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l North Central Regional Publication 498 ~ November 1994

EIC

Michigan Sea Grant Extension

Michigan Sea Grant College Program

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North Central Regional Publication 498November 1994

'Michigan State University*

Bulletin Office

10B Ag. HalEast Lansing, Ml 48824-1039

�17! 355-0240

For copies of this and other North Cen-

tral Regional publications, write to:Publications Office, Cooperative Exten-sion Service, in care of the universitylisted above for your state. If they do

not have copies, or your state is notlisted above, contact the publishingstate as marked with an asterisk.

Extension Publications

2800 McGuire

University of MissouriColumbia, MO 65211-000'I

�14! 882-2792

Programs and activities of the Coopera-tive Extension Service are available to

all without regard to race, coIor, nationalorig n, age, sex, religion, or disability.

South Dakota State UniversityAg. Comm. CenterBox 2231

Brookings, SD 57007-0892�08! 688-5628

In cooperation with the NCR Education-al Materials Project. Issued in further-

ance of Cooperative Extension work,Acts of Congress of May 8, and June30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.SDepartment of Agriculture and Cooper-ative Extension Services of Illinois, Indi-ana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebras-

ka, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota,

and Wisconsin. Gail L. Imig, director,Michigan State University Extension,East Lansing, Michigan 48824.

*Publ shing state

North Central Regional Extension publications are subject to peer review and pre-pared as a part of the Cooperative Extension activities of the I 3 land-grant universi-ties of the I 2 North Central States. In cooperation with the Extension Service � V.S.Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C. The following states cooperated inmaking this publication available.

Bkiririirig

ing depends on the kind of fishand intended use. Whether youplan to preserve your catch, orcook and eat it immediately,check food preservation or cook-ing directions for the desired cutfor each method selected. If youplan to freeze the fish, prepare it asyou will need it once it thaws.

Il appropriate, hllet your hsh. Fil-leting hsh has a number of advan-tages.

~ it reduces fat in the edible

portion;

~ it reduces exposure to any fatsoluble contaminants;

~ it is simpler to clean since gutsdo not have to be removed.-

~ it saves only the edible portioninstead of taking up space withinedible bones, organs, etc;

~ it is more convenient to wrap

and store,

~ it is simpler and faster to cook;

~ it freezes faster and may increasestorage time.

Dozens of gadgets for cleaning fishare available. Usually a sharp knifewith a thin blade and some prac-tice does the job. If you are goingto hl let your hsh, follow the stepson page 5. If your recipe calls forpan-dressed fish, use the followingsteps:

SLiME Some species, such asnorthern pike, have a thick mucouscoating. Placing the fish in vinegarsolution I part vinegar and 3 partswater! will help remove it Or, rubthe fish with generous amounts ofsalt, then rinse with cold water.

SCALES Fish vary in number of

scales and difficulty of removal.Carp have scales which resemble acoat of armor and have to be

"sawed" off ur removed with the

skin. Trout have fewer scales that

need removing Scaling can beavoided if the hsh are hlleted and

skinned as described in a later

section.

SCALiNG � Scaling fish is done ina number of ways. The most com-mon way is to grasp the hsh firmlyby the head with one hand Withthe other, hold the spoon or hsh-scaling tool vertically and, startingat the tail and moving toward thehead, scrape off the scales. Anoth-er and often safer way is to hold thehsh by the tail and scrape off thescales as previously describedBecause the tail is usually slippery,it may be difficult to grasp with abare hand, An alternative is to

hammer a na i I through the tail andintio the cleaning board This holdsthe hsh in place while scalingThere are also fish cleaning boardsavailable that have a spring-pow-ered clamp to hold the tail whilescaling the fish To help loosen thescales and make scaling easier,

quick!y dip the hsh into boilingwater. This also helps remove theslime layer.

SKiN � The skin is easily removedfrom fish such as bullheads, cat-

hsh, burbot, and some other fish.Hold the head firmly or nail it to aboard Slit the skin down the backand around the hns Use pliers topull off the skin. Pull from head totail.

