Best Mackerel Fillets in the UK (2026)

Mackerel fillets are a convenient cupboard option when you want ready-to-use fish for toast, salads, pasta, rice and jacket potatoes. The main buying decision is the packing medium, with spring water offering a relatively neutral base, olive or sunflower oil adding richness, and tomato sauce providing a ready-seasoned option.

This guide compares six mackerel fillet products available through Amazon UK, covering plain, oil-packed and tomato sauce formats. Amazon prices, sellers and pack availability can change, so compare the current pack size and price per 100g before ordering.

Quick Picks Box

• Best overall: Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water
• Best budget: Morrisons Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil, when competitively priced
• Best for salads: Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil
• Best plain option: Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water
• Best for quick tomato-based meals: John West Mackerel Fillets in Tomato Sauce
• Best for regular cupboard stocking: Princes Mackerel Fillets in Sunflower Oil

How We Judged These Mackerel Fillets

Packing medium: Spring water keeps the flavour relatively neutral, while olive oil and sunflower oil add richness. Tomato sauce makes the fillets easier to use when you want a ready-seasoned meal.

Texture: Fillets should hold together well enough for salads and toast while still being easy to break apart for pasta, rice and jacket potato fillings.

Versatility: The strongest options should work across several meals rather than requiring one particular recipe.

Pack size: Individual tins suit occasional lunches, while multipacks are more practical for households that use mackerel regularly.

Convenience: Skinless and boneless fillets can be particularly useful for quick meals because they require little preparation before serving.

Flavour flexibility: Plain fillets give you more control over seasoning, while tomato sauce and oil-packed versions provide more flavour directly from the tin.

Value: Amazon prices can change, so the most useful comparison is the current cost per 100g rather than the headline pack price alone.

1. Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water, 125g

Best for: Everyday versatility, salads and toast

Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water is the strongest all-round choice when you want a relatively neutral base that can be adapted to different meals. Spring water lets lemon, herbs, salad dressing or your chosen sauce provide most of the additional flavour.

Why it’s good:

• The spring water format is easy to adapt to different recipes.
• Fillets can remain in larger pieces for salads and toast.
• The 125g format is practical for an individual lunch or part of a larger meal.
• It works well when you want to control the seasoning yourself.

Trade-off: Spring water does not provide the richness of an oil-packed fillet, so some meals benefit from added dressing, lemon or seasoning.

How to use:

• Serve on toast with lemon, black pepper and chopped herbs.
• Flake into a potato, bean or pasta salad with your preferred dressing.

Substitution: Choose Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil if you want more richness while keeping the flavour suitable for salads and pasta.

2. Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil, 125g

Best for: Salads, toast and simple pasta dishes

Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil is a useful choice when you want more flavour from the packing medium without moving to a tomato-based sauce. Olive oil pairs naturally with tomatoes, potatoes, beans, herbs and pasta.

Why it’s good:

• Olive oil gives the fillets a richer character than spring water.
• The fillet format works well when presentation matters.
• The 125g size suits individual lunches and smaller meals.
• Some of the packing oil can be incorporated into salads or pasta if it suits the recipe.

Trade-off: Olive oil is less neutral than spring water, so it may not suit recipes where you want a completely different sauce or dressing.

How to use:

• Serve with boiled potatoes, tomatoes and salad leaves.
• Flake into pasta with garlic, parsley and lemon.

Substitution: Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water is the better choice when you want full control over the finished seasoning.

3. Morrisons Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil, 125g

Best for: Everyday oil-packed mackerel and value comparison

Morrisons Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil provides a straightforward supermarket-style option in a familiar 125g format. It is worth comparing with other olive oil mackerel when the current Amazon price makes it competitive on a price-per-100g basis.

Why it’s good:

• The olive oil format suits toast, salads and pasta.
• The fillets are convenient when you want recognisable pieces rather than loose flakes.
• The 125g size is manageable for an individual meal.
• It provides a practical alternative to branded olive oil options.

Trade-off: Amazon availability for supermarket-branded groceries can vary, so it is worth checking whether the current seller and price still make sense before ordering.

How to use:

• Serve over salad leaves with tomatoes, cucumber and lemon.
• Break into couscous or rice with herbs and roasted vegetables.

Substitution: Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil offers a similar format if the Morrisons listing is unavailable or less competitively priced.

4. John West Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil, 125g Pack of 2

Best for: Small multipack convenience

John West Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil combines a familiar 125g tin size with a compact two-pack format. It suits shoppers who want a couple of tins in the cupboard without committing to a larger case.

Why it’s good:

• The two-pack is manageable for occasional mackerel eaters.
• Olive oil adds richness for toast and salads.
• The fillet format can be served whole or broken into smaller pieces.
• The 125g tins work well for individual meals.

Trade-off: A small multipack may not provide the lowest price per 100g if you eat mackerel frequently.

How to use:

• Place larger pieces on toasted bread with tomatoes and herbs.
• Flake into a warm potato salad with spring onion and lemon.

Substitution: Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil is worth comparing if you want the same general packing style in another branded option.

5. John West Mackerel Fillets in Tomato Sauce, 10 x 125g

Best for: Quick lunches, rice and jacket potatoes

John West Mackerel Fillets in Tomato Sauce is a ready-seasoned choice for shoppers who want less preparation. The tomato sauce works as part of the finished meal, making the fillets particularly convenient for toast, rice, pasta and potatoes.

Why it’s good:

• The tomato sauce reduces the need to prepare a separate sauce.
• The 125g tins suit individual lunches and quick dinners.
• The larger multipack works well for regular cupboard stocking.
• The fillets can be kept in larger pieces or broken through rice and pasta.

