Canning fish 101

#0, Canning fish 101
Posted by NoSlack on Jun-04-02 at 10:06 PM

Canning Fish
Recommended Items:
Presto 22qt. Pressure Canner with a second spacer ring.

Pint canning jars, lids and rings

Jar tongs, Jar funnel and Magnetic lid lifter

Clean all the jars and lids with warm soapy water then sanitizes the jars by boiling them in water or use the sanitize setting on a dishwasher. The lids and rings only need to have the hot water poured over them or dipped into it for a minute.
Cut the tuna in to chunks and pack it into the jars leaving a ½" air gap at the top of the jar (pack fish as tight as possible). I like to splash a little olive oil in the jars before putting the fish in.


I fined the pints to be the most convenient size when fixing a meal or making a bowl of tuna for sandwiches.

http://www.bocaboard.com/data/500/can1.JPG



Fill remainder of jar with water or Chicken Broth. I like the broth better.
Take a kitchen knife and poke down the inside of the jars to release any trapper air. After removing the air, top the jars off with broth or water.

http://www.bocaboard.com/data/500/can2.JPG


With a clean damp rag wipe the top of the jars clean, place a lid and ring on each jar and finger tighten the rings. Don't over tighten, the air needs to escape during the canning process.
Place pint jars on the spacer ring (bottom of canner). Add water to the canner, about 2" below top of jars.
Place a second spacer ring on top on the first layer of jars then place a second layer of jars on the spacer ring. Should be able to fit 9 pints per layer.
The canner should come with one spacer ring(aluminum disk with holes in it). You will need to buy or make a second one if you want to run two layers.

http://www.bocaboard.com/data/500/can3.JPG


Place the lid on the canner and lock into place. Turn the burner on high. Leave the weighted cap off until water boils and vents a little steam. Keep the heat on until pressure gauge reaches 12 PSI.
Start your timer (90 min.) only after 12 PSI is reached. You will need to adjust the flame so that pressure gauge read between 10-13 PSI for the 90 minute process.
I recommend doing this outside on a BBQ side burner or a stand alone burner. If you do it in the house it warm the kitchen up pretty fast. You'll need a burner that can be turned down to a very small flame for the last hour.

http://www.bocaboard.com/data/500/can4.JPG


After 90 minutes turn off burner and let jars cool (do not speed cooling process). This will take about 30-45 minute for the gauge to reach zero and the air vent to pop back down. When you remove the lid, tilt it away to shield your face from the steam.

Remove the jars with a pair of jar tongs and tighten the lids. Gloves or a couple rage is recommended to handle the jars at this point. The jars will continue to boil for several minutes as they cool and suck down the lids. You will hear a sharp pop sound as each lid is sucked down.


http://www.bocaboard.com/data/500/can5.JPG

Check jars for a proper seal 30 minutes after removed from cooker.(lid sucked down). At this time it is OK ( highly recommended) to remove
the rings and clean the jars with soap and water. After the rings are clean I put them back on the jars so I don't lose them.
Last but not least, label the jars, box them up and store in a cool dry place.

http://www.bocaboard.com/data/500/can6.JPG

Mike


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#1, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by SBSRF on Jun-05-02 at 09:05 PM
In response to message #0

Mike, this is a really interesting post. I've honestly never heard of canning fish. I think i"ll pick up the gear and give it a try since I plan on eventually catching an albacore heh heh. Now for the dumb question. How do you serve canned fish? Great layout on the post.

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#2, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by NoSlack on Jun-05-02 at 09:36 PM
In response to message #1

First off let me say I have 3 teenagers and a 10 year old.
You ever hear of a tunafish sandwich? Them boys can eat 3 pints a week worth of tuna in the sandwich format. The wife makes a great tuna spread that she eats on crackers for lunch and then there are all the casserole type dish for dinner.

Late last October I put up 70 pints of Yellowfin and Albacore and I was down to 10 pints before I put some more up Monday night.

This stuff packed in chicken broth is so much better than the store bought can tuna you wouldn't believe it. Everyone that stops by the house asks if they can get a pint or two for the road. You would think I was putting up moon shine the way the stuff goes out the door.

