Northwest Fishing Reports

Have 17lbs of trout fillets going in the smoker today and some of them will end up being canned afterward. I searched this specific forum for recipes/tips and note their are small variations, but generally, simply add fish to within 1" of jar top and process. Some add jalapeno, some don't. Since I use a wet brine and cold smoke my trout, I'm wondering if I really need to add additional salt (think not).

Anyone have additional advice or tips? I plan to remove all skin from the fillets prior to canning, don't know about doing the jalapeno thing, I like them, but others might not.

I know all about canning, and have a 16Qt pressure canner, but have only done fish one other time. At our higher altitude (2300'+), my pressure and time are different than those of you who are near sea level.

Thanks for any suggestions.

My grandmother, for years and years, would process my grandfathers smoked trout/kokanee as such:
pack jars with skinned fillets as tight as possible, put 1 tsp. peanut oil in jar, put lid on, place in a pan, then place pan full of canned fillets in preheated oven (180 degrees) for 1 1/2 hours. remove from oven, let cool- enjoy at your leisure! since the fish have been brined and smoked, no pressure cooker needed. I am not sure what the USDA says about this method, but this is what we do in my family, and no one has died from eating them.

Part of the trick to canning fish after smoking is the proper amount of moisture left in the fish. If smoked too long, it may be fine for eating right away, but the canned product will be dry. A rule of thumb is to weigh one piece before it goes in the smoker. Occasionally re-check the weight. When the piece has lost 10% of its original weight, it has a good moisture content for canning.

The peanut oil was added to help with the moisture issue.

I found good info here.

Armed with correct info, I was all set, jars loaded with fish and new lids/rings, loaded into pressure canner and followed directions via the .pdf above. Unfortunately, the sealing ring on my canner lid failed and would not build pressure, so had to stop the process, cool the canner enough to remove the lid and then try to find a source for a new seal. Back home 90mins later with a new seal, but fear the re-start with new lids was too much total time in the canner. Product is quite dark, so will have to wait and see what it tastes like after it cools.

The referenced link says unsealed jars can be reprocessed within 24 hours as long as new lids are used and processed for 110mins. It goes on to say reprocessing could affect quality, and it appears that's the case. Since mine never reached pressure for 110mins, I could not safely refrigerate and consume within 2 weeks.

Ah well, it was an experiment and now that I've got a new seal, looks like I'll have to catch another batch and experiment one more time.

Colossal failure on "appearance" but tastes fine. Next round should be a success on both.

A bit late to this party...but, I have great luck by smoking for about 1/2 hour in my big chief. I don't use fillets, I run mine through a wunder boner before smoking. The flavor intensifys a bunch. I do the salt add because I'm chicken.