Gutting

GUTTiNG Fish with gills andviscera removed are called drain@

hsh. Cut the entire length of thefish belly f'rom vent to head andremove the viscera. Be sure to

remove all dark material next tothe backbone; this is the killney. A

stiff-bristled brush will helpremove remains that are difficult

to get with a knife. Rinse the fishthoroughly with clean water.

stock and soups Remove the gillsand gill rakers and wash thorough-ly lt is not necessary to remove theeyes.

Vennoving Fins

beheadingHEAD � Fish, especially largeones, are sometimes cooked with

the head on Then the gills mustbe removed Insert the knife tipinto the gill cover and pull out gillsand gill rakers.

To remove the head, cut just abovethe collarbone behind the pectoralfins If the backbone is large, cutdown to it and then snap it overthe edge of a table or cuttingboard. Cut any remaining fleshholding the head to the body.Remove the cheek meat from largefish and save it; some people con-sider this the best part!

CLEANING THE HEAD � The

head can be useful f' or making

FINS � Remove the dorsal largeback! hn by cutting along bothsides of the fin. Then give a quickpull toward the head pliers areused with large hsh! and pull outthe fin with the root bonesattached. Remove other fins in the

same way lf you merely trim thefins off with a knife, the bones atthe base will be left in the fish Cut

off the tail if you prefer.

WASHING � The hsh is now pan-dressed and ready f' or cooking.Wash thoroughly in cold drinking-quality water Store on ice or in theref'rige ra to r.

COOklrtg Ctli'i

Fish can be cut into several forms

Two of the most common are

steaks and fillets

STEAKS. Large fish are oftensteaked, To make steaks about I

inch thick cut crosswise, parallelto ribs.

FILI ETS. lf you plan to fillet, itisn't necessary to gut the hsh as

&leakingdescribed previously. lust fillet asdescribed here, remove fins andsplit into two pieces To make but-terfly fillets, you won't even split

I the fillets or cut through the belly.

Filletlng requires a ~harp, thin-bladed knife. Cut through the fleshalong the back from tail to justbehind the head Then cut down tothe backbone just above the co!-larbone. Turn the knife flat and cut

the flesh along the backbone toI the tail, allowing the knife to run

over the rib bones Lift off the

entire side of the fish in one piece.Turn the fish over and repeat theoperation on the other side.

!, To skin a fillet, lay it on the cutt!ngboard skin-side down. Firmly hold

! the tail end with pliers hngers willusually slipl and cut through theflesh to the skin Flatten the knife

' ,on the skin and cut the flesh away,running the knife forward whileholding the free end of the skinfirmly with your pliers.

Bones and heads may be used infish stock

BONES. You can reduce problemswith bony hsh in a number ofways Canning fish softens small

5coririg

FilletirIg

5kirinirig Peboriirig

bones so they are edible, or youcan grind them up in minced flesh.Fillet and skin or scale bony hshsuch as mullet suckers! if desired.

Put fillets through a meat grinderhtted with a hne blade. Use

minced flesh in hsh loaves, soups,casseroles and other dishes.

Bones can be fried crisp.

Lay hllets on cutting board, skin-side down. Every A to finch. cutcrosswise through the fillet, but donot cut through the skin.

Remove the bones from cooked

hllets. Cut along the area as shownby the solid lines in the drawing toremove the strips of bones

DEALING WITH

CONTAMI NANTS

Many hsh eaters are concernedabout Great Lakes fish being cont-aminated with chemicals. Some

trout and salmon, especially largeones, are found to have more ofthese substances than is consid-

ered safe by the U.S. Food andDrug Administration. Consult yourstate's annual hsh condumptionadvisory. These advisories usuallycontain information on contami-

nant~ of concern and afl'ected bod-

ies of water, affected species andsizes of fish and on groups of peo-ple at risk.

Follow the suggestions below toreduce your possible exposure tocontaminants even further Since

many chemicals concentrate in thefatty portions of fish, the methodsyou use to clean and cook themcan help you reduce your intake.

CLEANING � Fillet and skin the

fish. Remove as much fat as possi-ble. Fat deposits run along thelateral line, so remove them bycutting in a shallow V under thedark fiesh. Trim the hllet alongthe back fin and belly flap beforecooking.

