Canning Pacific NW Albacore Tuna
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 10:36AM I'd heard that even though it takes time, energy and skill, canning tuna yourself is worth every bit of effort. Then last week I found out for myself....it's all true!
First you need a sharp knife.
And you'll need people who know what they're doing with a sharp knife in their hand. Preferably people who know the proper way to cut up tuna fish.
Look at these beautiful chunks of Albacore tuna...
...ready to pack into jars.
These custom-canned chunks of tuna are more dense, and the fish is more flavorful in a fresh way, no off-tastes. The only thing added to the tuna is salt, plus carrots, for a bit of sweetness, and olive oil.
The addition of olive oil before processing the tuna makes for a richer finished product.
The last thing we did was wipe the rims, to make sure they were clean before placing the lids on the jars.
It worked well as a group effort, though the mere thought of organizing 100 people to process 1000 pounds of tuna exhausts me. Think about this impressive feat: keeping 12 pressure canners going at once. Not just keeping them going, but keeping them at 15 psi for 90 minutes each. I lost track of how many batches were processed by mid-afternoon. It was truly mind-boggling. Thank Goodness I wasn't in charge!
I'd previously read an article & recipe written by Eugenia Bone, about Canning Tuna at home, so I was already inspired to give it a try. After tasting it I can say I look forward to canning more tuna in the future
I purchased one case (12 jars) of the tuna we canned, and I it won't last long. The very next day I opened a jar and made my own version of Salade Niçoise.
Hands down the best tuna I've ever had.
If you want more information, check out this wonderful article about the event, written by Hannah Raskin and published in Seattle Weekly: "Take That, Charlie: Slow Food Seattle Members Can Their Own Tuna".