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Smoking and Canning Salmon and Other Fish

Smoking and Canning Salmon and Other Fish

Smoking your own Salmon and other fish and then canning it at home is safe and tasty with this lab-tested USDA  recipe and step by step directions. Smoking fish by itself does not preserve the fish,  it changes the flavor and texture but does not "preserve" or create a shelf-stable product. These directions will take you through both smoking and preserving the fish.

 

Canning the smoked fish is better than refrigeration, since the bacteria that cause botulism food poisoning could start to grow after 2 to 3 weeks of refrigeration. For long-term storage, smoked fish must be frozen or canned. Canned smoked fish must be processed in a Pressure Canner to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores.

Improved recipe and process

This process has been modified by the food preservation experts to maintain both quality and safety. Here's how and why:

Ordinary pressure canning can affect the quality of home-canned smoked fish due to the time and heat in the pressure canner. Canning tends to dry the fish, darken the color and intensify the smoked flavor. However, it's not safe to reduce the processing time to lessen these undesirable quality changes. Instead, the smoking procedure must be modified. FNH-00223 Fully smoked fish that is dry enough to eat tends to be too dry and strong-flavored after canning. For best quality, fish that will be canned should be smoked for a shorter time than ready-to-eat products. Lightly smoked fish for canning should be processed as soon as possible after smoking for safety and best quality. Don't eat it before canning. Some bacteria survive the low heat during the short smoking process although they will be destroyed during canning. The following smoking procedure will give the best results if you're planning to can your fish.

Types of fish

Preparing Fish For Smoking Different species of fish require different preparation techniques. Salmon are usually prepared by removing the backbone and splitting. Bones are usually not removed. Rockfish and flatfish ; such as sole, cod and flounder ; should be filleted. You will need about ⅔ pound of smoked fish for each pint canning jar. About 1-1/2 to 3 pounds of whole fish will yield this amount of smoked fish depending on the amount of waste removed, such as head, tail, fins and entrails. Be sure to use good-quality, firm fish. Smoking and canning won't improve poor quality! Keep fish refrigerated, or on ice, prior to smoking.

1. Remove blood and scales (and skin, if desired). Rinse well with fresh cool water. 2. Cut prepared fish into pieces that will fit vertically into pint canning jars, about 1 inch shorter than the jar height. Salt will be more uniformly absorbed if pieces are a uniform thickness.

Salting Soaking fish in a strong salt solution (brine) before smoking will give a good surface texture and retard surface spoilage. 1. For each 2 to 3 pounds of prepared fish, dissolve 1 cup salt in 7 cups water. 2. Soak thin pieces of fish (1/2 inch at the thickest point) for about 5 to 10 minutes. Larger, thicker pieces of fish (over 1/2 inch thick) will need 30 to 45 minutes of soaking. Note: If you want less salt in the finished product, reduce the brining time and smoke for no longer than 1 hour. Be sure to can lower salt fish immediately after smoking to ensure safety. Smoking For Canning Small commonly available smokers without thermostats are suitable for smoking fish that will be canned. Fish prepared for canning doesn't have to reach the internal temperature required for ready-toeat products, which is 160°F for at least 30 minutes. Heat isn't needed to smoke fish for canning, although some heat will help promote drying. The temperature of home smokers will vary depending upon the type of smoker and external conditions and will generally reach at least 130° and up to 160°F. These temperatures are high enough to dry the fish if air flow isn't severely restricted. • Smoke only the amount of fish that you plan to can that same day. • Smoke fish for up to 2 hours, depending on the level of smoke flavor desired. Lightly smoked fish isn't safe to eat, so don't taste it to see if it's done. The best way to judge readiness for canning is to measure weight loss. Weight is lost as moisture evaporates during smoking. A 10 percent weight loss yields a moist, good-quality product after canning. The moisture loss in most ready-to-eat smoked fish is generally 20 to 30 percent. Lightly smoked oily fish such as black cod and Chinook salmon will seem very moist due to their higher fat content.

