30-Minute Mediterranean Canned Mackerel Pasta
This quick + easy canned (tinned) mackerel pasta recipe is packed with heart-healthy omega-3s, protein, and micronutrients! Nutritious, delicious, and ready in 30-minutes – this is one of the most popular recipes on my blog for a reason.

I couldn’t even tell you the number of times I’ve devoured this mediterranean canned mackerel pasta over the past few years. I first published this post in 2019 and it’s since become one of my go-to healthy weeknight dinner recipes and that of SO many of my readers!
Canned mackerel is a staple in my pantry, and I’m so happy to have discovered it a few years ago. At first I was hesitant and not sure what to do with it, or how it would taste – if you’re in the same boat, I totally get it.
For some reason I thought mackerel would be really fishy, but it’s not at all! Canned mackerel that’s packed in olive oil is incredibly smooth, buttery, and a little salty.
If you’re trying to figure out HOW to eat or cook canned mackerel, you’ve found the perfect place to start. It’s so easy to add canned mackerel to a pan of sautéed veggies, mix in your fave pasta, and you’ve got a nutritionally-balanced meal in under 30 minutes.
As a registered dietitian, I’m excited to share that mackerel is SUCH a nutritious (and underrated) fish. It’s actually one of the BEST sources of omega-3s, as well as other nutrition benefits.
Plus, this healthy pasta recipe is packed with other nutritious ingredients like red peppers, tomatoes, olives, and parsley. I truly hope you enjoy this canned mackerel recipe as much as my readers have 🙂
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Recipe Ingredients Needed
All you need to make this canned mackerel pasta recipe are 7 simple ingredients, plus extra toppings as desired:
- Pasta: You can use any pasta shape you’d like here – short or long! I personally used spaghetti.
- Canned mackerel: I recommend purchasing mackerel canned in olive oil. That way, you can use the olive oil from the can to cook with, rather than adding your own!
- Fresh garlic: This recipe uses freshly minced garlic cloves, but you are always welcome to use garlic powder if you’re in a pinch.
- Red bell pepper: I love using sweet red bell peppers in this recipe, but feel free to also use orange or yellow. I would avoid green bell peppers though, as they aren’t quite as sweet and juicy.
- Grape or cherry tomatoes: I always recommend purchasing vine-ripened tomatoes if possible – the difference in flavour is simply unmatched! You can use any small tomato variety that you enjoy.
- Green olives: Olives add a nice punch of salty flavour and healthy fats to this recipe. I like to chop them up into small pieces so the flavour gets evenly distributed throughout. You can use any variety of green olives that you can find.
- Fresh parsley: Chopped parsley adds a touch of green and extra freshness to this recipe, which helps to offset the more salty flavours!
- Optional (but highly encouraged) toppings:
- Parmigiano reggiano: because you can’t go wrong with some freshly grated parmesan and pasta!!
- Crushed red pepper flakes: perfect if you want a kick of spice. Add according to desired spiciness
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice and/or zest: I really enjoy adding a squeeze of lemon to this recipe for a touch of acidity to balance out all the flavours! Feel free to zest the lemon first and add that too 🙂
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Adapting This Recipe For Dietary Needs & Preferences
Have other veggies that you want to use up? You can totally add them here! Feel free to add some leafy greens (like spinach or kale), perhaps some chopped zucchini, eggplant, or even broccoli. Cook them at the same time as the peppers and tomatoes.
If you’re gluten-free, simply swap out regular pasta for a gluten-free alternative (I’ve linked one of my preferred brands!)
Dairy-free? Omit the sprinkle of parmesan on top. Instead, swap it with nutritional yeast or a dairy-free parmesan. You can purchase one in store, or a quick google search will show you how to make one at home! If preferred, you can omit the cheese/cheese alternative entirely and enjoy this pasta without it.
How To Make Canned Mackerel Pasta
To make this canned mackerel recipe, start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil (for the pasta).
While the water boils, mince the garlic cloves and chop the bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, and parsley. You can see the approximate size of the chopped ingredients in the image above.
Once the water has boiled, add the spaghetti and cook to al dente according to package directions. Make sure not to overly cook the pasta, as it will cook a bit longer when you add it to the sauce!
Once the pasta is cooked, remove from heat and drain. Add it back to the pot you cooked it in and stir in a tiny bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
While the pasta cooks, bring a large pan to medium-high heat. Add the canned mackerel to the pan, WITH the olive oil that it comes in. If you can’t find mackerel packed in olive oil, simply use some olive oil of your own here.
