“Is it fishy?”…a question I’m forever fielding from the fish fearful. Salmon to tuna to trout – I’m not sure what people expect me to say, the response is usually always the same, “of course it taste like fish, it’s fish!”
That said, one fish that *really* is fishy is mackerel. Fish haters can look away now, this isn’t for you. Mackerel is one big funky, briny smack to the palate and this product from Ducktrap delivers by the bucketload. I found this on the shelves of Whole Foods and I’m so glad I did. This is a fish that’s often harder to find.
The product comes as two fillets in a vacuum sealed packet. Once opened you’ll be hit with the combo of campfire smoke and briny funk; thankfully neither overwhelms the other. The fish retains its skin on underside, but it takes about 10 seconds to peel it away. Mackerel can contain the odd small bone, but I’ve found very few in this product.
Ducktrap Smoked Wild Mackerel Fillet
So what to do with smoked mackerel? My favorite way to enjoy this particular product is on a good quality seedy bread, a little mustard and some crisp salad. You could also skip the bread and use this simply for a salad.
Ducktrap Smoked Wild Mackerel Fillet packaging
Here’s the packaging for the mackerel. The shelf life is usually a few weeks from purchase, refrigerated and unopened. Once you open the sealed pack, you can’t reseal. The packaging recommends refrigerating and tightly wrapping up any leftovers and eating within four days.
Hi I’m Stuart, professional food writer and long time eater. You can find my writing at places like Gastronomic SLC, Visit Salt Lake, The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Stories, Utah Now Online and many others.
As well as writing extensively about restaurants for more than fifteen years, I’m endlessly curious about that product on the shelf. Is it any good I wonder? If you’re like me, wonder no more. Follow along on Instagram too!