“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, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!