Mackerel Munchies

[Billfish715]

So, with all of the pictures and posts of the mackerel being caught and the thrill on the faces of the fishermen who caught them, what do they do with them? The macks appear to be chum mackerel and given the delicate texture of their flesh, I can't imagine what condition they must be in after spending hours in a cooler with little or no ice. Why keep them except for a photo op?

Does anyone have a recipe for chum macks that can make keeping them worthwhile? I hate to see fish being kept, then discarded and wasted only so someone can have a keepsake picture of their fishing experience. I understand the concept of people enjoying a day on the water and the need to put customers at the rail, but unless there is a good reason to take the macks home, throw them back.

Macks are usually used as hook baits for bigger fish. Strips from them are good fluke bait when they are fairly fresh. I just don't know about them as good tablefare. It might be a good fishing community service to post some suggestions for the care and preparation of the mackerel that are currently being caught.

[tautog]

They seem pretty similar to boston mackerel. People seem to like the top loins as sashimi. I'd also imagine that they would be fine smoked.

[dakota560]

I've known people who eat Boston mackerel typically caught in cold water who love them as table fare. Never tried one so can't speak from experience.

Difference with the ones that flood our area in the summer which I believe are chub mackerel is they inhabit warm water and there flesh is mushier. Never ate one or know anyone who has so can't speak for their culinary value but I'd be surprised if they win anyone a Michelin Star!

What I will say for any sharkers or tuna guys, if you catch any use a bridle rig and live line them. Have caught them on sabiki rigs inshore and at the canyons. Threshers, big eyes, yellow fins love them. You can put them under a float or balloon for threshers or drop them down with an egg sinker or slow troll with a trolling weight for tuna. They're a hearty bait fish, you'd be amazed how long they stay alive.

[Billfish715]

Yes, chub mackerel and not chum. ( Spell check has a mind of its own.) You confirmed my point about their food value. Unless you are keeping them for bait, why keep them at all?

[dakota560]

I'm sure they're edible, question is what would they taste like especially ones not iced and bled properly. People eat false albacore which have always been the butt end of the joke "place on a cedar board, season, bake at 375 for 45 minutes, remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, throw the false albacore away and eat the cedar board"!

People eat carp, sea urchins, caviar, ocean pout etc. so who knows. As a rule of thumb, anything that is used as bait or made into chum wouldn't be on my dinner menu but to each their own. Maybe people do eat them but aren't around long enough afterwards to let anyone know how they taste!

Bill I agree if people are catching them and just throwing them in the garbage, that's a waste with any fish other than maybe the endangered dog fish!

[AndyS]

Last time I saw a Chub Mackerel it was on the end of an Owner 6/0 Lazer Point being dropped down for Yellowfin Tuna.:D

[Detour66]

Most of the boats that go fishing for them just call them mackerel. I think most of the people on these boats are just happy to catch anything! They are not Boston mackerel which are oily but decent to eat. It's just a reflection on the state of the fishery! Anything that can be caught will be caught! I thought the same thing when I first started seeing boats targeting chub mackerel I was like "What the heck" ?? tight lines!

[bulletbob]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kZQLX6Z7L._SY879_.jpg




Tastes like chicken.....

[Togfather2530]

We used to catch tons of Boston mackerel here in the winter in January and February but that was before global warming 😃

[june181901]

Canned mackerel seemed to be standard fare for the Vietnamese (south) Army when I was there in '65. It had a very distinct aroma.

[bulletbob]

meh, you guys just don't how to serve them!

the Greeks think they are a tasty delicacy.

Here's a yummy recipe from wikipedia.
If this doesn't make you want to jump on a head boat and load up on chum macks, well I don't know what will... ;)


"They are usually roasted, although the former form is often packed in salt for later consumption. The fish releases its own oil into the salt packing and acquires a very long shelf life. In the islands of the Aegean, it is a particularly popular delicacy, under the name goúna: fresh-caught mackerel is split open at the belly, eviscerated, and left to dry flesh-side up in the sun for one day. The same evening it is very briefly seared over a fire and then served with lemon juice. "

see there? Just need to let them rot in the sun for a day, throw them on the fire for a minute, and you are in stinky oily charred fish heaven! bob

[dakota560]

I might be wrong but I think in order to shop at Walmart, you first have to provide proof you've eaten chub mackerel so how bad can it be:)

[porgylber]

I caught some last year and decided to freeze it after cutting into strips to use as bait this spring and summer. In March, I defrosted a bag….and ended up with a bag full of stinky mackerel mush.
I took the plastic bag to the Shore, punched a few holes in it…and had chum for winter flounder fishing. These were chub macks.