COOKING � Bake, broil or char-coal broil the fish to remove more

fat from the flesh. Use a rack whichallows the oils to drain away. Donot use the drippings for anything

There is no guarantee that theseprocedures will eliminate contami-nants completely, but they willdefinitely reduce the total amountconsumed

Mercury, a heavy metal, is distrib-uted throughout the muscle tissueof hsh. It cannot be removed bycleaning or cooking.

FRESHWATERFISHPRESERVATIONKeeping freshwater fish flavorfuland safe to eat requires properpreservation. Methods of prepar-ing, preserving and cooking fishare diverse. Using incorrect meth-ods or improperly using correctmethods can cause the hsh to

spoil and can lead to food poison-ing. This section outlines the basicprinciples and technique~ for pre-serving fish for home use A num-ber of recipes are included to showthe variety of products possiblefrom these hsh species and toserve as a guide for horne process-ing and preparation Successfulpreservation depends on carefulattention to proper proceduresand sanitation throughout theprocesses.

Preservation and QualityPreservation does not improve fishquality. The preserved product willbe no better than fresh fish. But

home-preserved products may bebetter than cornrnercial productsbecause the fish can be rushed

straight from catch to cooking,freezing, canning or other process.

FREEZING is the most convenient

and most highly recommendedmethod for preserving fish. Itkeeps hsh safe from spoilage dur-ing long storage, and it is easy andrequires very little time

CANNING is more time-consum-

ing than freezing, but the productcan be stored on the shelf for manymonths Fish must be pressure

canned for safety A temperature of240'F or higher is needed and mustbe maintained for a specihc timeperiod to kill the spores of the bac-teria Clostridium botul inurn that

causes the illness commonlyknown as botulism. This organismgrr>ws in improperly processedk>od and produces a deadly toxin.Using recommended pressure pro-cessing techniques avoids thisproblem and produces a high quaI-ity, safely canned product.

SMOKING is not preservation inthe same sense as freezing andcanning. In Native American hshcamps, hundreds of pounds of fishwere smoked for winter food, but

that sort of process requiredaround-the-clock smoking forweeks at a time and was accompa-nied by drying. As discussed in thisbulletin, smoking is actually cook-ing It adds flavor to the fish,Smoked fish must be stored in a

refrigerator; it is not shelf safe.

PICKLING produces a very flavor-ful fish product that keeps f' or sev-eral weeks in the refrigerator. Pick-led cooked fish can be eaten with-

a o s

quality and nutritive value of hsh.All species of fish can be frozen.Successful freezing depends onlow storage temperatures andairtight, vapor-proof packaging.

Freeze fish quickly To quick freeze,set the freezer dial at -10'F or

lower. Store hsh at O'F or below

Large, thick pieces take longer tofreeze, allowing quality to deterio-rate during the freezing process. Tospeed up freezing, package fish insmall or flat packages.

Moisture loss from frozen fish

causes dehydration called "freezerburn." Of!'-f1avors and poor qualityresult To prevent dehydration andto lock in fresh hsh flavor, packagehsh in airtight, vapor-proof pack-ages. The following are appropri-ate. aluminum foil, plastic freezerboxes with airtight lids, thick plas-tic freezer bags, thin plastic freezerbags in paperboard boxes, freezerpapers, and ice coatings at least8 inch thick. Of these, the best

protection is aluminum foil, clingfreezer wraps or ice coatings.These are often used in a combina-

tion double package system suchas freezer paper or brown paperwrapped over the foil, cling wrap orice coatings.

Freezing Fish inProtective WrapsI. Use fresh hsh, cleaned and

dressed.

2. Cut hsh into appropriate servingpieces. Fish can be frozen wholeor as portions. The most eco-nomical way to freeze fish is inmeal-size packages of steaks orhllets. To be able to separateone frozen hllet or steak from

another, insert a double layer ofwax paper or plastic wrapbetween fish portions when theyare packaged for freezing.

