Mackerel fish, sometimes indicating the fish has vertical stripes similar to a scombroid mackerel: By extension, the term is applied also to other species such as the mackerel tabby cat, and to inanimate objects such as the altocumulus mackerel sky cloud formation. Most mackerel belong to the family Scombridae, which also includes tuna and bonito. Generally mackerel are much smaller and slimmer than tuna, though in other respects they share many common characteristics. Their scales, if present at all, are extremely small. Like tuna and bonito, mackerel are voracious feeders, and are swift and manoeuvrable swimmers, able to streamline themselves by
Japanese horse mackerel Japanese name for the horse mackerel is "aji" (あじ), and by default generally implies the species "Trachurus japonicus" (which can be more specifically referred to as "ma-aji" (まあじ), literally "true "aji""). The name is most commonly written in hiragana; although a kanji () does exist, it is not in common use. It is commonly deep fried ("aji furai" あじフライ) or salt-grilled ("shioyaki aji" 塩焼きあじ). In Korean cuisine, the fish is dubbed "jeon-gaeng-i" (전갱이) and is the default horse mackerel designated by this name. It is commonly grilled or fried as a "jeon-gaeng-i gui" (전갱이 구이). Among the specialties of Jeju