Maybe you can also try some smoked?

Hi Ken - yes, I'm sure my son would do the smoking - as he is into chicken that way - (and very good it is too). But he doesn't know how to operate the pressure canner yet. He was quite impressed when he saw it, and I showed him all of my recent ventures with it.

How are your inside seedlings holding up - I am sure you are waiting for the time when they can be planted outside. Really sorry about your heavy rain problems and hope you will soon be able to get it all behind you.

Plants have a way of catching up after long spells of bad weather, and if your greenhouse stays dry, they probably will make it afterall.

Good luck.

Bejay

Bejay, I have canned salmon many, many times. I never use any oil because salmon is a kind of oily, high fat fish anyway. I always buy my tuna packed in water too, I don't like the additional oil. I did add a little catsup on the advice of my father (who is just full of advice, LOL), to make it appear more "pink".

I did find that my salmon stayed pretty firm, I was pleasantly surprised, and it flaked nicely for a salmon salad sandwich or salmon patties.

Finer points. Well, I don't know about finer points, although I was pretty careful to remove all the skin before I cut it into jar sized chunks.

Annie

Normally you don't add oil, just pack raw into the jars add, salt, and process.

Hi LL long time no hear from.

Is there a reason not to use oil - difficulty sealing, etc., or just personal preference?

These yellow tail are from the tuna family, like albacore. In season, I see them smoked in the local markets quite often, and they do taste great that way.

Why is it advisable to remove the skin - off taste or something?

Bejay

The fish is naturally oily enough.It will add more calories, too. Normally the Alaskans may add oil to halibut because it is more dry. Other than that, I don't know of people adding the oil. I seem to remember you have to process it for a very long time, too, with the oil.
The skin to me is slimy and unappetizing. It would be a personal preference, but I guess personally I don't see any benefit in leaving the skin on. If you do leave it on, you place it skin side next to the jar.

I agree, Linda Lou, I just don't like the skin. It's easier to remove before the fish is canned than it is after it is processed, so I always just take it off before I can it.

Annie

We've canned salmon and smoked salmon. I agree that with most fish adding oil would be superfluous. I think you'll be very surprised at how good the fish is in its natural juices and oils.

I guess the only "tip" would be to make every effort to maintain a consistent pressure. Fish venting is very smelly and messy.

Actually, we prefer to can fish outdoors. Tuna especially can smell powerful during processing.

Carol

So - OK then, now all I need to go is the fish. I think this is the reason that I wanted a pressure canner in the first place.

Many years ago, I admired a lady living next door, whose husband was always bringing home some kind of fish or wild meat, which kept her happily canning things. As I was in the early baby rearing years, I decided to wait until I had the precious time to do it.

Now - I'm finally there - enjoying my retirement and doing a lot of things I hoped to.

Thanks again for the words of wisdom and encouragement.

Bejay

Bejay, tuna are 'loined' for canning, which is to say they aren't cleaned with inards removed, they are bled while alive, then skinned, and the tuna loins are then separated from the rest of the body. You never see tuna canned with the skin on, in fact, you want to see only flesh, which you will scrape of anything dark or that looks like a vein, then rinse, before processing. The darker bits on the flesh are very strong tasting.
No need to add oil, there will be oil (fat) in the jar after processing. You just need fresh clean chunks of fish and salt.

In commercial canneries, tuna is often baked whole, then pulled apart, and the white meaty parts then canned...and that's when you see additional oil added, when the fish has been pre-baked.

If this is tuna, the charter boats should have handouts for canning the fish, and for an additional fee will loin them.

But I'm not quite clear on what type fish you mean...yellow tail is snapper, yellow fin tuna. If it's tuna, make sure the deck hands are bleeding the fish or it isn't worth canning (too strong).

Hi Bejay....I know you responded this morning and I was going to get back to you after painting my office ceiling. This will look a little silly if your post shows up again, but from memory -

I've done offshore salmon fishing both sports and commercial, but the tuna trips here are overnighters except in rare years where they come closer than about 80 miles of our harbor - I do can tuna every year though whether I've caught it or not, like many people I know. My MIL worked seasonally in canneries from time to time and she didn't pressure can at home - she took tuna to the cannery, had them baked whole, returned when that was done, filled her cans adding olive oil just like the commercial preparation.