Sauté the minced garlic in the pan, along with the chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, and olives. Season with salt and pepper, then continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
Next, add the drained pasta to the pan and cook with the veggie and mackerel mixture for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley.
Serve this canned mackerel pasta with some freshly grated parmesan, black pepper, a sprinkle of red chilli flakes, and/or a squeeze of lemon juice (as desired). Enjoy hot!
Storage & Reheating Notes
Leftovers of this canned mackerel recipe can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It will reheat well in either the microwave or on the stovetop, without compromising on texture.
Canned Mackerel Nutrition Benefits
Not only is canned mackerel flavourful, affordable, and convenient, it’s also jam-packed with nutrition.
Mackerel is an oily fish that is rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fatty acids, like omega-3s.
In fact, mackerel has some of the highest omega-3 content of any fish!
Omega-3s play a crucial role in cardiovascular and neurological health, while also helping to lower inflammation throughout the body.
Mackerel is also a great source of complete protein (at roughly 23 grams of protein per 100 grams of mackerel) and many micronutrients, including:
- vitamin B12
- vitamin B6
- selenium
- iron
- magnesium
- vitamin D
Canned mackerel is such a convenient way to reap all these amazing nutrition benefits. I love keeping a couple cans in my pantry to whip up this pasta for a quick and healthy dinner!
More healthy canned seafood recipes:
- Canned Salmon Pasta With Spinach & Lemon
- Canned Tuna Tomato Pasta Bake
- Easy Canned Mackerel Pasta Salad
- Canned Salmon Quinoa Burgers
- No-Mayo, High Protein Tuna Salad
Did you give this Mediterranean Canned Mackerel Pasta a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: 30-Minute Mediterranean Canned Mackerel Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- Approx. 150 grams spaghetti, or other pasta shape (Approx. 4 ounces or enough for 2 people)
- Approx. 230 grams canned mackerel, in olive oil (Approx. 8 ounces, including olive oil)
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 1 large red bell pepper (or 2 smaller)
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes (vine-ripened if possible)
- 10 large green olives, pitted
- 1/2 cup parsley, fresh
- Salt + pepper (to taste)
- Optional toppings: freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, crushed red chilli flakes, freshly squeezed lemon
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil (for pasta).
- PREP INGREDIENTS: Mince garlic. Remove the core from bell pepper + cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Slice tomatoes in half. Roughly chop parsley and olives. Set aside.
- COOK PASTA: Once water has boiled, add spaghetti and cook to al dente according to package directions. Once pasta is done, remove from heat and drain. Return it to the pot and stir in a splash of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
- MAKE SAUCE: Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add cans of mackerel, WITH the olive oil that comes in the can. Add garlic and sauté for a couple minutes.
- Next, add chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, and olives. Cook for about 10 minutes until veggies are tender, stirring frequently and adding salt + pepper for taste.
- Then, add the drained pasta to the veggie-mackerel sauce. Stir and cook for about 1 more minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped parsley.
- SERVE: Serve pasta and top with freshly grated parm, a sprinkle of red chilli flakes, and/or a squeeze of lemon (you could add the zest also!) Adjust salt/pepper as needed. Enjoy hot!
Notes
- This recipe uses freshly minced garlic cloves, but you are always welcome to use garlic powder if you’re in a pinch!
- I used sweet red bell peppers in this recipe, but feel free to also use orange or yellow. I would avoid green bell peppers, as they aren’t quite as sweet and juicy.
- Have other veggies that you want to use up? You can totally add them here! Feel free to add some leafy greens (like spinach or kale), perhaps some chopped zucchini, eggplant, or even broccoli. Cook them at the same time as the peppers and tomatoes.
- Adding a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes are perfect if you want a kick of spice. Add according to desired spiciness!
- If you’re gluten-free: Simply swap out regular pasta for a gluten-free alternative (I’ve linked one of my preferred brands!)
- If you’re dairy-free: Omit the sprinkle of parmesan on top. Instead, swap it with nutritional yeast or a dairy-free parmesan. You can purchase one in store, or a quick google search will show you how to make one at home! If preferred, you can omit the cheese/cheese alternative entirely and enjoy this pasta without it 🙂
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
88 Comments on “30-Minute Mediterranean Canned Mackerel Pasta”
What size are the cans of MACKEREl you’re using?