3. Dip Fish in the following solutionto help preserve quality. Add 2tablespoons of ascorbic acid

Curing

Microwave Thawing: Fish not wrap-ped in foil can be thawed in themicrowave before cooking. Micro-wave frozen fish for 15 to 30 sec-onds on medium-low �0",'oI power or defrost!, then let it stand 15

seconds, continue alternate micro-waving and resting until fish isnearly thawed but still cold to thetouch. Allow hsh to stand I to 2

minutes before cooking. You canalso f'ollow your microwave manu-facturer's directions, but do not let

the fish thaw completely.

Free hsh frozen in ice blocks byrunning cold water over the blockWhen the fish is free of ice, removeit and wipe dry. Cook at once.

If thawed hsh is required, removehsh when freed of ice and let stand

under clean, cold running wateruntil just thawed. Drain, wipe dryand cook at once.

Thawing times vary with the sizeand shape of the package and withtemperature. A rule of the thumbis. If frozen at O'F or lower, eachpackaged or solid pound requires6 to 8 hours to thaw in the refriger-ator or I to 2 hours to thaw undercold running water.

Wood smoke has little, if any,preservative action by itself Smok-ing merely adds flavor and colorand removes water from the flesh.Smoked hsh are almost as perish-able as fresh fish. Home proces-sors would do well to heed the

Michigan state law that applies tocommercial smokers. Keepsmoked fish at temperatures under36'F and use within 14 days. Ifsmoked hsh is to be kept longerthan 14 days, freeze or can itimmediately after smoking,according to the directions at theend of this section. Canning orfreezing old hsh only furtherreduces the quality of an alreadydeteriorating product.

The four basic steps in smokingfish are cleaning, curing, dryingand smoking

Clea ning

Clean fish as soon as possibleafter taking them from the water.I Refer to previous directions forcleaning ! Scale hsh and removeviscera, including the kidney,which is the dark streak along thebackbone. The head may also beremoved from larger hsh, but thecollarbone should be! eft to pro-vide shape. Fish may be smokeddrawn, steaked or filleted, skin onand off

Cure the hsh in a brine of picklingor canning salt iodized table saltis not recommended because it

may produce off' flavors!. The goalof brining is to produce a

thorough!y and uniformly saltedproduct. A basic brine consists uf I

cup salt to each gallon of coldwater �0 salimeter! Sugar,spices, and saltpeter are oftenadded to the brine

Here is one recommendedsugar spice brine:I gallon cold water

I cup salt

r.'cu p sugar

I teaspoon saltpeter optional!'

Optional to taste:ClovesBay 1.eavesPickling spicesSage

Adding saltpeter directly is not rezoen-ee~ded Coen piete r ures such as Mor-ton's TenderQuick' already containsaltpeter sodium or potassium nitrate!When using a romplete cure in this for-tn ufation, omit I cup salt and I teaspoonsaltpeter and add I cup TenderQuick.

Use a mixture of spices at the rateof I tablespoon per gallon ofwater.

Another spice formula is I table-spoon of whole cloves and I tea-spoon of bay leaves per gallon ofwater.

Saltpeter may or may not beadded, according to persona I pref-erence, but it does provide a mar-gin of safety against botulism.

Place fish in a large, food-gradeplastic, ceramic or stainless con-tainer so that they lie f!at. Coverwith brine. Use one gallon for each5 pounds of hsh. Use a plate orcover to weigh the hsh down

Continiied an page 11

10

Smokeh

For commer

houses, folio

instructions.not reach th

smoke cookincrease the

may be addplate in the b

Smokehous

orate. A woowith the end

able see illuerators are psmokehous

can even sm

coal grill withcover. Build

in the bottom

about half tular broilinghardwood cadditional co

cooking. Folow the time

and temperatures alreadcussed.

11

TABLE OF BRINING TIM

for a brine of 30' salimeter, 2 parts brine to

Con ditRefriger

SizeFresh

Hours

12 to 14

Hour

10

48 to 72 361o6

&inch thick to 1-inch thick,fillets or split fish

Large whole fish,10 Ibs or larger

enough to submerge them withoutpacking them together Allow fishto cure in a cold place �4' to 38" Fi1' or the appropriate time f seetable!.

No one brining time is right lor al!fish under all conditions. Briningtime~ vary because of brine con-centration and amount, and fish

condition and size affect how

quickly and how much salt isabsorbed Fish that have been

previously frozen and thawedabsorb salt more uniformly andquickly than fresh fish.