It tasted just like what you could buy on any grocery store shelf.

I was never interested in trying it until a friend help me raw pack fresh tuna in her kitchen - I haven't bought a can in more years than I can remember. Finding out if a charter will loin fish that have been bled is simply a matter of asking when the reservation is made.

Fillet isn't the same as a loin...here's a photo of a tuna loin and it's what you want to can. With the darker strip along the side removed, it's ready to be rinsed and cut into chunks.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:887773}}

And here's the process that shows how the loin is arrived at. The belly loin has more fat than the dorsal (there are 4 loins per fish, no matter how large or small the fish); you may not want to fill jars with exclusively belly loin - mix them up.

Other tips, work quickly with very cold fish. Don't be tempted to overfill jars, you shouldn't find any oily sheen on the water in your canner after processing. (or you'll be scrubbing jars after they've cooled and trying to figure out why your canner still smells fishy). Ventilate...I can tuna with the fan to my heat pump on manual, screened kitchen window and back door open. When that last canner is done and I'm waiting for pressure to drop, I give floor, counters, anything I've touched a good wipe down again so no fish odor is clinging to anything.

And finally enjoy....the end product is so very good!

Here is a link that might be useful: loining

Apparently something happened to the Garden Forums yesterday, as I was able to reach some others, but not the Harvest, Vegetable, Fruit - so my post disappeared somewhere, but it sounds as tho you did see it earlier anyway, so won't repeat here.

That information about loining will be very helpful, and I printed a copy for my "saves" where it will be handy when the time comes.

One more question, if you don't mind - would you advise canning in quart sizes? You mention mixing the different loins - so wondered if there is flavor reason - or texture? I've always removed any of the darker meat in fish, as I know it can be "fishier" than the rest.

Folks in these parts eat barracuda - they are smaller on this coast, than in Florida waters. They have a lot more dark meat on them though. I'm not sure why Floridians don't eat them, perhaps because there are so many more really fine fish there - or perhaps the "man-eater" boo boo - dunno.

Thank you for your great post -

Bejay

Bejay, no, you may only can tuna in pints and half pints (I use wide mouth)....larger, denser amounts in quarts is not recommended as being safe. A friend of mine wanted to do part in quarts one year, called the county extension agent for the processing time when it wasn't included in any canning books, and got a good scolding :)

And I only suggested you not put all belly loin alone in jars because of the higher fat content, but that's just the way I do it. The flavor doesn't seem any different, and fat is poured off when you open the jar to use the fish. (the contents of those jars would shrink a little more in processing, leaving you a bit less finished product in your jars)

It's too cold for barracuda here so I haven't eaten it :)

I have a question for all you tuna canning experts. How much fresh tuna do I need to can 24 1/2 pint jars. One of my clients in going fishing and wants to know how much tuna I want.
Thanks for your help.

In Florida and the Caribbean people don't like to eat Barracuda because of the danger of ciguatera poisoning. This toxin accumulates in large predatory reef fish such as barracuda and grouper, and can make you really sick. The smaller sizes of fish will not have accumulated the toxin yet, and should be ok. Not all big fish will contain the toxin, but there is no way to tell before you eat it.

eileen_nv

That is interesting! I knew that folks didn't much care for the barracuda, but grouper?? Some of these can get over 300 lbs. However, they wouldn't strike me as being predatory. They hang around old shipwrecks, and barely move. They aren't especially a "sport" fish either, as it takes a heavy rod and lots of muscle to pull them in. Like hooking onto a log. But they taste great to me, like a very large white sea bass - which I believe they are related to.

Outside of a fresh cut snook, my next preference would be grouper or large white sea bass.

Sorry to hear that they can become dangerous eating. I've never heard the word ciguatera before - must do a Google.

Thanks for the in-put. The things one learns on these forums - amazing!

Bejay