Hi Vivian,
Great question! I used mackerel that was canned in olive oil (from a brand called Gold Seal). Cans were 115 g (4 oz.) including the olive oil (which I used in the recipe). Drained, the mackerel is only 80g (2.8 oz). Will update the recipe to reflect the size 🙂
Simple, perfect and flavorful! Not overly fishy as you said. Such an easy weeknight meal. My husband asked for more which is always a good sign!
Thanks so much Liane!! So happy you guys enjoyed it. I’ve made this pasta in a pinch multiple times and it’s one of my faves 🙂
Very tasty end easy to prepare! I had fresh basil on hand so I added a few leaves during cooking and some more as garnish with the parmesan and a little lemon juice. Perfect shelter-in-place meal!
Thanks so much for sharing, Charles!! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. I’ve remade this during quarantine as well :). Take care!
My husband and I went fishing a few weeks back and had a last portion of mackerel to cook before moving houses and I found this little gem.
Absolutely wonderful! Very comforting and flavourful. I added some chilli flakes and it was beautiful.
My husband had it with parmesan and I had it with lime, but it is amazing just by itself too. Very versatile! We’ll be repeating it for sure 🙂
Hi Valentina,
I’m so happy you found this recipe to use with your mackerel – that’s so awesome you caught it yourself!! So glad you enjoyed it and I love the additions you made. Thank you so much for sharing your experience :). Hope you have a safe move!
Super easy + quick. Can Sub any canned fish but the Mackerel really gives it more zest.
Even the kids like it… and now they know what a Mackerel looks like. Education and nutrition lol.
Thanks so much for sharing, Daniel! I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying it. Great idea to use different canned fish, too!
This was so delicious and easy to make! The whole family including a 6 year old loved it. I didn’t have green olives so I opened a can of black ones and sprinkled them with lemon juice before cooking. I also used a rotini type pasta. Got a 6 pack of Canned mackerel at Costco (Season brand) and used 3 (approx 4 oz each) cans for this. Thank you for a great and healthy recipe!
Hi YT! Aw thank you so much for this kind comment!! So happy to hear you and the whole family enjoyed it – love when healthy recipes are kid approved :). Thanks for sharing your experience!!
Thank you for this great recipe! I made it and my 18 yr old grandson had 2 helpings! We really enjoyed this tasty and wholesome dish!
Hi Jan!
I’m so happy to hear both you and your grandson loved it!! It’s always so nice to hear when a recipe is popular with the whole family. Thank you so much for sharing and for the kind words 🙂
How many calories are in this recipe?
Hi John! I don’t calculate calories, so I’m not sure! You can see my reasoning for not including nutrition breakdowns in my FAQ if you’re interested 🙂
Oh” Thank you so much for this recipe. THANK you
You are so welcome, Theresa! I. hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Absolutely delicious! We are trying to add more fish to our diet and this may become a weekly staple. We like hot and spicy, so I added some of my fresh grown dried oregano, basil, and pepper flakes to the saute. Also threw in some chopped swiss chard, just for fun and health. Didn’t have cherry tomatoes, but used chunked fresh garden tomatoes. I only had a large can of mackeral packed in water, so I just added olive oil to the pan. Topped off with parmesean and lemon juice. It was amazing, flavorful, and not fishy at all!
Hi Sally! Ah thank you so much for the kind comment – I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe and I LOVE all those yummy additions you made!!
If you’re looking for more easy fish recipes, I’ve got a bunch more here: https://www.walderwellness.com/recipes/?fwp_topics=fish – I’d love to know if you end up trying another!!
I also recently decided to change the way I eat and wanted to add more fish into diet.I do not enjoy salmon,so was looking for alternative..This is exactly what I was looking for!!! NOT too fishy, not too salty, nutricious and well balanced, cheap and quick!! 5 stars meal.
Hi Lenka! Thank you so much for your kind comment!! I’m so happy to hear that this was the kind of meal you were looking for. I think it’s awesome you’re looking to add more fish into your diet. I’d love to know if you end up trying any of my other seafood recipes, too! There’s a bunch there that aren’t salmon 🙂
Wishing you a wonderful start to the new year!
One word. Yummy !
Thanks Amanda!! So happy to hear that!!
What a super supper, could make it to order for the pair of us, with hot chillies for him and mild chillies for me, delicious
Hi Fran! I’m so happy you both enjoyed this recipe!! Love that you were able to modify to your desired spiciness, too. Thanks so much for sharing your experience 🙂
Great recipe – it’s become a regular in our house. We always add a generous splash of Balsamic Vinegar at the end too.
