My wife and I are going to can some Salmon this season and would like to find some recipes and I thought I would ask here. Anyone?

WDFW puts out a booklet called "Pacific Salmon Cookbook". It describes the canning process. About the only ingredient you need besides salmon is salt(one-half teaspoon per pint). I think some people add liquid smoke, but I don't know the amount. We've never had a failure following the directions in that booklet which should be available at regional offices and at the Olympia headquarters. It cost 50 cents when I picked it up, might be a bit more now. Every recipe I've seen for canning salmon says you should never use jars larger than pints. Also, pack the bones, especially the backbone, into the jars. It's essential for flavor and added nutrition. Good luck!

I can 90% of the fish I catch the recipe is very easy,first thing is prepare your fish in your prefered brine and when you put the fish in the smoker only burn 3 pans of chips then remove fish from the smoker let it cool off if need be then remove the skin from the fish, now your ready to can.As CedarR says put bones and everything in but you can use pint or quart jars next is the salt ,you will have to experiment with how much salt some like more some like less,the salt needs to be sea salt not your table salt and then add (this is the key ingrd.) the best virgin olive oil you can get.Start with 1 tbsp olive oil per pint this also needs to be added more or less depending on how moist you like your fish. Enjoy

Last Cast,

Are you saying that you smoke the fish that you can less than you would for normal smoked fish?

Just curious, because on a Big Chief smoker, I normally only use two or three pans, even if I smoke it for hours and hours.

-N.

DB,

I used to can salmon every season for a number of years. Done well, it is absolutely superior to any store-bought product. I favored half-pint jars, as the perfect personal serving size. For half-pints, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke (or put fish in smoker for 1/2 hour before canning, which is a lot more work), and process 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. For pint jars, double the salt and liquid smoke, and increase processing time to 90 minutes.

If you put fish in the smoker first, it's easy to skin it before putting it in the jars. When I switched to liquid smoke, I decided to keep the skin on. No big deal either way. I filleted the salmon and don't can the bones. Canned bones are very nutritious, but I like to use the absolute minimum processing time - canning by definition overcooks fish - and the 60 minute processing leaves crunchy bones in the jar, which I don't care for. Longer processing times overcooks the fish even more, but then you won't notice the bones. So I guess it depends on how overcooked you like your fish and whether or not you enjoy chewing crunchy fish bones. Take your choice.

Now, I should confess to being an absolute fish snob, so the following is just this fish connoisseur's highly biased opinion. I only can sockeye and kings - preferably early running fish that ascend long rivers. These salmon have the highest lipid content and yield the best flavor. Canning these fish using the directions above will attract beautiful women and have them swooning over you and your wonderful fish. Or, you could can coho or steelhead and maybe get a date at a third rate bar. And pink or chum, well, we won't go there. And flamers, please re-read the part where I said this is my highly biased opinion; you can eat whatever you want.

Good fish is the food of the gods. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Salmo g.