Cut off head and tails of fish. Cut into chunks that will fit into your jar. Plan on leaving at least 1 inch of headspace in jar. For half-pint jars cut pieces into 1 ½ inches
6-8 pounds fish
Add vinegar and salt to each jar
½ teaspoon pickling salt, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Add cut fish to each jar. Leave bones and skin intact.
Wipe jars with a clean cloth
Add lid and ring
Place jars in a pressure cooker filled with 4 inches of water
It is okay to double stack as long as you have a divider between each stack
Place lid and lock lid into place.
Make certain stem vent is uncovered
Turn heat on high until pot begins to steam. Once steam is at a steady stream, set timer for 10 minutes. Allow steam to continue to vent during this time.
Add cover to stem vent. The pressure will begin to climb. Once you hit 10 pounds of pressure (or your pressure for your elevation - see chart below) turn heat down and maintain the pressure for 100 minutes.
After 100 minutes, turn off heat and leave pressure cooker alone and do not remove vent cover until the pressure has fully returned to zero
Remove jars and place on a cooling rack and let jars rest until fully cooled (8 - 12 hours)
Remove rings and check to make certain jars are sealed. Wash jars with warm soapy water. Add date and label contents. Store in a dry, cool place
Notes
Adjust this recipe to the amount of fish you have on hand and the size of your pressure canner. Altitude Adjustment:
1000-2000 feet - 11 pounds of pressure
2001-3000 feet - 12 pounds of pressure
3001-6000 feet - 13 pounds of pressure
6001- 8000 feet - 14 pounds of pressure
8001-10000 feet - 15 pounds of pressure
Recipe Tips:
Follow safe canning practices. Read and reread steps, especially venting times, processing times and pressure settings.
Inspect your jars before using. Don't use it if cracked or chipped.
Wash jars and lids with warm soapy water. Rinse well with hot water. Allow jars to air dry.
Plan enough time for canning. You'll need approximately 30 minutes to fill the jars, 30-60 minutes for the pressure cooker to reach full pressure, 100 minutes of processing time, and 30-45 minutes for the canner to depressurize.
Do not reuse canning lids. Purchase new lids every time. Wash lids in hot soapy water before using. The lids do not need to be boiled (this was a practice that was needed many years ago.)
This recipe works for canning into pint or half-pint-sized jars. If using pint-sized (16 oz) double the salt and vinegar for each jar. The processing times and pressure remain the same. Do not use quart-sized jars. This has been deemed unsafe!
Inspect canned fish before using. If in doubt, throw it out. Do not taste anything to determine if it's good.
Nutritional value is estimated using salmon and canning in half-pint jars.