Fishwife Smoked Mackerel Review
Author’s Note: As always, this is not a paid or sponsored review. I have no affiliation with Fishwife or Target or Publix.
At last. I have obtained the Ten Dollar Fish.
If you’ve been following me on Facebook, I’ve been joking about “The Ten Dollar Canned Fish” for a while. Ever since spying a scrawny can of Fishwife Rainbow Trout at Publix for an eye-watering $10. I found this Smoked Mackerel with Chili Flakes at Target for a comparatively cheap $6. And here we are. Fish suspense. Fishspense?
Flavors
The mackerel has a fabulous flavor. The smokery is so thick and rich, it almost tastes like ham. It’s generously peppered with…peppers… (chili flakes) and pleasantly spicy. Probably not suitable for spice-intolerant folk. But I relished it.
(Do you love smoky flavors? Check out my review of Artikaas Hickory Smoked Gouda.)
If you hate “fishy” tasting fish, I have good news for you: this is the least “fishy” canned fish I’ve had in a while. It has more porcine vibes, honestly.
It’s well salted, without feeling “too salty.” I didn’t need to add any extra seasonings to mine.
There is slimy skin and jiggly bits
I generally like mackerel, but am not a fan of the slimy skin and stuff that goes with typical canned versions. I assumed for TEN DOLLARS, that wouldn’t be the case here. Especially since the display signage emphasized that it is HAND PACKED.
Welp. There’s definitely a good bit of slimy skin here. It’s silvery gray and jiggly. You all know how I feel about jiggly bits.
Stiff and a lil crusty
The top layer is kind of a thick, tough crust. It’s chewier and stiffer than I’d expected. Likely from the “slow” smoking process? I don’t hate it. But it’s not something I’d get excited to eat again. Stiff fish is a bit weird.
The mackerel is dark gray-brown inside. I know some of the color is likely from the smoking process (kids: just say no to cigarettes!). Hopefully, the fish wasn’t grayish to start with. That would be ick.
An ocean of oil
I will say that there’s an ocean of oil in this can. It feels like an unnecessary amount. Wasteful, even. I think the fish could have been packed higher/tighter in the can with less oil. I buy various fishes packed in oil regularly, and this is definitely the “oiliest” I’ve seen.
Serving the smoked mackerel
I ate mine over some homemade mashed potatoes and sage-butter veggies. OK, I ate it with my leftovers. I was hungry, and in a hurry to fill my poor, fishless belly.
This was a pretty good pairing. The labels suggests serving it over “a steaming rice bowl with veggies.” Ironically, this is almost word-for-word my suggestion for serving Aldi’s Canned Herring in Curry Pineapple Sauce (check out my review, why dontcha).
Ingredients in Fishwife Smoked Mackerel with Chili Flakes
Here are the ingredients from the label:
- Mackerel (Fish)
- Olive Oil
- Demerara Sugar
- Salt
- Crushed Chili
- Garlic
This is made in Scotland. As an interesting side note, it has a Proposition 65 warning on the can.
More information from the label:
- Wild-Caught in the Northeast Atlantic
- Packed in 100% Spanish Olive Oil
- Refrigerate after opening
- BPA-NI
- “Handcut, sweetcured, and slowly smoked over beechwood”
Nutrition Facts
A serving is 1 (drained) can and contains 220 calories. You get 15 grams of fat (4 grams saturated fat) and 15 grams protein. There are 4 grams total carbohydrates, of which 1 gram is fiber and 2 grams are sugars (all of them are “added sugars”). You get 27% your daily value sodium, and 18% your daily value cholesterol per serving. There’s a whimper of iron and potassium, with 6% each your daily value.
Price and Servings
I got this can on sale at Target for $5.99. That’s much cheaper than the Publix price of $10. But, it’s still heckin’ spendy for a canned fish. The can is roughly half the size of Aldi’s Canned Herring, for triple the price.
Shelf Life
My can had a “best by” date that allowed a whopping 4.4 years to consume. Whoooo!
Dramatic Conclusion
This is fish for folks who don’t care whether something costs $10 or $2. I guess. It is “nice” canned fish. But not $10 nice. And probably not $6 nice, either. If money is no object, by all means, buy this fish. We “poors” will judge you from afar. (Just kidding. We can still be friends.)
Taking price into consideration, the Awesome-o-Meter rates this a wistful “Maybe.”
(Spiffy label design, tho.)
The End.
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