Canned fish?

Anybody ever can fish? I was thinking it would be cool to make “tuna” out of redhorse or something.

Not sure how that’s done so that it’s “shelf stable” like canned tuna or salmon. Of course just about everything has been pickled. What are you thinking?

I can steelhead and small Chinook from the pond. The male steelhead works great and the meat is more firm. Pint jars and 3 tablespoons of shrimp sauce – just ketchup and horseradish mixed up. Perfect snick for the winter

I’ve pickled a ton of fish in my life. I used to trade walleye for canned venison, which I liked. I’m just thinking northern salad sandwiches with s slice of home-grown tomato. Just like tuna, only northern or sucker or bluegill.

I personally don’t do it but know some people that do that with suckers. not sure though how he did it!!!!!!! sorry or i’d give ya the directions!

I’ve only had salmon done that way and it was candy!

Fish needs to be canned using a pressure cooker. As Randy mentioned, cocktail sauce or catsup can be added to improve the flavor some. The fish should be an “oily” fish and ones with red meat are preferable. You can use fish with whiter meat but the end product will be mushier.

I do a lot of it! Let me know if I can help.

Dave-
You can! You can help! How do you do it?

There are a couple ways to go with your prep and just depends how OCD you are. Technically, one can cut up raw, unboned fish and cram it in a jar. I like to put my fish in the smoker for about 45 minutes to give it a hint of smoke before canning. I usually smoke with the skin on one side and after smoking, the skin will peel right off. The bones will dissolve during the canning process under the pressure canner so you don’t have to get all of the bones but I try to keep them to a minimum.

The actual canning process:
1/2 pint or pint jars are the best. For snacks or dips I use 1/2 pint and full pints for something I will make a meal out of like fish patties.

Recipe for 1/2 pint jars.
1 TBSP bottled water
1/4 Tsp of pickling salt
1/4 Tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp of onion powder
Fill jar to the start of the jar threads. You need to leave room for expansion during the canning process or you will blow your seal.

I recommend a 23 quart pressure canner as your canner device. Add approx. 1″ of water to the bottom of the canner, add your jars (jars can be stacked) and put on the lid. Turn the heat up to med. high / high until you see steam coming out the vent hole for a couple of minutes. Once the steam has run for a couple of minutes, you put the vent weight on and wait for the pressure gauge to start climbing. The jars should be kept at 10 to 11 psi for 100 minutes. At the end of the 100 minutes, take the canner off the heat and allow to cool on its own until the gauge returns to 0 psi. Then and only then the weight can be removed and the lid taken off. When you remove the jars from the canner, they will likely boil internally for several minutes on the counter. If they don’t, there is a good chance that that particular jar lost its seal. It is okay to eat but just means it will go in the frig for immediate consumption rather than the pantry.

Do you have a canning kit with the funnel and tongs? They are a must. I may have missed something so if you have a question about any particular step, please ask.

Good Luck,
Dave

When I can my fish, I usually make 1/2 my batch as “plain” and 1/2 batch as “Dago Red”.

Dago Red
1/4-1/3 of a bay leaf
1/4 tsp pickling salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp. Italian seasoned tomato sauce
A couple pinches of Italian seasoning
A big pinch of red pepper flakes

We can king salmon using our pressure cooker. Makes great tuna (salmon) hot dish. Years ago made some fish cakes (fried) using sucker in the blender with crackers and an egg. Actually it was pretty good.

Canned Kokanee Patties

3 – 4 jars (1/2 pint) canned Kokanee – drained
*1/3 – – ½ cup mayo
*¾ – 1 cup finely crushed crackers (I mix saltines & ritz)
3 chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped jalapeno rings (from a jar)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1 egg
Salt & Pepper
Makes 10 – 12 patties

*Fish will vary in moisture content so these are approx. only. Adjust amounts so that the mixture is firm and binds well.
Mix all ingredients and allow to rest for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Form patties. In a large frying pan over medium high heat, heat ½” of oil. Add patties (3” dia. X ½”) to hot oil and cook for 3 minutes each side. Serve with your favorite homemade tartar sauce.