Are chub mackerel and Pacific saury the same? Differences, price, and which is better
Regarding the question “Are chub mackerel and Pacific saury the same”, more than one person has expressed doubt online, and many even think they are the same fish. So, are chub mackerel and Pacific saury actually the same? Can you tell the difference between them? Is there a big difference in their prices? Which is better?
In fact, chub mackerel and Pacific saury are not the same fish. Their differences are mainly shown in:
1. They belong to different families
Chub mackerel is also called mackerel, belonging to the family Scombridae and the genus Scomber; Pacific saury belongs to the order Beloniformes, family Scomberesocidae, genus Cololabis, and is the only species in its genus. It is also one of the important edible fish.
2. Different morphology
The chub mackerel has a stout, slightly flattened body in a spindle shape, generally 20-40 cm long and weighing 150-400 g. The head is large, with the front end tapering to a point like a cone; the eyes are large and set high; the mouth is large, with the upper and lower jaws equal in length, each with a row of fine teeth, and teeth on the vomer and pterygoid bones. The body is covered with small round scales; the back is greenish-black or dark blue; above the horizontal line of the pectoral fins on both sides of the body there are irregular dark blue worm-like markings. The belly is white with a slight yellow tinge. There are 2 dorsal fins, set far apart; the first dorsal fin has 9-10 spines; the second dorsal fin is opposite the anal fin, with 5 small finlets above and below behind it; the caudal fin is deeply forked, with two raised ridges on each side of the base; the pectoral fins are light black, the anal fin is light pink, and the other fins are pale yellow.
The Pacific saury has an elongated, slender, laterally compressed body. The head is relatively long, with a flat back and a faint ridge in the center. The mouth is anterior, straight at the front and slightly slanted at the rear. The two jaws extend forward into a short beak-like shape, with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper jaw. The teeth are small, one row on each jaw, more concentrated at the front and few or absent at the rear. The gill rakers are slender, and there is no pseudobranch. The pectoral fins are small and truncate. The dorsal and anal fins are located toward the rear of the body. Both lack hard spines, and both have finlets behind them; the dorsal fin has 10-12 soft rays and 6-7 finlets, and the anal fin has 12-15 soft rays and 7 finlets; the pelvic fins are located between the posterior margin of the gill cover and the origin of the anal fin, slightly behind and below the center; the caudal fin is deeply forked, with the lower lobe slightly longer; there are 62-69 vertebrae; the body is covered with small round scales that shed easily; the lateral line is low, near the ventral margin. The back and upper sides are dark grayish-blue, and the ventral sides are silvery-white; there is a silvery-blue longitudinal band in the center of the side of the body. Body length can reach 35 cm.
3. Different distribution
The chub mackerel is distributed in the western North Pacific, in China, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East, reaching as far north as the Sea of Okhotsk. It can be divided into two local populations: one in the Sea of Japan, and one in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. It is one of the main commercial fish in the western North Pacific.
The Pacific saury is distributed in the North Pacific region, including the Sea of Japan, Alaska, the Bering Sea, California, Mexico, and other waters. From 67 degrees north latitude to 18 degrees north latitude, and from 137 degrees east longitude to 108 degrees west longitude. The water temperature it prefers is 15-18 degrees Celsius. In China, it is mainly distributed in the Yellow Sea and off the eastern coast of Shandong.
How to distinguish chub mackerel from Pacific saury?
1. Look at the body shape
The chub mackerel has a stout, slightly flattened body; the Pacific saury has a slender, rounded, rod-like body.
2. Look at the dorsal fin
The chub mackerel has 2 dorsal fins set far apart; the first dorsal fin has 9-10 spines; the second dorsal fin is opposite the anal fin, with 5 small finlets above and below behind it; the Pacific saury has 5-6 small finlets behind the dorsal fin.
3. Look at the color
The back of the chub mackerel is greenish-black or dark blue; above the horizontal line of the pectoral fins on both sides of the body there are irregular dark blue worm-like markings, and the belly is white with a slight yellow tinge; the Pacific saury has a dark blue back, a silvery-white belly, and a slight yellow tinge at the tip of the snout and the rear part of the caudal peduncle.
4. Look at the teeth
The chub mackerel has a large mouth, with the upper and lower jaws equal in length, each with a row of fine teeth, and teeth on the vomer and pterygoid bones; the Pacific saury has two jaws extending forward into a short beak-like shape, with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper jaw and fine, weak teeth.
As for price, both Pacific saury and chub mackerel are sea fish, common pelagic fish in shallow seas, and neither is large, so there is not much difference in price. Both are very cheap, around seven or eight yuan per jin. However, Pacific saury is relatively rare on the market, generally used in Japanese cuisine and seldom used in domestic dishes, and it is all frozen goods.
The nutritional value of chub mackerel and Pacific saury is also about the same. Chub mackerel is relatively fattier and is generally braised, while Pacific saury is slimmer and is mostly pan-fried or grilled.