Trade-off: Tomato sauce makes this less flexible than plain or oil-packed mackerel if you want to use the fish in a recipe with a different flavour profile.

How to use:

• Warm gently and serve over a jacket potato.
• Break into rice with peas, peppers or spring onions.

Substitution: Princes Mackerel Fillets in Tomato Sauce provides a similar ready-seasoned format and is worth comparing on current price and pack size.

6. Princes Mackerel Fillets in Sunflower Oil, 125g Pack of 6

Best for: Regular cupboard stocking and everyday cooking

Princes Mackerel Fillets in Sunflower Oil is a practical alternative to olive oil when you want an oil-packed fillet for pasta, rice and salads. The six-pack format makes more sense for households that use mackerel regularly than for occasional buyers.

Why it’s good:

• Sunflower oil provides a richer packing medium than spring water.
• The six-pack is convenient for regular cupboard use.
• The 125g tins are easy to portion for individual meals.
• The fillets work across pasta, rice, toast and salads.

Trade-off: Shoppers specifically wanting olive oil will prefer Princes, Morrisons or John West olive oil fillets.

How to use:

• Break into pasta with tomatoes, garlic and herbs.
• Add to warm rice or couscous with vegetables.

Substitution: Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil is the closer fit when the type of packing oil matters to your recipe.

How to Choose Mackerel Fillets

For salads

Spring water and olive oil are the easiest formats to pair with salad ingredients. Spring water gives you greater control over the dressing, while olive oil adds useful richness when the fish is served with potatoes, tomatoes or beans.

For toast

Olive oil fillets are particularly convenient because they can be served with relatively little additional preparation. Add lemon, black pepper, herbs or sliced tomatoes to keep the meal simple.

For pasta

Oil-packed fillets work well with garlic, tomatoes, herbs and lemon. Tomato sauce fillets are a quicker alternative when you want the packing sauce to form part of the pasta dish.

For jacket potatoes

Tomato sauce mackerel is the easiest ready-seasoned option because it can be warmed and spooned directly over the potato. Plain fillets can also work when mixed with mayonnaise, yoghurt-based dressing or chopped vegetables.

For rice and couscous

Both oil-packed and tomato sauce fillets work well. Tomato sauce gives you a stronger starting flavour, while oil-packed mackerel is easier to combine with herbs, vegetables and your own seasoning.

For the most flexible option

Choose spring water. Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water is easier to adapt to different recipes because the packing liquid contributes relatively little flavour.

For richer flavour

Choose olive oil or sunflower oil. Olive oil makes particular sense for salads and toast, while sunflower oil provides a straightforward option for general cooking.

For quick ready-seasoned meals

Tomato sauce is the most convenient format. John West Mackerel Fillets in Tomato Sauce can move straight into toast, rice, pasta or a jacket potato with relatively little preparation.

For value

Compare individual tin size, the number of tins and the current Amazon price per 100g. A larger multipack can make sense for regular mackerel eaters, but occasional shoppers may get more practical value from buying fewer tins.

FAQs

What are the best mackerel fillets for everyday use?

Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water is the strongest all-round choice because the neutral packing medium works with salads, toast, pasta, rice and different seasonings.

Are mackerel fillets better in olive oil or spring water?

They suit different meals. Spring water is more neutral and easier to adapt, while olive oil adds richness that works particularly well with toast, salads and simple pasta.

Are tinned mackerel fillets ready to eat?

Tinned mackerel fillets are generally sold ready to eat. They can be served directly from the tin or warmed as part of pasta, rice, toast or potato dishes.

Which mackerel fillets are best for salads?

Fish 4 Ever in spring water is the most flexible choice when you already have a dressing planned. Princes or Morrisons in olive oil are better when you want the packing oil to contribute to the salad.

Which mackerel fillets are best for toast?

Olive oil fillets are particularly well suited to toast because they already have some richness. John West, Princes and Morrisons all provide olive oil options in this guide.

Can mackerel fillets be used in pasta?

Yes. Oil-packed fillets can be flaked into pasta with garlic, herbs and tomatoes, while tomato sauce fillets provide a faster option when you want the packing sauce to become part of the dish.

Should you drain mackerel fillets?

It depends on the packing medium and recipe. Spring water can usually be drained, while a little olive or sunflower oil may be useful in pasta and salads. Tomato sauce can normally be incorporated directly into the meal.

Are skinless and boneless mackerel fillets easier to use?

They can be particularly convenient for sandwiches, salads and quick lunches because there is less preparation before serving. Check the current product description if this format is important to you.

Is a 125g tin suitable for one person?

A 125g tin is a convenient format for many individual lunches, although the right amount depends on the rest of the meal. It can also be divided across a larger pasta or rice dish.

What should I check before buying mackerel fillets online?

Check the packing medium, tin size, number of tins and current price per 100g. If specific ingredients, sourcing information or dietary requirements matter to you, confirm the latest packaging before purchasing.

Conclusion

Fish 4 Ever Mackerel Fillets in Spring Water is the safest all-round choice when you want one flexible product for salads, toast, pasta and quick lunches. Princes Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil is better when you want more richness, while Morrisons Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil is worth comparing when everyday value is the priority.

John West Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil suits shoppers wanting a smaller multipack, while John West Mackerel Fillets in Tomato Sauce is the easiest ready-seasoned option for rice, toast and jacket potatoes. For regular cupboard stocking and general cooking, Princes Mackerel Fillets in Sunflower Oil provides a practical six-pack alternative.