Concentration - The stronger nrmore concentrated the brine, theshorter the brining time required.However, short briningtimes will not salt fish

as uniforrrly as iongtimes A brine con-

centration of 30' to

40' salimeter a

measure of the con-

centration of salt in a

solution! is recom-

mended. This is

about 1 or 11 cupssalt for each ga I ionof cold water

Amount of brine - The amount of

brine to the amount of hsh affects

how uniformly and thoroughly thefish will be salted A good ratio is 2parts brine to 1 part fish One gal-lon of brine weighs about 9pounds. This means you wouldneed 20 pounds or a little over 2gallons of brine For each 10pounds of hsh.

Fresh, refrigerated or thawed-The muscle fibers of freshly caughthsh are still intact This slows the

rate of salt absorption Freshlycaught fish require~ about 12 to 14hours ol brining, depending on thethickness of the portion seetable! Fish held in the refriger-

>ii m

Fish require approxi-mately 7 hour of

drying at 70' to80'F before

smoking Aircirculation and

humidity afFectthe time. A fan

speeds up theprocess

ate r For 24 hours absorbs saltfaster � about 10 hours is required.Thawed fish absorb salt still

faster � in about 6 to 8 hoursThese times are 1' or the concentra-

tion and ratio of brine outlinedabove

Size - Brining times are affected bythe thickness of the hsh pieces.Fresh pieces 8- to I-inch thickrequire 6 to 14 hours of brining.Large, whole, fresh fish, likesalmon, require 4H to 72 hours nfbrining. For such large hsh, do notexceed a concentration of 30'

sa limete r.

0 ryi t1g

When fish are cured, remove frombrine, rinse thoroughly and dryFish may be dried in the smoke-house or other place protectedfrom dust Place on racks lthe bestmethod! wiped with vegetable oil,and allow the surface to dry. Ashiny, skin-! ike pellicle will form on

the fish surface. The pellicleseals the surface and pre-vents loss of natural juicesduring smoking.

Smoking

A number of simple, serviceablesmokehouses can be built at home

see page 10!, but smoking proce-dures are about the same for allFol!ow the manufacturer's instruc-

tions for commercia! ly builtsmokers.

Place brined hsh in the smoke-

house. Clear all combustiblemateria I from around and under

the smoking area. Form a smallbed of coals on the hot plate for asmall fire. Take care to keep it fromEaring up. Once the coals haveburned enough to be covered withash, cover them with dry hardwoodchips. Use only hardwoods such ashickory, fruitwood or maple,because other materials such as

pine, moss and leaves may leaveunpleasant tastes on the hsh.Chips may be dampened to pre-vent them from flaming. Add chipsas needed to keep the smokedense throughout the process.Regulate the draft by the vents orby raising or lowering the lid orside of the chamber.

Cold smoke 1-2 hours at 90-100'F.

Then, gradually add hot coals tothe smoker to raise the tempera-ture of the smokehouse to 225'F.

Maintain this temperature untilthe internal temperature of thefish reaches 180'F which should

take 3 to 4 more hours. Hold theflsh at the 180'F flesh temperaturefor 30 minutes Insert a thermome-

ter into the thickest part of the fishto be sure all the flesh reaches this

temperature. Whole fish also needto be smoked and cooked thor-

nughly The total time requiredmay be as much as 12 hours forwhole fish

When smoking is completed,remove the fish and allow them to

cool, Keep fish protected fromdust and insects, then wrap inwaxed paper or plastic wrap, dateand refrigerate. Vse smoked hshwithin 14 days.

Canning Smoked Fish

l. Allow up to N pound of smokedfish per pint Cut smoked fish intolengths suitable for pint jars. Thefish may be lightly smoked orsmoked to a ready-to-eat stage.The smoked flavor tends to inten-

sify with canning.

2. Pack hsh into jars, !caving 1 inchhead space, If frozen, the fishshould be thawed to at least 35' F

before processing. !t may bepacked either loosely or tightly.

3 Adjust lids and put Iars into thecanner.

4. Vent the canner by allowing asteady stream of steam to escapefor 10 minutes. This prevents coldspots that result in underprocess-ing.