My goal is to put up 150-200 pints by the end of the season. If the family wants some this year it will be a $10 jar deposit and they can have a whole case for the road.

Mike



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#3, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by SBSRF on Jun-06-02 at 05:47 AM
In response to message #2

LAST EDITED ON Jun-06-02 AT 05:50 AM (PST)

Ahh Tuna sandwich. I was racking my brain trying to think up some kind of exotic dish that you made with this. Overlooked the obvious. Have you ever tried it for a base for fish soup or chippino? Thanks for the info.

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#4, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by NoSlack on Jun-06-02 at 06:54 AM
In response to message #3

Never tried it for any of those dishes. As for fish soup, I use the leftover fish from dinner.
If I get in the Albacore Friday or Satureday I will hold canning lessons at the house this Sunday if you interested.

Mike


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#5, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by Nomad on Jun-06-02 at 07:49 AM
In response to message #3

Steve there is an outfitter (I think its in Ramona) that puts a fisherman's canning package together. I'll dig up the info and post it.

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#6, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by SBSRF on Jun-06-02 at 06:51 PM
In response to message #5

Charlie, I would apriciate the info, it looks like like a great set up.
Mike, I would like to come out and get some info from you and watch your process but this Sunday is out. I'm pulling the Grebe for yearly maint Fri and dropping it off at Blackmans for outdrive service Monday, so theres gonna be a lot of scrubbing, waxing, bottom painting and sweating this weekend. I would like to hook up with you on the next canning session though.

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#7, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by Saltwaters on Jun-07-02 at 05:54 PM
In response to message #0

Mike,
Where did you get your canner and how much did it cost. Looks like Stainless Steel. I've been canning for years. Still have a quart from 1986. Too much to eat at one time.

I have never tried chicken broth before. I simply add fish and maybe some Jalapenos. It always comes out fantastic.

Thanks for the idea and the tips. Canned Albie is the best.

Bill on Tunacious


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#8, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by NoSlack on Jun-07-02 at 09:21 PM
In response to message #7

http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/prestocooker.htm is where I ordered the unit I use. It is a 22 quart aluminum pot. If you pick one up don't forget to buy or make a second spacer ring.
Mike


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#9, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by Nomad on Jun-08-02 at 06:02 AM
In response to message #0

Here's where I got my set up. The Fishermans kit comes with everything you need. All quality components
http://www.homecanningsupply.com/pages/prodserv.html


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#10, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by WhoFish on Jun-14-02 at 09:07 AM
In response to message #9

I've picked up supplies (and canners) at Payton's Hardware in Lakeside -- they seem to have a pretty good selection and usually have jars when everyone else is out of them.
We use our canned tuna for Tuna fish sandwiches, 'Tuna Helper' (actually makes it taste half-way decent) for a quick meal, and a couple other recipes that call for tuna. I was amazed at the difference between home canned and store bought tuna!

I'll have to try the chicken broth -- I usually use a little oil with water and maybe throw a spoonful of salsa in or another spice for different flavors. The FDA doesn't recommend using anything larger than pint jars for fish, but I've got a friend who regularly cans quarts without a problem (I stick with pints.)

Regards,

Mark


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#11, RE: Canning fish 101
Posted by Nomad on Jun-16-02 at 04:33 PM
In response to message #0

The place I bought my home canning supplies was:
Home Canning Supplies and Specialties
(760) 788-0520

www.homecanningsupply.com

It's that time of year again.

Just did a big batch Sunday night, almost exactly like that. Jalapeno, garlic, Tapatio, green chile, and regular.

Lots of fish around. Time to bump this back up to the top.

We've done lemon pepper, smoked, and spicy with dried chili flakes. Never tried the chicken broth before, will have to give it a try. Erika has a great recipe for tuna mac casserole, an old family favorite. Will post in another thread.

Have you tried a couple drops of liquid smoke in the jars? I always wanted to try it, but I hate to wreck a batch experimenting.

Mike,
If you ever want help, give me a ring.
Phil

Never tried the liquid smoke, prefer the real stuff. You can always just do a few jars in your next batch and mark them with a different colored lid. They come in blue and green now.

I tried to can some yellowtail a few weeks ago. It was amazing - almost as good as albacore.