Canning Tuna

[GUscottie]

So, I'm the guy who has a metric ton of Tuna and I have never canned anything before. I have a small pressure cooker and I'm getting very confused about ways to cook/can the meat.

I've been told to bake the tuna before canning it. I've also been told to smoke the tuna before canning it. I've also read that you can go straight to canning it in the pressure cooker.

Can someone help clarify this information for me....I'm really confused and my fishing buddy is busy with moving and can't help for a while, and I'm craving a tuna sandwich like yesterday, since I was cleaning it yesterday.

Thanks for all of your wonderful insight...Plus I did read through the post below this with the different flavors and I'm very much game for adding some fun stuff to spice up the tuna.

[Jonnyjammer]

I go straight to pressure cooker with only a teaspoon of canning salt.I can salt to taste later when Im eating it.

[TONTO]

 Pack it raw, cooks in the jar, unless you realy want to do a light smoke first. I add a couple drips of liquid smoke to the jar, much easier than smoking. 1/8 tsp of salt to a half pint is enough for my taste. 110 minutes at 11#s, leave abit of headspace, wipe the rim, preheat the lids, hand tight the rings. Make sure to keep up to pressure the whole cook time, if it falls below pressure you must start the time over. Cool slow, and check seals before stowing away. There are lots of variations as far as different't flavors but the canning prosses stays pretty constent.

[GUscottie]

That was very helpful. Thank you TONTO

[pd]

Scottie, tuna loins in jars are a delicacy in the south of Italy.  The commercially prepared product is cooked in the jar as described above (in pressure autoclaves), but always packed in extra virgin olive oil and a liberal amount of salt.

There is another way to do it: Blanch in hot water first, and then pack in a clean jar with olive oil, and let sit for a while.  Here is a recipe on how to do it.  It is in Italian, but you will get the idea.
http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Tonno-sott-olio.html

Tuna loins (used to be bluefin, but now yellow tail) are highly prized, served sparingly on pasta.  Never in sandwiches with mayonnaise.  YMMV.

[Firedogg]

 I did 132 half pints over the weekend along with putting up loins, steaks and medallions wrapped in bacon.   I had 118 pounds of fileted loins to take care of.


  i followed llowed this for raw packed albacore and it came out great. No salt, no oil. I did throw a garlic clove in with 12 jars to see how it tastes, someone else said to add a seeded jalapeno pepper but I am not a pepper person.

https://culinariaeugenius.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/albacore-tuna-canning/


  Did I say it tasted great... Will never be able to eat store bought canned tuna again.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

All points brought up are spot on!
 :tup

[Stein]

I go straight to pressure cooker with only a teaspoon of canning salt.I can salt to taste later when Im eating it.

This is what I do with salmon, just did a batch last night.  I use 1/2 tsp in half-pint jars.

I tried smoking before canning and never ended up with anything I liked.  The canning process intensifies the smoke flavor and many recipes for canned fish just don't work with smoke flavor.

Pack the raw fish into jars leaving 1/2" or more headspace and process at 10 pounds for 110 minutes (according to the directions that came with my canner).

Another tip is to put the jars into the water when it isn't hot.  You can use warm water but if you bring it to a boil and drop room temperature jars into it you will be sorry.

[NRA4LIFE]

Be careful if using a "pressure cooker".  They often are not set up for pressure canning.  My pressure cooker doesn't have a pressure gauge nor does it have a rack on the bottom to keep the jars off the bottom.  That is absolutely mandatory or your jars will break, guaranteed.  And you have to be able to monitor the pressure, that is critical to safe home canning.  A "pressure canner" is your best option. 

As for the Tuna, I can raw with a little salt or Johnnys or a couple drops of liquid smoke.  With my canner, I believe it is about 100 minutes at 11 lbs (but don't quote me on that) for half pints.  Best suggestion is to follow the directions to the letter in the instruction book that comes with the canner.

[fishngamereaper]

Ive cut back to 10 lbs for 90 minutes. 110 minutes overcooks the meat IMO. Canned tuna doesn't last more than a year in my house and 90 minutes has been preserving it just fine. Pinch of salt and olive oil for pint jars(tuna fish samis) and experiment with half pint snack jars. Just did some in soy sauce, some ginger and red pepper. Wowzer, almost ate the glass jar to...

[2labs]

I really want to get setup to do this! I love B.B.Q albacore, but after a trip I can burn out on it. Have you guys tried making jalapeño canned tuna? I always get a couple cans at Merinos in Westport, but it's ridiculous what they charge.

[NRA4LIFE]

Once you can your own tuna, you may never buy it again.

[Jonnyjammer]

Be careful if using a "pressure cooker".  They often are not set up for pressure canning.  My pressure cooker doesn't have a pressure gauge nor does it have a rack on the bottom to keep the jars off the bottom.  That is absolutely mandatory or your jars will break, guaranteed.  And you have to be able to monitor the pressure, that is critical to safe home canning.  A "pressure canner" is your best option. 

As for the Tuna, I can raw with a little salt or Johnnys or a couple drops of liquid smoke.  With my canner, I believe it is about 100 minutes at 11 lbs (but don't quote me on that) for half pints.  Best suggestion is to follow the directions to the letter in the instruction book that comes with the canner.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could /would explain this and give some source for the info thank you sir.

[Okanagan]

I go straight to pressure cooker with only a teaspoon of canning salt.I can salt to taste later when Im eating it.

This is what I do with salmon, just did a batch last night.  I use 1/2 tsp in half-pint jars.

I tried smoking before canning and never ended up with anything I liked.  The canning process intensifies the smoke flavor and many recipes for canned fish just don't work with smoke flavor.

Pack the raw fish into jars leaving 1/2" or more headspace and process at 10 pounds for 110 minutes (according to the directions that came with my canner).

Another tip is to put the jars into the water when it isn't hot.  You can use warm water but if you bring it to a boil and drop room temperature jars into it you will be sorry.

   Looks like several of us can tuna this way.  My picky daughter raved about our home canned tuna as the best she's ever tasted.

Trim all trace of the dark strip of meat off of the side before putting any tuna meat into the jars.

[LndShrk]

This is how I deal with it.. Straight to the cooker(s)