. It's quite a bit saltier, and I probably should have used less. I scraped a good bit of it aside after the first bites, leaving only a little on the fish. That was an improvement, as it spiced up the fish without totally overpowering its flavor.

Overall, a good can of fish. A little pricey at $8, but certainly worth it.

Main Takeaways

Rich, mild flavor
Firm but tender
Generous portion of intact, whole filets

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Mackerel Filets in Olive Oil
Species: Scomber japonicus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

Angelo Parodi Mackerel Fillets with Pepper & Ginger

DeenLeave a comment

I received these Angelo Parodi Mackerel Fillets with Pepper & Ginger with a recent order from International Loft. The flavor combination sounded interesting, as I had not seen ginger used before. Fingers crossed.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Very nice, appetizing-looking, skinless and boneless fillets of mackerel. The aroma from the can is of fresh fish, tuna-like. I'm not getting a sense of the seasonings yet. A sip of the oil is also unrevealing, save for a subtle hint of heat.

Tasting a bit of fish on its own, it has a robust flavor. The texture is firm, again reminiscent of tuna. But not in a bad way. The salt level is about right. The olive oil is of good quality.

Time to Eat

Angelo Parodi Mackerel Fillets in olive oil with Ginger and Pepper over rice

Pulling them from the can, the fillets remained mostly intact. A two inch-long pepper appeared, but I saw no ginger. Could it be powdered or?

I poured the rest of the contents over the fish and rice, hoping the heat would make the spices "bloom" a bit.

I arranged things nicely for a photo, then started to dig in. As I ate, I noted the spices remained as undertones to the fish flavor. A background heat, but also a certain something I could only attribute to the ginger. It wasn't in-your-face, but I can only characterize it as something you'd miss if it was no longer there.

Halfway through, a sliver of ginger appeared from nowhere. I tasted it, but its inherent flavor had apparently been subdued by the canning process. It still had a crispness to it, however.

I liked this, even if the spices weren't as intense as anticipated. The pricing was quite reasonable, the vendor being the direct importer likely having much to do with that.

Main Takeaways

Good quality, flavorful mackerel, even without the seasonings
Subtle spices didn't wow me as I had hoped
Still a bargain

Brand: Angel Parodi
Description: Mackerel Fillets with Pepper & Ginger
Species: Scomber sp.
Country of Origin: Italy
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

Matiz Wild Caught Mackerel in EVOO

DeenLeave a comment

So far, I've tasted and reviewed over a dozen tins of mackerel in various forms. Fillets, chunks, whole. Spiced, smoked, sauced, plain. Sometimes, I knew what I would find before I opened the can, Other times, for better or worse, I didn't. The carton description on this Matiz Wild Caught Mackerel was kind of vague, so let's see what I got.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking fillets. I wasn't sure if I was getting fillets or whole fish. The carton didn't give as much as a hint one way or the other.

The can is packed reasonably full, although it's a little on the light side at only 3 oz. net weight. The EVOO has a nice golden/green hue. There was nothing in the way of a fish aroma I could detect. A sip of the oil was also neutral. I wasn't getting any of the notes I would have liked to from a good EVOO.

The meat was firm enough for the fillets to remain intact when gently stabbed with a fork. Yet they also flaked readily when prompted to do so.

Time To Eat

I decided to try this plain, in order to best assess the quality. I figured if I thought it needed something to help it along, I would decide that as I went.

The taste was mild with a hint of a tuna-like tang, but it wasn't a huge negative. The problem lay in the fact that it was a bit dry, even to the point of a little mealy, which I was not expecting. I also thought a little more salt would have been in order. It didn't seem to be the 310mg. the carton listed. Ultimately, I finished the can with no embellishments.

Final Thoughts

The carton says the fish are sourced from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean Sea, then hand packed in Galicia. There was no indication on the carton or can as to which FAO fishing area this particular can's content was from.
I think the carton oversells the fish, describing it as, "a rich, fatty fish, with a firm yet tender texture and mild, buttery flavor." I could only agree with a small part of that assessment.
Looking back, I note there have been other mackerel fillets I apparently liked better. Several, most in fact, cost the same or less than this one. And in all cases, the net weight was at least one third higher.

Reasonably priced in lot quantities at Amazon.

Brand: Connorsa / Matiz
Description: Wild Caught Mackerel in EVOO
Species: Scomber sp.
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO N/S
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3 oz.
Price Range: $5-6