5. Cover the canner petcock withthe pressure regulator or close thepetcock Process for 110 minutes I hour and 50 minutes! at 10pounds pressure weighted gaugecanner! or ll pounds pressure dial-gauge canner! for elevationsbetween sea level and 1,000 feet.

See tables on p 15 for pressuresrecommended above 1,000 feet.

6, Remove canner from heat at the

end of processing, Then remove

jars from canner when pressurereturns to zero.

Pickling

Pickling makes use of vinegar, saltand optiona! spices to preservefish. Pickling preserves fish forshorter periods than freezing orcanning. Although vinegar slowsthe growth of spoilage bacteria,gives flavor and softens bones, it isonly a temporary preservative,because enzymes continue to act,

softening and eventually spoilingthe product.

The acetic acid content of the vine-

gar is important Vse ordinaryvinegar containing 5 percent aceticacid. Do not use apple cider vine-gar, wine vinegar or homemadevinegars. The final pickling solu-tion should contain at least 2M

percent acetic acid, no less thanone part vinegar for each partwater lf the taste of vinegar in thepickling solution is too strong,offset it with more sugar. Do notdilute it with water

Pickled hsh must be refrigerated.When properly preserved, theyshould keep for 4 to 6 weeks at40'F

IngredientsTo pickle fish, you need

Fish - Only good qua lity fresh hsh,

Soft water -Hard water has too

much iron, magnesium and/orcalcium, Boil hard water for 5 rnin-

utes, allow the minerals to settleand remove the top scum Then,pour off the water to use. Strainheavy sedimentation through sev-eral layers of cloth, or dilute hard

l3

water with soft water. To diiute,mix one part hard water with twoparts soft water

Vinegar - Vinegar should be clearwithout foreign flavors or odorsand have a guaranteed 0/o aceticacid content. Distilled white vine-gar is recommended Cider andother fruit vinegars containing O'Po'acetic acid may be used, but thefruit compounds may give the hshoff-flavors.

Salt - Use hnely ground canningand pickling salt. Table salt con-tains iodine, calcium and magne-siurn compounds which may givethe hsh a bitter flavor Flaked saltvaries in density and should not beused. Do not use reduced sodiumsalts because they do not containenough sodium to ensure the safe-ty of the product.

Sugar - Regular table sugar issuitable,

Spices - Use only Fresh, wholespices to minimize messiness onbrined fish flesh.

Basic Brining ProcedureI. Clean fish thoroughly. ! I2. Soak fish in the refrigerator in a

weak brine made of i cup salt toeach gallon of cold water for ihour, Drain

3. Make saturated brine of 4 cupssalt to each gallon of cold water.Soak whole fish in saturatedbrine in the refrigerator for i 2hours. Soak small fish such assmelt for 4 hours

4. Rinse fish in fresh water.

'5. Cut fish into serving sizeportions

BASIC PICKUNG REClpE/

Prepare fish as in Basic Brining Procedure.

10 pounds fish brined and cut!

1 dove garlic, crushed optional!

5 cups water

1 eunce white pepper optional!

2 quarts vinegar �% acidity!

Crushed red pepper optional!

8 pound sliced onions to taste!

2 ounces mixed pickling spices

To Pack ia Jae WINFish:

Bay IeavtIsLemon slicesOnion slices

1, Iny large kettle, bring to boii vfater, vinegar, onions and sugar.2. Add fish and simmer for10 minutes or until fish is easily pierced with a

'fork.

3, Remove fish from liquid and spread in single layer in a shallow pan.Refrigerate until cold.

4. Pack cold fish loosely in clean glass jars,

5. Add onion slices, femon and bay leaves if desired.

l4

CANNING FISHAlthough freezing is the easiest way to preserve

fish, canning does offer some advantages. Cannedfish may be stored on a shelf at room temperature forlong periods of time, produces a moist, laky productand eliminates the bone problem. For this reason,mullet suckers! and other bony hsh are oftencanned. The bones soften and become edible withthe meat.

