Canned Salmon Recipe

[Tightlines667]

Does anyone have a good method/recipe for brining/smoking/canning (or just canning Salmon)?  I think I'm going to can some tomorrow.  Was thinking of a quick brown sugar/salt brine, then a light cherrywood (or applewood) smoke before canning.  Any ideas?  Skip the brine maybe?  Is canning in spring water best for Salmon?

[Steve-O]

I have canned salmon for 4 years now fom my annual AK trips and while by no means an expert have gained a bit of insight as to what works for me.

That said take the following with a pinch of salt.....actually no salt at all.

Rarely do I ever pick up a salt shaker...not for decades. Food and condiments has enough for my tastes.

So year one, I brined and canned. Ended up with salty canned salmon. Ate it anyway...like 20 pints.

Next year... Only a touch of salt in the brine....still came out salty. Ate it.

Next year....no salt....yum! Ate it much quicker.

I will never eat tuna out of a can again.....cat food.

Be sure to follow the pressure cooker rules for canning fish/meat carefully. My altitude above sea level is 4500' so mine is different.

Wide mouth pints do best.

Some folks add a pinch (literally a tiny one) right after packing the jars. Others toss in some kind of jalapeno or mustard squirt before closing the lid.

No extra water needed. Just pack the fish chunks/strips to near the top.

Really helps that my wife is a canning fiend with a Mason jar fetish.

I get two pressure cookers going at once and knock out 19 pints in one go.  There is a website I've used and will go get it. Be right back.

It was this one. For brining and smoking...

http://justsmokedsalmon.com/recipes/smoking-brine/

[Keta]

I was taught how to smoke and smoke/can salmon by a 80 year old Tlinket woman close to 30 years ago.

No added water in jars, the fish makes a good juice when cooking.

For smoked and canned, cut fish into can size chunks w/skin and bones, smoke at less than 80° for 30 min to 1 hour (less is good, more is too much and heat over cooks the fish and makes it like dry chunks of wood), put fish in jars, add salt (1/8 tsp for pints works for me), wipe the rim and put lid and ring on.  Place in pressure cooker, seal the lid and heat until all of the air is purged and pure steam is coming out the vent.  Start timing when pressure reaches 10psi + and cook for 90 min, if pressure drops below start timing over    After the proper time turn off the heat, bleed off the pressure, and place jars on cooling rack too cool.

Modern canning books say more time but no one died when my books were published.

The above works for albacore, yellow tail and wahoo too.

[Steve-O]

I've done it with and without skin and prefer to skin them now just before cutting them into strip chunks. Pin bones soften or dissolve. Open,drain juice, ear with fork!  Or mostly I mix up salmon salad with mayo and sweet pickle relish if our home canned chow chow supply is exhausted. I think this pic has been seen before...but rotated and cropped now. The darker colored ones got a brown sugar rub.

Right now...I am chowing down on some smoked salmon oshizushi!

[Keta]

The oil glands under the skin and the scales add flavor to the fish and the juice.

[Steve-O]

Thats good to know. Do you stir in the skin or just peel it off when you open the jar? I know it kind of falls to pieces when you stir it up but have always tried to peel off the bits.

I will be canning in the next week or so since I'm out.

[Keta]

Thats good to know. Do you stir in the skin or just peel it off when you open the jar? I know it kind of falls to pieces when you stir it up but have always tried to peel off the bits.

I will be canning in the next week or so since I'm out.

Peal it off.  I eat it with a fork right out of the jar on the boat, on crackers too.  I love crunching on the back bones too.

[David Hall]

I have never heard of canning it with the skin and bones but I'm going to give it a try!

[Tightlines667]

Thanks for all the input guys!

Here's what I've got going on so far...




-I am doing:
-3.5lbs in a real maple syrup/rock salt/water brine, then light smoke, then can w/o liquid.
-3.5lbs plain, light smoke, skin on can w/o liquid.
-3lbs in Brown Sugar/Salt/Liquid Smoke/water brine, then can.

I am only brining for 6hrs instead of 10-12, since they are only getting a light smoke.  As Lee suggested, smoking will be cold (<80 deg) for 30mins-1hr, w/applewood.  Canning will be at 10 psi for 90mins.

I am sure it will be good anyway it is canned.  

[Steve-O]

Nice!  I think you've got it covered. No more "cat food/canned tuna" for you.

[Dominick]

I followed this thread and it made me hungry.  I don't have my own canned salmon so I opened a "cat food" can of salmon that I bought at Costco.  I made salmon burgers and they were wonderful though they were of the commercially processed kind (the can did say they were wild caught Alaskan salmon).  If any of you canners visit San Mateo bring me a jar.  Dominick

[TomT]

I think we have had this discussion before.  I used to can a lot of fish and pretty much what Lee said for me--except when I was taught to can fish--the first was salmon, I was taught to remove all large bones and all the skin.  How it tastes otherwise i don't know.  Add no liquid and in Pt jars 1/8 tsp of salt and can at pressure for 90 mins--just like Lee.     I was also taught while filleting not to worry about how much meat(fish) was left on the bone.  We would thin prepare the bones as you would the fillets for smoking and smoke them---Delicious!!
TomT     

[Tightlines667]

Stage 2...smoke.

[Tightlines667]

Stage 3...
Can

[Tightlines667]

Step 4...
Pull the canning jars, allow to cool and ensure all are properly sealed.

I think you all know Step 5.