How to Smoke & Can Fresh Fish
Smoking fish is the popular tradition of imparting a smoky flavor to a fresh catch. Without canning, your smoked fish is safe to eat for only two weeks before it starts growing the harmful bacteria that cause botulism. Canning also provides a way of killing off dangerous bacterial spores. Improper canning methods can lead to dry fish that has last some of its flavor. However, these results can be avoided by reducing the time you smoke the fish. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Clean the fish by removing all scales, blood and bones. Wash the fish off with cool water. Cut the fish into pieces that will fit inside of a canning jar.
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2
Soak your fish in a brining mixture made up of 1 cup of salt and 7 cups of water for every 2 to 3 pounds of fish. Allow the fish to soak for half an hour. Weigh your fish on a kitchen scale and record its weight.
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3
Set your home smoker for 140 F to 160 F. Place the fish inside and smoke for two hours. Do not test to see if the fish is done by tasting it. Instead, weigh the fish on a scale to see if it has lost 10 percent of its moisture. A 10-percent moisture loss results in a moist fish.
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4
Pour 16 cups of cool water into your pressure canner. Pack your smoked fish into jars and leave one inch at the top. Clean the jar rims with a paper towel. Set lids on top and place the jars in the canner. Depending on your pressure canner, you can double-stack the jars if you have the room.
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5
Heat up the canner on a high setting. Allow the steam to escape for 10 minutes. Close the petcock and process the jars for 110 minutes at a pressure of 10 pounds.
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6
Turn off the heat at the end of your processing time and allow the jars to cool for 12 hours. Label each jar with the type of fish smoked and with the date.
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Tips & Warnings
Store jars in a dry place away from sunlight and heat.
Avoid eating any lightly smoked fish prior to canning, because there still may be bacteria lurking in it.