My first fish ever caught was an Atlantic mackerel. I remember bringing them home, and my Mom cleaning and cooking them under the broiler. No idea on what she put on them….but they weren’t awful.

[Billfish715]

[QUOTE=porgylber;563294]I caught some last year and decided to freeze it after cutting into strips to use as bait this spring and summer. In March, I defrosted a bag….and ended up with a bag full of stinky mackerel mush.
I took the plastic bag to the Shore, punched a few holes in it…and had chum for winter flounder fishing. These were chub macks.

I carefully cut a couple of chubs for bait, packed them in a kosher salt and water brine and froze them. I had the same results when I tried to use them……….mush. The false albacore strips that I froze the same way came out great. I won’t take another chub unless I use it as fresh bait. There is no way that I would freeze one again or take one home to eat!

[Billfish715]

This article mentions them as sporty fish to catch. The author mentions that they can be put on the grill or in the smoker. He also says that they do not freeze well at all. So, there you go…..your choice.

https://www.thefisherman.com/article/mack-attack-here-come-the-chubs/

[Tombro]

I got a few this summer on my boat. They are actually called bullet tuna. Can’t vouch for their edibility though.
Back in the heyday of Boston mackerel we fished from headboats and my parents ate them. Split open and covered with bacon, onions and tomatoes. I got McDonald’s those nights.

[bulletbob]

I got a few this summer on my boat. They are actually called bullet tuna. Can’t vouch for their edibility though.
Back in the heyday of Boston mackerel we fished from headboats and my parents ate them. Split open and covered with bacon, onions and tomatoes. I got McDonald’s those nights.

Bacon ,onions, maters??... Yeah that would help tame the oily fishy taste I suppose, and might be pretty tasty actually.. Italian grandmas used to cook strong fish with a lot of tomatoes, onions, garlic, olives, capers etc.
My opinion on REALLY strong oily nasty fish?. I always had a problem in having to cover up a nasty taste with one thats more palatable.. If any food tastes poorly and has to be covered up with the taste of other foods to be tolerated, why bother at all??... bob

[Pennsy Guy]

Never used/caught a chub but there was a guy who got them from the coast for tuna bait---did quite well with them. Back in the day I'd have the mate gut/head 12-18 bostons, back home soak 'em 24hrs in marinade, pop in micro for 12+/- min, then smoke 'em with alder/apple for 1-2 hrs. Vac sealed most, keeping 2-3 in fridge for immediate consumption. They were quite good. the rest got ground up, mixed menhaden oil in and used for tuna chum...that worked well, too.

[Billfish715]

I’m old enough to remember the spring Boston Mackerel runs. Shark fishermen would load up large coolers with enough Mack’s to use for bait and chum for many trips. The party boats often set up drifts no farther offshore than the old range buoys out to the Klondike. Lots of customers went home with dinner. Boston’s are still sold in markets to those who like them and who know how to prepare them.

On a side note, there were often stripers and bluefish that accompanied the mackerel schools and were often caught on the Bridgeport diamond jig at the bottom of the tree of mackerel teasers that were used to catch four and five macks at a time.

[Jigman13]

Bullet tuna and chub mackerel are two diff species.

[Gumada]

My wife’s grandmother would take the Boston roe flour it and fry it, Very good. she also loved the Boston mackerel prepared whole....

[CODCHALY]

I don't Post here often, but have been eating Atlantic Mackerel my whole life.
And, agree, don't kill what U don't intend to Eat.

[bulletbob]

SO many guys defending Atlantic Macs.... The thread is about Chub Macs which look different, are a different species, have different temp/habitat requirements, and obviously from all indications I can see are simply not quite as good eating as Atlantic mackerel.

If they are at all similar to Atlantic macs I imagine they are ok if you bleed them,ice them down , and eat them fresh, but really how many can anyone eat before they get downright nasty?... If they can't even be frozen for bait, its best to ice up what you can eat within a few days or so, then mash down or cut of the hook barb, enjoy them for sport, release them and let them swim away....

[tautog]

Like I said a few people have told me a well iced and bled chub mackerel is good sashimi on the top loin. Bottom loin has a lot of bloodline. For people that smoke fish, I'd imagine they would be similar to most smoked fish. Canned chub mackerel is very popular in some countries, so I would imagine those people would like fresh ones. I have a feeling most people catching and keeping these things do not fall into any of these categories.

[CODCHALY]

#23, B Bob, couldn't agree more with your Post. Don't like Em, Don't Eat Em; don't kill Em, is all I meant.

[Gumada]

Chub are today’s bait....

[jmurr711]

i don't eat them. nuff said and Bostons are arguably my favorite fish to eat fresh