Cost of canning

[GrassLakeRon]

Hi all,

What is the cost of canning (professionally) your catch? Thanks for your info.

Ron

 

[CapnMike]

Check Alaska Sausage and Indian Valley Meats websites. Most everyone cans their own fish. It's WAY cheaper.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

So if a dragged in a 400 pounder, there is no larger commercial outfit that would can it cheaper then 2.25 per can?

 

[iofthetaiga]

Cost and ultimate quality of some commercial outfit canning your catch: Unknown.

Cost of opening a jar of delectable fish, mid-winter, knowing you did it yourself and prepared it exactly the way you like it: Priceless.

 

[BrownBear]

...2.25 per can?

That sounds pretty cheap.

Back in the early 1970's when minimum wage was $1.10 and hour we had salmon canned in 1# flats or talls every summer in Oregon, and it was $1/can.

Dunno what that would be in today's dollars, but certainly more even without regard for the cost of doing business in Alaska.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Hi all,

What is the cost of canning (professionally) your catch? Thanks for your info.

Ron

I'd think you'd need to contact a canary. I don't think it would be cheap or even doable.
Just go get you a pressure cooker and some cans. It's pretty simple and relaxing. At least to me it was relaxing.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

We can. I just have never canned fish. Do you guys have a good recipe for pike?

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

We can. I just have never canned fish. Do you guys have a good recipe for pike?

Descale or not...your choice. Debone or not...your choice.

cut the pike into portion sizes that will fit into your cans. I prefer to use pint jars and fill them 3/4 to top. Add any spices you like or onion or peppers.
Place in canner and slowly bring pressure up to desired level (I think 11 psi is fish, and I went above that to 13 or 14) then maintain psi above the recommended.

It really is pretty simple. I was surprised at how simple it was.

 

[carolinaboy]

I'm with the home canning group replies - just do it.

but take extra care....fish is canned differently than other foods.

here's a fish canning thread from a reel repair site. I'm the guy whose avatar involves a 200#, 7 foot gator gar laying across him.

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=15546.0

 

[carolinaboy]

And another salmon canning thread.

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=18846.0

 

[BrownBear]

Here is the authoritative source on canning fish. They have a whole long list of pubs including pressure cooker care here. I'm acquainted with some of the authors, and they really know their stuff with a solid science backup.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

Thanks. You folks are great.

 

[BrownBear]

You bet. Only precaution I'll pass along in addition to what you read concerns canning smoked fish, if you're so inclined. I'm inclined and we do a lot of it! roud:

Canning REALLY intensifies the flavor and color of smoked fish. Smoke it as you normally do, and it's going to come out of the can/jar black as charcoal and about as tasty for some reason.

We cut our smoke time waaaay back. It will hardly looked smoked at all when you pull it out of the smoker, but darken just right. Let it sit for a couple of weeks after canning and the flavor will "blossom" through the meat for a full smoke flavor, too.

How much smoke? Depends on how you're smoking. In a little chief I just do one pan of alder. In the Bradley I just do one smoke biscuit or 20 minutes- alder once again. Hickory on fish gets really bitter in the can.

 

[iofthetaiga]

Ditto what BrownBear says. My smoker was about the size of a phone booth and I would COLD smoke for about an hour or so, usually with alder and apple. I liked to cut my fish to fit the jar before smoking, so no raw unsealed edges (just a function of aesthetics and presentation in the jar; it eats all the same).

 

[smithtb]

Cottonwood. Preferably from the beach. Canning still intensifies it, but I think its harder to oversmoke with it.

 

[redleader]

Hickory on fish gets really bitter in the can.

Thank you sir, you just explained what I was doing wrong.

 

[Fish Witch]

In addition to the canning process intensifying the smoke flavor, it also firms up the fish really nice. You can even smoke kings with thick fillets and they'd turn out great after canning, nice and firm instead of mushy no matter how long I'd smoke them.

Can are really expensive and it's hard to justify spending more for an empty can than it costs for a can full of tomatoes. Jars are a lot cheaper and reusable but don't ship outside well.

 

[redleader]

Can are really expensive and it's hard to justify spending more for an empty can than it costs for a can full of tomatoes. Jars are a lot cheaper and reusable but don't ship outside well.

I started using cans this year, the cans are around a dollar each including shipping...about the same price as jars except they aren't reusable. For shipping or traveling with the the cans are far superior, much lighter.
I like the poptop cans, I can get 35 half pints in a flat rate shipping box.

 

[wildog]

We can. I just have never canned fish. Do you guys have a good recipe for pike?

Ron,
I tried canning pike a while back and it didn't go well. Unlike sheefish or salmon, the pike absolutely fell apart to mush from the canning process. I'm not sure if brining it would prevent that from happening, but after that I wouldn't recommend canning pike.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

Ron,
I tried canning pike a while back and it didn't go well. Unlike sheefish or salmon, the pike absolutely fell apart to mush from the canning process. I'm not sure if brining it would prevent that from happening, but after that I wouldn't recommend canning pike.

It happens to be one of my favorite fish to eat. Do you know of anyone who had success? Or is it just the nature of the meat not to can well?