Use only pint jars or smfor canning fish; do not usequart jars. lars must be thooughly clean. It is notnecessary to sterilizethem, however, Just washthem in hot soapy waterand rinse well.

Choose jars with two-piecanning lids. Wipe the jar rclean. Put the lid on, with t

ring of the sealing compounext to the top of the glassScrew the band down firm 1

that it is hand tight. Somewith sealing compound reqboiling or holding in boilinwater for a few minutes befFollow the manufacturer's

The only safe way to process fish is in a pressurecanner. To prevent any risk of botulisrn food poison-ing, the pressure canner must be in perfect order,including accuracy of the pressure gauge, Canningdirections must be followed exactly, including up-to-date researched process times and pressures for thesize of the jar, style of pack and kind of food beingcanned. The jar lid must be firmly sealed and concaveonce cooled. Nothing must leak from the jar, and noliquid should spurt out when the jar is opened, Nounnatural or off odors should be detectable,

Fish that has been frozen may be safely canned,Thaw the fish in the refrigerator, As soon as it hasthawed, prepare and process it according to thedirections that follow, Processing the fish promptlyafter thawing is essential for a safe product,

Preparation

It takes 25 to 35 pounds of whole fresh fish to fillabout a dozen pint jars with boneless fish.

I, Clean and wash hsh thoroughly. Remove theentrails, heads, fins and tails. The skin and darkflesh along the lateral line is usually removed.

2. Cut into desired size � h"! pieces � usually the sizeof the jar.

tional step and does notfluence the preservationrocess. If desired, soakes in brine made of I cup ofsalt per gallon of coldwater. Pieces 8 inch thick

require 10 to 15 minutes,while pieces the size of a

r require an hour in theBrining removes blood androm the fish flesh and firmsh to produce a more desir-nned product.

>ng Methodsy be packed into jars with-id, or it may be packed insauce or tomato juice.

method for canningsalmon or trout,

1. Drain the washed or brined fish, Fill pint jars, leav-ing I inch headspace. If canning fish with skin on,place skin side next to the glass. Add I teaspoon ofsalt per pint, if desired, Do not add liquids.

2. Wipe jar rims, Adjust lids.

3. Process half pints or pints in a pressure canner atthe pressure indicated for your altitude in thecharts on page 15.

FisiII in Tomata lukeI, Drain the brined fish mullet or suckers!. Pack

solidly into clean, hot half-pint or pint jars, but donot jam or crush the flesh. Leave I inch headspace,

2. To each pint jar, add a mixture of 4 ounces boiling

15

tomato juice, Irl teaspoons of vinegar and I 8 tea-spoons of prepared mustard. Cover with the fish,leaving I inch head space.

3. Wipe jar rirns. Adjust 1ids.

4. Process half pints or pints in a pressure cannerusing the schedule for raw pack.

Using a Pres~vre Canner

Follow the manufacturer's directions for the canner

you are using. Here are a few pointers for using anypressure canner:

1. Put 2 or 3 inches of boiling water in the bottom ofthe canner.

2. Set jars on'a rack in the canner using a jar lifter. Iftwo layers of jars are put in a canner, use a rackbetween them. Stagger the second layer.

3. Fasten the canner cover securely so that no steamcan escape except through the vent pressure regu-lator or weighted gauge opening!.

4 Heat at the highest setting until steam pourssteadily from the vent, Let it escape for 10 minutesto drive all air from the canner. Then put on theweighted gauge or close the petcock.

5. Let pressure rise to the recommended pressure. Assoon as this pressure is reached, start counting theprocessing time. Keep pressure constant by regu-lating the heat under the canner.

6. When the processing time is up, turn off the heatand remove the canner from the heat source if pos-sible. Let the canner stand unti l pressure drops to

zero by itself. Do not force cool the canner. Forcecooling may result in improperly processed foodand could warp the canner or open the petcock.Unfasten the canner cover, tilting it away from yourface.

7. Place the hot jars on a board, towel or rack to cool.Keep them out of drafts.

After Canning

When jars are cool �2 to 24 hours after processing!,check the seals. If the lid is depressed or concave andwill not move when pressed, it is sealed.

Label sealed jars with species and date. Store in acool, dry, dark place. For best eating quality, try to usecanned fish within a year.