You can measure weight loss easily with a kitchen scale. Calculate percentage loss by comparing the difference in the weight of one piece of raw fish before and after smoking. For example: (A)Weigh a piece of fish before smoking. (B) Weigh the same piece of fish after smoking. (C) Subtract the ending weight (B) from the beginning weight (A) to calculate weight lost (C). (D)Divide weight lost (C) by beginning weight (A). (E) Multiply (D) by 100 to calculate percent of weight loss. For example: 8 ounces beginning weight (A) - 7 ounces ending weight (B) 1 ounce weight lost (C) 1 ounce (C) ÷ 8 ounces (A) = .125 (D) .125 (D) x 100 = 12.5 percent (E) This 12.5 percent weight loss would yield a fairly moist piece of smoked fish after canning. A 20 to 30 percent weight loss would tend to be too dry after canning. Note: If your smoked fish cannot be processed immediately, refrigerate it for processing later that day. If canning will be delayed for more than one day, freeze the fish. Frozen smoked fish must be thawed to refrigerator temperature before canning. Thaw fish in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Canning Smoked Fish Supplies Needed Pressure canner, 16- or 22-quart size. Don't use smaller pressure saucepans. Safe processing times haven't been determined for smaller pressure cookers. If you use a dial-gauge canner, be sure to have it checked for accuracy at least once each year. Follow the processing procedure in this publication even if pressure canner use and care manual instructions differ. It's particularly important to use the amount of cool water specified and to vent the canner. Pint canning jars. Don't use quart jars or tin cans. Safe processing recommendations haven't been determined.

Although half-pint jars could be safely processed for the same length of time as pints, the quality of the product may be less acceptable and the jars may float in the canner. Two-piece metal canning lids. Wash jars, rings and flat lids in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Wash the flat lids gently; do not scrub the sealing compound

Selecting, Preparing and Canning Meat
Smoked Fish
Salmon, rockfish and flatfish (sole, cod, flounder) and other fish

Caution: Safe processing times for other smoked seafoods have not been determined. Those products should be frozen. Smoking of fish should be done by tested methods. Lightly smoked fish is recommended for canning. However, because it has not yet been cooked, do not taste lightly smoked fish before canning.

Follow these recommended canning instructions carefully. Use a 16 to 22 quart pressure canner for this procedure; do not use smaller pressure saucepans. Safe processing times haven't been determined. Do not use quart jars or tin cans. Half-pints could be safely processed for the same length of time as pints, but the quality of the product may be less acceptable.

Procedure: If smoked fish has been frozen, thaw in the refrigerator until no ice crystals remain before canning. If not done prior to smoking, cut fish into pieces that will fit vertically into pint canning jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Measure 4 quarts (16 cups) of cool tap water and pour into the pressure canner. (Note: The water level probably will reach the screw bands of pint jars.) Do not decrease the amount of water or heat the water before processing begins. Pack smoked fish vertically into jars, leaving 1-inch headspace between the pieces and the top of the jar. The fish may be packed either loosely or tightly. Clean jar rims with a clean, damp paper towel. Do not add liquid to the jars. Adjust lids and process following the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the canning method used.

Precautions

FOR SAFETY'S SAKE HEAT HOME CANNED FISH BEFORE EATING!

• Do you know if the dial gauge on your canner is reading accurately?

• Do you know when the rocking or jiggling weight is signaling properly?

• Did you follow the USDA Cooperative Extension Service recommendations for pressure processing this food?

• Was this preserved food a gift? If it was, do you know if the USDA Cooperative Extension Service recommendations for pressure processing this food were followed?

 

If you answered no to any of these questions, you should heat this home canned food before you eat it. Here's how:

1. Open the jar of fish. Check the contents. If fish smells bad or if you see gas bubbles, THROW CONTENTS AWAY! Do not taste!* 2. If fish smells and looks good, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the fish. Cover the jar loosely with foil. 3. Place the opened jar in an oven that has been preheated to 350°F. 4. Remove jar from the oven when the meat thermometer registers 185°F. This heating takes about 30 minutes. 5. Allow the jar to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to let the heat distribute evenly. 6. Serve the fish hot or chill for later use. 7. If jar is recovered, cover with a clean lid. * Before you throw it away, detoxify so that no humans or pets can get poisoned by eating spoiled foods. To detoxify, open jars and carefully place them, along with canning lids, on their sides in a large pan with a lid. Add water to cover jars, put lid on pan and boil for 30 minutes. Cool. Drain liquid. Throw away food and jar lids. Wash hands, counters, can opener and jars with soap and water. Jars may be reused.

This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2009.