All the salmon that was pulled out of the freezer yesterday was to be canned,
Once it was defrosted it was cut into chunks washed and drained,
no need to remove the skin or bones, the bones soften during the canning process and add extra calcium.
The jars were steralised in a hot oven and the lids were popped into boiling water, the salmon was packed into hot jars
Then into the canner, which already has water, no extra liquid is added to the jars,
Lid on and the canner is set to come up to pressure
10 lb of pressure needed to be maintained for 110 minuets
this is were I am glad I have a solid fuel Rayburn, although once it is up to pressure if you were cooking on gas or electric you would turn down to maintain pressure, I move the canner across the stove to the simmer side which isn't so hot, the hottest part of the Rayburn is directly over the fire box.
Once the time is reached, the canner is removed from the heat allow the pressure to drop to zero remove the lid and lift out the jars, they are still very hot and the contents are still bubbling away, as the jars cool, the lids get sucked down making a popping noise and the jar is sealed.
The liquid in there has come from the fish.
4 pints of salmon done
The salmon is the same as what you get in a tin, perfect for sandwiches and fish cakes
While sorting out the freezer yesterday, I pulled out some odds and ends, chicken and some of our sausages we made.
They were put together with some chorizo rice peppers onions and canned tomatoes to make Jambalaya
A nice hot and spicy dinner.
Fantastic post Dawn. It goes to show your proper canner can do so much more than using a basic water bath. Really interesting, and the Jambalaya looks yum!
ReplyDeleteThat Jambalaya looks so good-x-
ReplyDeleteReally liked this post. I wonder if you could can mackerel like this? Something to think about for use. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise you could get these, where do you learn all of this Dawn?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Would love to have salmon (or any fish) to can. Now you've got me thinking...
ReplyDeleteI never thought of canning meat or fish, just jams and fruit. I don't each much salmon and never tasted tinned salmon. Must put this on my foods to try list.
ReplyDeleteWow - you turn your hand to everything! Jx
ReplyDeleteAbout 15 years ago we went out to the west coast (B.C.) to stay with friends who lived right on the water. They had a fishing boat so we went out salmon fishing. We caught some beautiful BIG sockeye salmon. Back at there house we put half in the smoker and we pressure canned the rest. When the fish was out of the smoker we also canned that. This salmon was the best we'd ever tasted and lasted several years as we had many, many jars. I really miss doing that!
ReplyDeleteOh how I'd love a canner...but it will have to wait for Winters End rather than Little Winter! x
ReplyDeleteThe salmon looks great. Just wonder where you got your pressure canner from.
ReplyDeleteYou're so inspiring Dawn! I'd love to do that, but we have no access to salmon but the fish monger, and it's so very expensive. Each jar would work out about $20aud each :/
ReplyDeleteHaving read so many US blogs where canning seems to be a way of life, I really wanted a canner. I make jams, pickles etc but to preserve meat/fish/meals you must do it in a canner in order to kill harmful bacteria. I did a bit of research and opted for the All American canner (same one as you have Dawn) no perishable parts to replace. It's expensive but then it will last way beyond my lifetime and other family members can inherit it! You can't get them in the UK though. Mine was ordered from the States- a Christmas present from my husband. I haven't used it yet but you've inspired me to make a start! Tricia x
ReplyDeleteI love your canning posts! I live in the US and bought an All American 21 in 2012. I've used it for all sorts of pressure canning, including broths. Very handy! I also use a lot of the Tattler lids. I ended up inheriting my husband's late grandfather's canning equipment, so I have 2 water bath canning pots and 2 more pressure canners, though they're the ones that require the rubber gaskets. Here in the US they carry them at the home/hardware stores, so they're easy to keep on hand.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't be afraid to pressure can, but be aware that it is more time consuming regarding the time spent waiting for pressure to build and then cool down time. You can get All American canners on Amazon.
My husband built me a "summer kitchen" in an outdoor shed so that I can can outside in the heat of summer and not heat up the house. That's where I keep my canners so the don't take up space in the kitchen.