If unsealed jars are found 24 or more hours after pro-cessing, dispose of the product. Do not taste or smellthe product or feed it to pets. Discard the jar and itscontents in the trash or bury it in soil. If within 24hours after processing you find a jar that did not seal,either refrigerate the fish and use it within 5 days,freeze it, or refrigerate it immediately and recan againwithin 5 days using the same time-temperatureschedule. Remove the lid and check the jar-sealingsurface for nicks. If necessary, replace the jar and adda new lid and reprocess, At times when the lid isremoved. from canned fish, glass-like crystals are pre-sent on the canned fish. If there is no evidence ofglass breakage, the crystals termed "Struvite"! aremagnesium ammonium phosphate, a natural prod-uct formed during canning. They are safe to eat andusually are dissolved by heating,

References

Bartelli, Ingrid. 1973. Fish Preparation. Manuscript,Michigan State University, Cooperative ExtensionService.

Bartelli, Ingrid. 1974. Utilization of Michigan Fish bySpecies. Manuscript, Michigan State University,Cooperative Extension Service.

Bradley, R L, C.M. Dunn, M.E. Mennes, and D. Stuiber.1971. Home Smoking and Pickling of Fish. University ofWisconsin Sea Grant Program.

Cuppett, S.L. 1985. The Effect of Processing Variableson the Safety and Acceptability of Smoked Great LakesWhitehsh. Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan StateUniversity, East Lansing, Ml.

lohnson C.E., D.A. Stuiber, and R.C. Lindsay. 1974.Getting the Most From Your Great Lakes Salmon!University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Program,W I S-SG-74- I 20.

Mattingly, Roseanna. 1976. Great Lakes Fish Cookery.Extension Bulletin E-923 Michigan State UniversityCooperative Extension Service.

Michigan Department of Public Health. 1994. FishConsumption Advisory, PO. Box 30195, Lansing, Ml.

Morris, Dan and lnez Morris. 1972 The Complete FishCookbook Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill.

National Fisheries Institute. Winter 1991. SeafoodSource.

Olsen, M E. and l3utler, S.W. 1990. Iersey Shore SeafoodChoices. Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.HE-599 1990. Lighten Up! With Seafood!

Raab, Carolyn A. and Kenneth S. Hilderbrand, lr. HomeCanning Smoked Fish. PNW 450. A Pacific NorthwestExtension Publication.

Reynolds, A.E., S Tainter and L. Bartelli. 1978. GreatLakes Fish Preparation. Extension Bulletin E- I 179.Michigan State University Cooperative ExtensionService.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1989. Complete Guideto Home Canning. Agriculture Information Bulletin 539Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1966 Freezing Meatand Fish ln The Home Home and Garden Bulletin 93.Government Printing Office.

U S Department of Commerce, National MarineFisheries Service. 1976. Let's Cook Fish FisheryDevelopment Series ¹8. Washington, GovernmentPrinting Office.

U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of CommercialFisheries. 1949. Basic Recipes for Cooking Fish RoseKerr. Fishery Leaflet 106.

U.S. Department of' Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.1970. Guidelines for Processing of Hot-Smoked Chub.H S. Seagran, J.T. Graikoski and I.A. Emerson Circular331. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service1957. Home Canning of Fish. Norman D. Iarvis.Conservation Leaflet 28 Government Printing Office.

U S. Department of Interior, Fish, and Wi!dlife Service.1948. Sauces for Seafoods. Fishery Leaflet 53.Government Printing Office.

Wolf, Isabel D. Revised 1981. Preserving Fish FoodScience and Nutrition Fact Sheet No. 22. AgriculturalExtension Service. University of Minnesota

+i C H v'- 5 & - 9g � ~<p Michigan State University isan AffirmativeAction/Equal Opportunit I t't t' . Ey ns i u ion. xtension programs and materialsare open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or religion.

Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work in agriculture and home economics, acts of Ma ti and ncoo eration with the

ics,ac so ay an lune30,1914.in

La nsing, Ml 48824-1039,p ' ' e U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cail t. !mig, extension director, Michi S U 'ic igan tate niversity, East

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File 35.45 Fisheries!