Florida’s Freshest King Mackerel
The Gulf of Mexico provides some of the world’s best tasting, hard fighting King Mackeral and luckily for you we’ve perched our market’s dock right atop this bountiful source for fresh fish. King Mackerel, aka Kingfish (pronounced ‘king-fish’) is a seasonal fish caught in the near-shore areas of the Gulf and only available during specific times of the year.
King Mackerel aka Kingfish Info
Also widely known as Kingfish, the King Mackerel (when wild-caught) is considered as a smart seafood choice. This is a fish that’s responsibly harvested and sustainably managed under U.S. regulations. The king mackerel is a migratory species of mackerel commonly found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Package Size: 2 fish per pack
Fish Size: 0.7 to 1 lb (400g-600g)
Scientific Name: Scomber scombrus
The king mackerel’s appearance is characterized by a mix of iron-gray color on the back with silvery color on the sides. The skin sometimes has spots just like that of a Spanish mackerel and thus, the two are usually confused with each other. However, a king mackerel has sharply dipping lateral line and gray anterior dorsal fin and pale to dusky fins.
King Mackerel Overview
Unlike white fish such as grouper or snapper, the king mackerel has a strong taste and oily flesh. Thus, not many people consider it as a good table fare. However, when prepared correctly, king mackerel features a rich and flavorful taste. The strong taste can be improved by using various marinades. People usually go for Italian salad dressing when preparing a king mackerel.
King mackerel is usually caught in open ocean waters near the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. This type of mackerel migrates inshore and offshore depending on the water temperature and food supply in the area. In the winter, they stay inside the Gulf Stream on the edge of the continental shelf. When summer comes, they move inshore near the beaches and the mouths of rivers or inlets.
Where is King Mackerel caught?
King Mackerel aka kingfish is mostly caught near shore, in 50 to 80 feet of water however they have been known to travel in both shallower and deeper waters.
King Mackerel Size Limit Florida
According to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the minimum size limit for catching a king mackerel in Florida is 24 inches fork length. For commercial fishing, a vessel under a quota for king mackerel may have no more than 5% of undersized (by weight) fish.
There is a bag limit of 4 for recreational fishing of king mackerel. The trip limit for commercial fishing is 1,250 – both in the Southern and Northern zone of Florida. Harvest limits are in place to ensure sustainability. There is an annual catch limit of 2,740,000 pounds for commercial fishing and 5,810,000 pounds for recreational fishing.
Cooking King Mackerel
Our favorite method of cooking the King is smoking. The reason being, these fish have a much higher oil content than most other fish and this oily flavor is especially drawn out when smoked. Get your smoker going and leave the whole fish in long enough to let the meat fall right off the bone.
What does King Mackerel taste like
Kingfish can mostly be compared to the Spanish Mackerel. These fish have a rather unique texture and flavor making them stand on their own when it comes to flavor.
How to Cook King Mackerel
Though many are not too keen on eating king mackerel, as compared to groupers or snappers, this fish makes a good meal when correctly prepared. The kingfish features large and thick fillets as well as tend to be oily. For this reason, it makes a good choice for low-temperature smoking. If you season it well and smoked properly so it doesn’t dry out, you’d get a delicious king mackerel. Use lemon, orange, oak wood, or hickory when smoking to add more flavor to the fish.
If you prepare grilling, that’s a great option too. Get your grill ready by cleaning it and lightly coating with some vegetable oil. Season your mackerel (fillets or whole fish), put it on the grill, and flip after a couple of minutes.
You can also poach a fresh king mackerel; it’s another nice way of preparing this fish. It is advisable to use king mackerel fillets for this and make sure to debone the meat. Remove the dark parts along the lateral line of the mid-fillet. Prepare a pot of water with lemon juice and salt. Boil the fillets until done.
Although the least favorite way of preparing king mackerel, you can also deep fry it. Make sure to use fresh kingfish fillets and prepare a good batter.
King Mackerel Price Per Pound
The average market price per found of a king mackerel ranges from $7.99 to $11.86. Here at Wild Seafood Market, a king mackerel is available at $7 per pound. This fish is sold and priced as a whole fish but will be delivered filleted due to its size.
Sustainably Sourced King Mackerel
When you buy king mackerel from Wild Seafood Market, you can always be sure that you are buying the freshest catch and a sustainably sourced fish. We only sell wild caught king mackerel and other fish to adhere to our mission of supplying environmentally conscious consumers with traceable seafood products.
Each of our kingfish is tagged and you can simply scan the QR codes to track the fish you bought – from the boat to the dock and straight into your kitchens. All our fish and seafood products are sourced in the Gulf of Mexico by adhering to local and federal regulations.
Shipping King Mackerel
Wild Seafood Market can ship your king mackerel order right in front of your doorsteps. If you live in-state, you have the options to choose the much cheaper Ground Shipping. However, if you live outside the state of Florida, the only shipping option available to you is Overnight Shipping. Fresh fish needs to reach your doorsteps within a 3-day timeframe to ensure freshness. Our fish and seafood ships in high quality coolers to ensure that they are properly handled while in transit.
If you live in Pinellas County or near our store, you can simply drop by to pick up your orders. Place your orders on our website and choose local pickup. Make sure to drop by within the business hours. You can call in advance so we can prepare your orders and they’d be ready when you arrive.
What’s the World Record for King Mackerel
Fun fact; the current world record for a king mackerel was a 93-pound caught in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The record was set in 1999 by an angler named Steve Graulau. The fish measured 30-inch from the girth of the fish and has a total length of 62.5 inches.
This record may have been broken in 2019, however. Anglers Mike and Brook (honeymooners at the time) caught a 97.8-pound king mackerel out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Please note that this product ships frozen but may defrost in transit. The product may arrive partially thawed. Because we ship live, seafood, fresh seafood, and frozen items, we do not use dry ice.
