When eaten fresh, Mackerel is one of the finest seafoods to enjoy and offers great value in addition to being readily available. It has a bullet shaped body with silvery-blue skin and beautiful, dark wavy stripes. Mackerel has greyish oily flesh that has a rich, pronounced flavour and the meat of the fish is soft, flaky and moist. When cooked, the meat firms up and becomes off-white to beige in colour. As well as being a famously rich source of Omega 3, Mackerel is a true superfood, packed with vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E and K.
Sporting silver grey scales and white-grey flesh, Sprats can be found in the seas and oceans off Western Europe, the UK and Ireland. Sprats are highly active, small, oily fish which swim in huge shoals and they are extremely nutritious and tasty with a rich source of vitamins and minerals. Sprats are incredibly delicate fish with a delicious, smooth flavour profile and are best enjoyed whole. European sprats are commonly smoked and preserved in oil, which gives it a strong, smoky flavour.
A small, shiny, silvery and oily fish, Anchovies are found in temperate waters all around Europe. They are high in calcium, iron, niacin, phosphorus, and selenium, but they are also high in cholesterol. Anchovies are mostly filleted and preserved in oil, as they are small and fragile and difficult to keep whole. Traditionally, anchovies are gutted, salted, and then packed in oil or salt and they are also commonly used in small quantities to flavour dishes.
Sardines are a small pelagic schooling fish that grow rapidly and are found in shallow coastal subtropical waters. With a distinctly delicate flesh and a full bodied, oily flavour, these small, nutritious fish packs a big punch. Though fresh Sardines are quite mild in taste, larger sardines have a fuller, oilier flavor, similar to anchovies but milder. Sardines are commonly sold in cans, but fresh sardines can be enjoyed grilled, pickled or smoked.
When eaten fresh, Herring are some of the finest fish to be had. An excellent source of natural oils, with an extremely high Omega 3 content, Herring ranges from delicately flavoured small fish to larger fish with a fuller flavour that is oilier. The fish has a sleek, slender body and silvery skin with shades of green and blue. With soft, off-white flesh, the taste and texture of Herrings often depend on how they are prepared, like smoked, grilled, baked, salted or pickled.