Hi Rich! Amazing – I’m so happy to hear it’s a regular recipe for you! A splash of balsamic sounds so good – I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
I’m a huge fan of Mediterranean cuisine and wow, this recipe is soo tasty, healthy and quick. Thank you so much!!! 5 stars!
Hi Dev! Amazing I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one!! Mediterranean is my favourite cuisine too! Thanks so much for sharing your experience 🙂
An inpiring eye opener. 125g tin of makerel in sunflower oil. 100g wholewheat pasta.
Used 80g finely chopped onions as the veg. Oiled the pan with a dash of oil from the makerel, sauteed with 35ml dry white wine along with 5 cloves of minced garlic, dash of cayanne, low sodium salt and white pepper. 5mins. Allowed to reduce at bit then added mackrel and olives. Heat to reduce further 5mins. Added cooked wholewheat pasta and 35ml of pasta water and 5 complete stalks of dill finely choped. Tossed the whole lot together for 3 minutes before serving hot. Grated hard cheese, a twist of black pepper and of rock salt.
Garnish with a dill fron. Oops forgot the lemon juice. That’ll be next time.
Thank you,…I really must buy some veg.
Hi Jacob! YUM!! All your additions to this recipe sound absolutely delicious. I love your take on it!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience, I’m sure others will find inspiration from your comment. I hope you enjoyed it 🙂
As a Registered Dietitian whose clients need fast, affordable, and delicious meal ideas, I have been searching for a good canned mackerel recipe for a while now. This was SO YUM and so easy to make!
I added in onion, capers, some white wine, and did Kalamata olives instead of green to fit my tastes. Highly recommend!
Hi Jessica! Always so nice to meet a fellow RD on here :). I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, and I hope your clients do too! Love all the additions you made – thank you so much for sharing!!
I came home late on a Friday night after work looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner with something already in my pantry. This recipe pulled up and it was PERFECT! I cut it in half – it was ready in about 15 minutes – and it really hit the spot. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Hi Ethel! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I’m so happy to hear that you stumbled upon this recipe for your easy Friday night pantry dinner :). So glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
Hi Carrie,
We made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was absolutely extraordinary! We are a family of pescatorians ( we eat dairy except for cow’s milk, lots of fish, veggies, nuts, seeds, fruit, and whole grains) and eat fish as a main meal very frequently. Mackerel is incredibly high in omega 3’s and a fish we have been wanting to eat more of but unfortunately our experience with eating mackerel has not been the best. It is a very strong, oily, and rich- tasting fish. Carrie, you totally made it sing! ❤️ The Italian flavors and the noodles stood up to the strong, rich, and oily fish and the flavors you chose were absolutely amazing! 🤗 I also tried mine over mashed potatoes instead of the noodles and that was also equally as delicious! Thank you so much for creating this wonderful recipe using a fish that can be intimidating to extract flavor out of. You made this recipe easy and most of all, very enjoyable! We will be making this recipe as a go-to every week! 🙂 Jordanna
Hi Jordana!
Thank you SO much for this lovely review. It totally brought a smile to my face :). I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this one, and that you finally found a way to enjoy mackerel! I know it can be a bit of an intimidating fish, but done right I find it tastes absolutely delicious. I also love that you tried the combination over mashed potatoes too – that sounds amazing and I’ll need to give that a try myself!!
Thanks so much again for the kind words. I look forward to hearing if you give any other recipes a try 🙂
Love this recipe! I now keep canned mackerel in my pantry!!! Hubby likes it too!
Thank you so much for sharing that, JoAn!! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this one. Yay for a new pantry staple!! 🙂
Mixed up the vegetables (used onions and mushrooms), which I lightly sweated in a small bit of olive oil before adding the mackerel. Also added a bit of white wine and spinach at the end. Absolutely phenomenal flavor, will be keeping canned mackerel as a staple in my pantry to recreate this recipe with whatever veggies I have lying around.
Hi Akash! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and I absolutely love the way you experimented with it. It all sounds so tasty! And YES to keeping a can of mackerel around to make a quick pasta like this – I do the same 🙂
This was very good!
Thank you so much, Rachel! So happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
stunning. i used whole wheat rotini and added some baby spinach & kale to the saute along with soe red pepper flakes. i’ve never used canned mackerel before–i thought it would be overly fishy, too. this is now a weekly staple for me. thank you!
