Our favorite Sicilian mackerel is officially NYT-approved! After tasting 109 tins + jars for their Best Tinned Fish selection, the Wirecutter editors at the New York Times fell in love with Testa Wild Sicilian Sgombro in extra virgin olive oil.
Wirecutter crowned Testa Sgombro for its “pristine, fresh, mild fish flavor—not too far off from good quality tuna, and not as fishy and oily as some tinned mackerel can be. The fillets are meaty, dense, and a little juicy, breaking apart into large flakey chunks.”
This is no overnight success. The Testa family has been fishing since the 1600s, perfecting the art of sea-to-jar long before tinned fish date nights were a thing. Florence Fabricant herself had called Testa Sgombro “new competition for high-end tuna,” back when we launched Testa Conserve in the USA.
“You could eat this mackerel dozens of ways. High quality enough to stand on its own with very little dressing, its simplicity would also make a good base ingredient in any dish where you might usually use tuna.” Flake it over a salad à la Corrado Assenza, pile it on bruschetta with sundried tomatoes and caper leaves, or dress the simplest pasta corta for a weeknight dinner favorite.
Wondering about mercury? No need to worry—Mediterranean mackerel like these stay small, meaning they don’t accumulate mercury like larger fish. In fact, the FDA says you should be eating two to three servings per week!!