The king mackerel’s lateral line, which dips abruptly, distinguishes it from the Spanish mackerel by giving it an iridescent, blue-green or iron-grey back, silvery flanks, and pale to dusky fins. King mackerel’s front dorsal fin is grey in colour, and immature fish frequently have dots resembling Spanish mackerel. King mackerel are relatively small fish, yet they have a maximum length of 5′ and a maximum weight of 100 pounds. Despite commercial and amateur anglers catching about 17 million pounds of king mackerel in 2019, the species is not overfished, and its supply is generally robust. King mackerel have a lifespan of almost 20 years. Along with grilling or pan-frying, smoking is the most popular way to serve king mackerel, an oily fish with greyish flesh.
