Sep 3 2026

8 Canned Mackerel Recipes: Rillette-Style Spreads, Sandwiches & Salad

Canned mackerel is already cooked, already seasoned, and soft enough — bones included — to become a real dish with almost no effort. Plain/water-packed canned mackerel in particular packs in DHA and EPA, high-quality protein, and plenty of calcium and vitamin D, since you’re eating the bones along with the fillet.Here are eight recipes you can make with a single can of mackerel in under 10 minutes, including four rillette-style spreads, a sandwich, and a yuzu-scented Italian salad.

A Quick Guide to Canned Mackerel Types

Japanese canned mackerel usually comes in a few standard styles, and knowing the difference helps when following recipes like these:

• Plain / water-packed: Mackerel cooked and packed with little more than salt and water, letting the natural flavor of the fish come through. This is the most versatile type and works in savory, spicy, or creamy dishes alike.

• Seasoned: Simmered in a soy sauce–based sauce, giving the mackerel a savory, slightly sweet flavor straight out of the can.

• Chili-seasoned: The same soy sauce–based seasoning with added chili for a spicier kick.

• Ginger-seasoned: Simmered with ginger for a lighter, more fragrant flavor that pairs well with rice.

If a specific type isn’t available where you are, plain/water-packed mackerel is the easiest substitute in any of these recipes — just adjust the seasoning slightly to compensate.

＞＞What Is Canned Mackerel

Recipes Using Plain/Water-Packed Canned Mackerel

Mackerel Rillette-Style Spread, Tomato Flavor

Uses: 1 can plain/water-packed mackerel
A tomato-based spread that works especially well on bread.

Ingredients: - 1 can plain/water-packed mackerel - 1 can crushed/chopped tomatoes - 1/2 onion - 1 clove garlic - 1 tbsp olive oil - Salt and pepper, to taste - Basil, optional

Steps: 1. Mince the onion and garlic. 2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. 3. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until fragrant. 4. Add the canned tomatoes and the mackerel (with its liquid), breaking up the fish, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. 5. Season with salt and pepper to finish.

Mackerel Rillette-Style Spread, Oil-Based

Uses: 1 can plain/water-packed mackerel
A simple, garlicky oil-based spread that works on bread, pasta, or rice.

Ingredients: - 1 can plain/water-packed mackerel - Olive oil, enough to submerge the ingredients - 1/4 onion - 1 clove garlic - 1/3 tsp salt

Steps: 1. Add a generous amount of olive oil to a frying pan and cook the garlic until fragrant. 2. Add the onion and cook until soft. 3. Add the mackerel with its liquid, breaking it apart lightly, and cook briefly.

SABACAN Sandwich

Uses: 1 can plain/water-packed mackerel
A French-style sandwich that turns canned mackerel into a satisfying lunch.

Ingredients: - 1 can plain/water-packed mackerel - 1 baguette - 1 leaf green leaf lettuce (or any lettuce) - Sliced onion, to taste - Tomato, to taste - Lemon, optional - 1 tbsp olive oil - 1 tbsp mustard mayonnaise - Black pepper, optional

Steps: 1. Drain the mackerel well, then sear it in olive oil until lightly browned. 2.Spread mustard mayonnaise on the baguette. 3. Layer the mackerel and other fillings inside the bread. 4. A crack of black pepper adds a nice kick — great for lunch or as a snack with drinks.

Recipes Using Seasoned Canned Mackerel

Mackerel Rillette-Style Spread, Chili Oil Flavor

Uses: 1 can seasoned mackerel (soy sauce flavor)
A quick, spicy take on a French-style fish spread, best served over noodles.

Ingredients: - 1 can seasoned mackerel - 1 tsp chili oil (rayu), adjust to taste - 1/2 onion - 1 clove garlic (or a squeeze of tubed garlic paste) - Chopped scallion, to taste - 1 serving udon noodles (frozen is fine)

Steps: 1. Mince the onion and garlic. 2. Heat the chili oil in a frying pan. 3. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until fragrant. 4. Add the mackerel, breaking it apart, and cook until the flavors come together. 5. Top with scallion to taste. Delicious tossed with udon noodles.

Mackerel Rillette-Style Spread, Butter Soy Sauce Flavor

Uses: 1 can seasoned mackerel (soy sauce flavor)
A simple twist on canned mackerel that turns it into a rich, savory topping.

 Ingredients: - 1 can seasoned mackerel - 10g butter, adjust to taste - 1 onion

Steps: 1. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onion until soft. 2. Add the mackerel, breaking it apart, and cook until well combined. 3. Serve over rice, or enjoy as a snack alongside drinks.

Mackerel Mizore-ni (Simmered With Grated Daikon)

Uses: 1 can seasoned mackerel (soy sauce flavor) Mizore-ni refers to dishes simmered with grated daikon radish — a simple dish reminiscent of small Japanese izakaya cooking.

 Ingredients: - 1 can seasoned mackerel - 1/2 daikon radish, grated - Chopped green onion, to taste - Shichimi pepper (Japanese seven-spice), optional

Steps: 1. Add the mackerel, with its sauce, to a pot along with the grated daikon, and simmer over low heat. 2. Top with chopped green onion to finish. 3. A dash of shichimi pepper on top is a nice optional touch.

Mackerel Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Seasoned Rice)

Uses: 1 can seasoned mackerel (yuzu flavor) A bright, citrus-forward salad built around yuzu-seasoned mackerel.

For the salad: - 1 can seasoned mackerel (yuzu flavor) - Green leaf lettuce, to taste - Lettuce, to taste - Bell pepper, to taste - 1 boiled egg

For the dressing: - 3 tbsp olive oil - 2 tbsp ponzu sauce - 1 tsp yuzu kosho (yuzu chili paste) - 3 tsp Caesar dressing, optional

Steps: 1. Cut the green leaf lettuce, lettuce, bell pepper, and tomato, and toss together. 2. Cut the yuzu-seasoned mackerel into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad. 3. Mix the dressing ingredients well and pour over the salad, then add the boiled egg. 4. A drizzle of Caesar dressing on top adds a nice accent, if you’d like.

Yuzu-Scented Italian Salad

Uses: 1 can seasoned mackerel (soy sauce flavor)
A quick, spicy take on a French-style fish spread, best served over noodles.

Ingredients: - 1 can seasoned mackerel - 1 tsp chili oil (rayu), adjust to taste - 1/2 onion - 1 clove garlic (or a squeeze of tubed garlic paste) - Chopped scallion, to taste - 1 serving udon noodles (frozen is fine)

Steps: 1. Mince the onion and garlic. 2. Heat the chili oil in a frying pan. 3. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until fragrant. 4. Add the mackerel, breaking it apart, and cook until the flavors come together. 5. Top with scallion to taste. Delicious tossed with udon noodles.

These Recipes Were Made With Fukui Kanzume’s Canned Mackerel

These recipes were developed using canned mackerel from Fukui Kanzume (Fukui Canning Co.), a canned seafood maker in Obama, Fukui Prefecture — the historic starting point of the “Saba Kaido,” the old trade route that once carried fresh seafood inland to Kyoto and Nara. Since its founding in 1943, Fukui Kanzume has built its Mermaid-brand mackerel around Norwegian mackerel, prized for its rich fat content, and seasoned it in a range of styles, from a soy sauce broth to ginger and yuzu.

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