Hi John! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this kind review. So happy to hear you enjoyed this one and love all the additions you made. Isn’t canned mackerel actually so good?! I was so impressed the first time I tried it too 🙂
I love how this recipe smooths out the strongish flavour of the Mackerel. For a next twist I’d like to experiment with any ways that can put a little more green veggie into it – I saw reviews about spinach & kale. Any thoughts Carrie?
We had a nice glass of Chardonnay and some crusty bread with the dish: cut back on some spaghetti to compensate for the calories. They worked well 🙂
Now wondering about a dessert to finish this delight?
Hi Ian! Thanks so much for sharing this kind review. So happy to hear you enjoyed it! That glass of Chardonnay and crusty bread sounds like the perfect pairing 🙂
As for adding more greens – I’d say this recipe is pretty flexible! Kale and spinach are easy choices. You could also add some chopped zucchini or broccoli/broccolini to this!! Would be a great way to use up any extra veggies in the fridge.
Absolutely delicious, fantastic, and damn I’ll make it again and again! I’m half Italian and love Mediterranean recipes. This one did NOT disappoint!
Thank you so much for the kind comment, Mary Sue!! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this one – so appreciated 🙂
I loved this recipe. We are (gradually) changing to the Mediterranean “diet” and I am always looking for recipes that incorporate whole grains and fish. This was delicious and I followed the recipe exactly, including adding the parmagiano-reggiano, red pepper flakes, and some fresh lemon juice right before serving. My husband and I both said it reminded us of some of the meals we ate last summer in Italy! The left-overs were even better I thought! Thank you for this recipe-hope to find more like it.
Hi Laurie,
Thank you SO much for this lovely review. To be compared to meals you ate last summer in Italy is SUCH a complement (the food there is just the BEST) :)). I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed this one!!
If you’re looking for more easy and healthy seafood recipes, please feel free to explore the fish section of my recipe index HERE. I’d love to know if you try any others! Thank you again 🙂
Loved this recipe. My doxy even begged for me to give him some, and so I did. He was such a happy puppy. I will definitely bemaking this again.
Hi Kathleen! Thanks so much for sharing your experience..so happy to hear that you (and puppy ;)) enjoyed this one!!
So delicious, easy to make and healthy too, what’s not to like!
Thank you so much, Ann! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one 🙂
Absolutely fantastic recipe. I used kalamata olives instead of green ones as that’s all I had and it tasted amazing. It reminded me of puttanesca but it’s quicker and easier and even more delicious. Capers could be added for an extra dimension but they’re absolutely not needed. The smell when it was cooking transported me to Italy! I’ll be making this on a regular basis from now on.
Hi Liv! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this kind review. It’s so appreciated and I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this one! To hear that it transported you back to Italy is the best thing ever :). So glad you have a new recipe to add to your rotation!!
I made it! Great recipe. I am including this in my weekly meal rotation.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Chico! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one. Love that it’s making it onto the weekly rotation!! It’s one of my go-to recipes as well 🙂
OMG I made this tonight and it is wonderful. I was a skeptic about using mackerel in a recipe. I will be making this again. I substituded black olives for the green olives… Turned out great..
Hi Terry! Aw I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. It’s so appreciated! Believe me, I was skeptical the first time I tried mackerel too – now it’s become a staple for me, this recipe is a go-to weeknight dinner in our household 🙂
This is a favorite of my children. It’s quick and inexpensive. Plenty of fresh flavor.
Hi Shannon! I’m so happy to hear your whole family loves this one. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, it’s super appreciated 🙂
We tried this recipe last night and loved it. Not fishy at all. I used a 16 oz can but did not use all the juices. I used my kitchen scale and found that after removing the bones, the amount was perfect. My husband said this is a definite do-over.
Hi Aruala! Thank you so much for the kind review – it’s so appreciated! I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed this one, and found another dish to add to the rotation!! It’s one of my go-to quick weeknight dinners too 🙂
Hi Carrie, Some mackerel is very high in mercury such as King Mackerel from the Western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. How can we be sure that the canned mackerel we buy for this recipe is safe and low in mercury? Can you recommend specific brands? Thank you!
Hi Jan! Thank you so much for your great question!
