# tinned mackeral fillets



## chili (Sep 23, 2016)

Does anyone know if for example the brand john west mackeral fillets come without bones?


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## Northerner (Sep 23, 2016)

Aren't mackerals just a type of sardine/pilchard? The bones are there, but so soft you can't tell. Even salmon has soft bones. A fillet would suggest the meaty part of the fish without the bones  I'm not a big fish eater, but do have salmon sandwiches and sardines on toast quite frequently. Hopefully a fish expert will be able to tell you the full story!


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## chili (Sep 23, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Aren't mackerals just a type of sardine/pilchard?



depends how big they are when they are caught, when i fished off dover pier you can get mackeral 14" long but i broke my elbows which buggered up my casting so i don't go as much now, guess am going to have to buy a tin and see if they are boneless or not, maybe joey's


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## Copepod (Sep 23, 2016)

Marine biologist hat on (and I like eating fish!) Mackerel are a different species to pilchards or sardines (scientific species names not always the same as marketing names for fish that are eaten. Bones in tinned fish are usually soft enough to eat without really crunching. If you really don't like eating bones, the spine bones are usually easier to pick out than ribs. However, they are a source of calcium, so worth eating if you can.


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## Robin (Sep 23, 2016)

If it says fillets on the tin, then they should have had the bones removed. of course, fish being the pesky bony creatures they are, there may be a few small ones remaining, but they should be barely noticeable.


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## khskel (Sep 23, 2016)

Never had a problem with bones in tinned mackerel


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## bilbie (Sep 24, 2016)

I mush tinned fish up with a bit of mayo, tomato sauce with a dash of worcestershire. It improves all of them to me


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## Northerner (Sep 24, 2016)

bilbie said:


> I mush tinned fish up with a bit of mayo, tomato sauce with a dash of worcestershire. It improves all of them to me


It would go straight in the bin if it had mayo in it, yuck!


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## bilbie (Sep 24, 2016)

You don't taste the mayo, it is one of the ingredients in seafood sauce. I just mix my own simple version as needed. If you like the pink seafood sauce, you'll like this.

the simple sauce
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/530/prawn+and+avocado+skewers+with+seafood+sauce


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## Northerner (Sep 24, 2016)

bilbie said:


> You don't taste the mayo, it is one of the ingredients in seafood sauce. I just mix my own simple version as needed. If you like the pink seafood sauce, you'll like this.
> 
> the simple sauce
> http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/530/prawn+and+avocado+skewers+with+seafood+sauce


I'm afraid I also find seafood sauce yuk!  Ewww!


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## bilbie (Sep 24, 2016)

Fair enough, I just need something to hide the taste of tinned fish


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## AndBreathe (Sep 24, 2016)

I've never found many bones in canned mackerel.

I hate to find bones in fish, and if I do, it transforms my eating experience from joyful to tentative at best.  I pick through every flake looking for the offending articles.

I've recently been doing my own mackerel, from fresh and the way I clean and fillet it (thank you YouTube), the chances of any rough bones remaining are much reduced.  Once you've done a couple you become much faster at the whole thing, and they only take a few minutes to cook in a pan, on the BBQ/Griddle or a little longer in the oven.  Baked in foil with a little salt and chilli on top, with a squeeze of lime juice), they're delicious hot or cold.

Off the BBQ/griddle the skin can be spectacular.


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## HOBIE (Sep 24, 2016)

I eat tins of fish for England ! . Good for you !   No carbs & healthy


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