Canning Salmon
... saving the catch to eat later
One of the benefits of Alaska fishing is stocking your pantry with home-canned salmon.
"Salmon skin is slimy and it feels weird," according to my nine-year-old nephew, Christian. "It was kind of fun to touch them." He eagerly helped prepare his salmon catch. The total time for each canner load is about 7 hours from preparation to cooling.
- First Papaw cleaned all the fish at the water's edge, removing the guts, fins, head, and membranes. Keep the fish on ice until you are ready to prepare them for the canner. Salmon can be frozen until canning time.
- Assemble the equipment, wide-mouthed pint jars, canner, processing instructions, and a jar lifter. Wash the jars, lids, and rings in soapy hot water, and then rinse thoroughly. Cut the salmon in jar-length pieces. Then you stuff it into the pint jars.
- Keep refrigerated until you are ready to put it in the canner.
- Put 1/2 teaspoon of salt into each pint jar or 1/4 teaspoon salt in the half-pints.
- Add water to fill in the air spaces. Run a knife along the inside edge of the jar, and then fill again. Leave a 1/2 inch head space at the top of the jar.
- Then take a soaking wet paper towel and clean the top rim of the jar. Make sure you get all the fish off the rim or else the jars will not seal.
- Place a lid and a ring on top of each jar. Tighten the lid firmly but not too tight. Air will escape during the first part of the canning process.
| For Each Canner Load | Time |
| Cutting cleaned fish | 1 hour |
| Stuffing jars | 1 hour |
| Salt, water, and wiping jars | 1/2 hour |
| Heating jars in canner with lid on | 1 hour |
| Exhaust air | 10 minutes |
| Bring to 10 lbs. pressure | 1/2 hour |
| Process at 10 lbs. pressure | 100 minutes |
| Cooling | 3/4 hour |
| Wiping and labeling jars | 1/2 hour |