Know2eat

Spanish mackerel

Scomberomorus maculatus

What spanish mackerel has been studied for

3 associations assessed — 3 with at least some human evidence behind them. Strongest first.

  • 1 Strong
  • 1 Moderate
  • 1 Limited
4 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About spanish mackerel

A fast-swimming coastal member of the mackerel and tuna family, smaller and shorter-lived than the king mackerel it is often confused with. The raw fillet is dark and oil-rich and turns pale on cooking.

Also known as Atlantic Spanish mackerel, Sierra, Carite

Heart HealthInflammation

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Strong

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Cardiovascular risk markers

Heart Health
Strong evidence

Regular intake of oily fish is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality across multiple meta-analyses of prospective cohorts, with the clearest difference between people eating one to two portions a week and people eating almost none. The evidence describes oily fish as a category; Spanish mackerel is a typical member of it but has not been studied on its own, and trials of isolated omega-3 supplements have produced considerably more mixed results than the food-based data.

What may be going on: EPA and DHA lower circulating triglycerides, modestly lower blood pressure and change membrane and eicosanoid composition; dietary displacement of other foods probably contributes as well.

Strong evidence. Consistent findings across multiple good-quality human studies.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Moderate evidence

May support lower fasting triglycerides. Feeding trials using oily fish or its oil reduce triglycerides in a dose-related way; the effect on LDL cholesterol is small and inconsistent, and no trial has used this species.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Inflammatory markers

Inflammation
Limited evidence

Some trials report modest reductions in circulating inflammatory markers with higher long-chain omega-3 intake. The effects are small, the marker changes have not been tied to how anyone feels, and the studies use supplements or oily fish generally rather than mackerel.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Spanish mackerel

Ask about Spanish mackerel

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories139 kcal7%
Protein19.3 g39%
Total fat6.3 g8%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water71.7 g—
Fats
Saturated fat1.83 g9%
Monounsaturated fat1.53 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.74 g—
Cholesterol76 mg25%
EPA (omega-3)0.329 g—
DHA (omega-3)1.01 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.101 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.097 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A39 µg4%
Vitamin C1.6 mg2%
Vitamin D7.3 µg37%
Vitamin E0.69 mg5%
Vitamin K0.1 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.13 mg11%
Riboflavin (B2)0.17 mg13%
Niacin (B3)2.3 mg14%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.75 mg15%
Vitamin B60.4 mg24%
Folate1 µg0%
Vitamin B122.4 µg100%
Choline50.5 mg9%
Minerals
Calcium11 mg1%
Iron0.44 mg2%
Magnesium33 mg8%
Phosphorus205 mg16%
Potassium446 mg9%
Sodium59 mg3%
Zinc0.49 mg4%
Copper0.055 mg6%
Manganese0.014 mg1%
Selenium36.5 µg66%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.27 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Fish, mackerel, spanish, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173673).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedPreserves histamine

    Cooking, canning and smoking do not destroy histamine already formed in the fish. Unlike a microbial hazard, this one cannot be corrected in the kitchen, which is why the chilled chain from catch to counter is the whole of the control.

  • friedReduces long-chain omega-3 fatty acids

    Frying oily fish in vegetable oil exchanges some of the fish oil for the frying medium and oxidises part of the remainder, while poaching, steaming and baking retain more of the original EPA and DHA.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Scombroid poisoning in poorly chilled fish

    Mackerel is a scombroid species: bacteria acting on the dark muscle after landing convert histidine into histamine, which is heat-stable and survives cooking and canning. Symptoms come on within an hour and mimic an allergic reaction, and a peppery or metallic taste in the flesh is a warning sign. An unbroken chilled chain from the deck onwards is the only control.

  • Worth knowing

    Not the same fish as king mackerel

    The joint FDA and EPA fish advice places king mackerel on the Choices to Avoid list for methylmercury and states that pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children should not eat it at all. Atlantic Spanish mackerel is a smaller, shorter-lived species that the same chart rates a Best Choice. The names are close enough that the distinction is worth checking at the counter.

  • Allergy

    Fish allergy

    A finfish allergen driven by heat-stable parvalbumin, with frequent cross-reactivity across species. Telling a true allergic reaction apart from scombroid histamine poisoning usually needs a clinical history rather than a skin test.

  • Too much

    Purines and gout

    Mackerel appears on the high-purine list in most gout dietary guidance alongside sardines, anchovies and herring, and is commonly limited during and between flares.