The leading rays of its dorsal, anal and pelvic fins have spines. It has two dorsal fins, the first of which is taller and the second shorter. The second dorsal fin, like the anal fin, is prolonged from the end of the first dorsal almost to the tail. The tail itself is strongly forked. It has a bluish dorsal colouring and silvery sides. It has a large head with large eyes. It has a black spot on the trailing edge of the gill cover, between the pectoral fin and the lateral line.

It looks like Trachurus mediterraneus (Mediterranean horse mackerel) and the Trachurus picturatus (Blue jack mackerel). These species share similar body shapes and are often found in the same geographic regions.