While king mackerel is certainly higher in mercury, Northern Atlantic Mackerel is actually a low mercury fish and one of the “best” choices according to the FDA (they have a handy chart on mercury levels HERE if you want to check that out). Atlantic mackerel is a much smaller fish – it’s in the larger, more predatory fish that we tend to see higher levels of mercury!
I personally always purchase this canned mackerel packed in olive oil from a brand called GoldSeal. It’s super delicious AND sustainably caught as well! Do note that I am based in Canada and am not 100% sure if it’s available outside of Canada (not sure where you are located, but I know many of my readers are US-based!) Some other brands that I know are also good for canned fish are Wild Planet, Safe Catch, Season Brand, and Ocean’s Brand – they all have mackerel varieties.
I hope that helps a bit 🙂
Thanks so much, Carrie. I can find Wild Planet, Safe Catch, and Season Brand canned fish near me, so I will look for the mackerel. I also found a brand called Cole’s that may be good. Thanks so much for the information distinguishing the safe mackerel from the king mackerel. It makes sense since I know it is often the large fish that are high in mercury. I used to be a volunteer educator at The Florida Aquarium when we lived in Florida and before the pandemic, so I try to only eat sustainable and safe fish. (Sadly, that is getting harder and harder to do.) I will buy some mackerel and look forward to trying this recipe! Thanks again!
You are so welcome, Jan! I’m happy that helped and hopefully you’re able to find an appropriate brand of mackerel 🙂
That’s so cool you were a volunteer educator at the aquarium! What a great experience!!
Delicious! My new favorite pasta recipe. I made this recipe last night for dinner and had to stop myself from over-eating. I’ve been craving fish recently and this just hit the spot. Will definitely be making this often. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Vickie!! Aw yay I’m SO happy to hear this. Thank you so much for the kind words – so appreciated. I’m so happy to hear you found a new favourite!! It’s one of mine, too 🙂
If you’re on the fence with this one, do it! I’ve never tried mackerel before and decided to try this out and it was so delicious.
I used 2 cans of mackerel (one plain and one Mediterranean flavour). Also subbed kalamata olives for green and dried parsley for fresh. I would definitely make this again.
Hi J! Thank you so much for your kind review! It’s so appreciated. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this one and that you were able to discover canned mackerel through this dish!! It really is a delicious fish 🙂
I did NOT expect this to turn out as good as it did. Wow.
So happy you were pleasantly surprised, Dan!! Thank you :)!!
It was easy to put together and delicious. Good family meal.
So happy to hear that the whole family enjoyed this one!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
I bought a can for the first time and found this recipe. I made a few substitutions, one: because I bought mackerel in brine instead of olive oil, and two: I was out of dried pasta. I used frozen cheese tortellini and used jarred roasted red peppers and the oil from it. This has definitely become a go-to dish! Thanks Carrie.
Hi Manda! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review – it’s so appreciated! I LOVE the substitutions you made – this is a super flexible recipe, and it sounds sooo good with tortellini! Yum 🙂
This recipe is definitely going into my rotation! Delicious, easy, quick, and healthy! Thanks so much, Carrie!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Jan! It’s so appreciated. I’m so so happy you enjoyed this one + love to hear that it’s being added to the rotation 🙂
I used your recipe as a jumping off point and made something inspired by it. I started with sautéed onions, then added the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, olives and canned Mackerel. I added smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. I had no pasta in the house, so served it on corn tortillas. It’s was delicious!
Hi Janet! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I LOVE that you took this recipe as inspiration and put your own twist on it. The smoked paprika and serving it over tortillas sounds absolutely delicious!! I want to try that myself now haha :). Thank you again!
I’m so glad I came across this recipe. I made it with some minor modifications due to what I had on hand and it was so flavorful, it’s now one of my favorite recipes! I used Banza chickpea macaroni pasta, kalamata olives, lime for the citrus and some basil. I will be making this again. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Hi Valerie! I’m so happy that you stumbled upon this recipe, too :). Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love all the additions you made – it’s a versatile dish and a nice one to change up for an easy dinner!! Thanks again!
Omg!!!’ Thank you, thank you, thank you. I never would have tried this combination….welll I listen when you said it was flexible I just added what I had cuz I didn’t have the same stuff. Your beast is soo great I don’t think it really matters what you add. Think goat cheese, bacon and spinach rotela and tomatoes. Great olives
Hi Dorothy! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this kind review. I’m so happy to hear that you tried and enjoyed this recipe! Yes – it’s so flexible to what you have on hand!! All those additions sound amazing 🙂