Canning Albacore..

This is our canning method. We have been doing it this way for more than a decade with Great success...no broken jars or unsealed jars....knock on wood as the process is in full swing right now. The tuna forums are full of canning ideas and contention but we keep it simple.

Half pint wide mouth jars is all we ever use. A bit more costly but who wants whole pints of fish when you want a treat.

Sanitize the jars and lids. Take them out of hot water as late as you can to keep them warm.

Place the flesh in the jars leaving one half inch of clear head space. Be sure you do NOT get any oil from the meat on the jar rims...this will cause failure.

We don't use any seasonings...no salt...no oil...nothing.

Put the lids on and screw the caps on very loosely...just make contact with the lid/rim.

Stack the jars in the pressure cooker and fill with warm water making sure you have at least two inches of water over the top of jars.

Here is a little trick to keep the jars and lids shiny....add a tablespoon or more of vinegar to the water (I use rice vinegar as it smells much better).

Turn the biggest burner on HIGH, put the lid on, and let her go. Don't leave the pressure cooker unattended....EVER!!

When the cooker approaches 10 pounds of pressure back off the heat (#2 on our gas stove) and try to keep the pressure right around the ten pound mark on the gauge.

Cook for 100 minutes after the cooker reaches the desired pressure. When you reach 100 minutes the ONE HOUR rule comes to play. Do not rush the process. Let the cooker cool on it's own. If you try to vent the pressure too fast you will crack jars and have sealing issues. After the hour and WHEN the pressure gauge goes to zero then open the lid. Then place the jars on a heat proof surface and let them cool. You should hear each jar pop as the lids suck down and they cool.

After everything cools (usually the next morning) check each jar to see if the lids are sucked down. If the lids are loose or not tight without the screw lids place in refer and eat in the next day or so. We have not had this issue but others say its fine to eat soon.

Write the contents and the date on each lid as time flies especially when you have your treats squirreled away in the pantry

Enjoy and Share with close friends 

You add a little water, correct?   To bring the level up to the band about 1/2" below the top?


Eric Morgan
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Not the guy selling the Outback
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You add a little water, correct?   To bring the level up to the band about 1/2" below the top?

Just Albacore.

ps My timer just went off...Yee Haw...another 18 jars down. That makes 54 jars so far since Wednesday with an equal amount to go...at least

The fun part of canning albacore is getting to eat all the scraps as you prepare/cook.

Not mine but my buddies taken out of sc hoping to get my hands on some

I love that stuff. I can't wait to go out and get a bunch of Albies and start canning my own tuna fish. I do have some Monterey King Salmon that i processes in 1/2pint jars and i'm willing to trade some jars if anyone is interested. I have like 1/2 a dozen left.

Here's a small video when i open the pressure cooker after the pressure was down.

http://s1040.photobucket.com/albums/b410/valexdv/?action=view&current=MAH02181.mp4

I have 130 half pints and still canning.  I have some with a jalepeno slice, some with serrano slice, and the rest plain.  I do 100 minutes at 10-15lbs.  Only a few jars so far havnt sealed.

I have 130 half pints and still canning.  I have some with a jalepeno slice, some with serrano slice, and the rest plain.  I do 100 minutes at 10-15lbs.  Only a few jars so far havnt sealed.

That's the great thing about the whole process - the very rare ones that don't seal just get eaten within a couple days.   

I've only done a few small canning batches and do not envy you guys with the large hauls. 

Thanks for sharing Allen. And I'm talking about the jar you're going to give me. 

Will that work with any fish?

Thanks for the detailed instructions. The PC is arriving early next week and I'm going to give it a try.

So that's how you do it.  Thanks.  I need to catch me some more tuna and then get a pressure cooker.  So how does it compare to canned white tuna from the store? I love using those for my tuna salads and sandwiches.

Rey

Yum yum me want to try this soon. I just bought a pressure cooker though, not canner. Will that work as well? 

a did some a few yrs back but I didn't can them. I cut them into chcuks and poached them in some chicken broth and then vac packed them....took up freezer space but it worked well.

Printed that out, thanks! My old housemate's grandma in Portland used to ship us those in Montana, and I remember it being incredible, I was weary at first seeing fish in a jar at room temp with no juice  inside but man was I wrong! I have access to a pressure cooker, now to get some albies!

Great post Otobe! I use the same recipe too.

Another VERY important thing to remember is to watch the pressure gauge like a hawk. Do not walk away. Grab a book or laptop and a chair, one cannot leave the canner unattended. If the pressure drops below 10 psi for more than a minute, the processing time has to start over. Period.