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Salmon preserving question


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I have a chance...if I feel well enough to make the trip Friday....to get 20 - 40 salmon. Free. Just by showing my fishing license. [Anyone reading my posts knows that I'm lousy at catching fish so this is a real boon! LOL ] The Fish&Game folks 'milk' the salmon for eggs and raise them up to stock lakes and streams 'round here. If you can get the correct information in the fall, the public is invited to take home those fish to eat. They would die after laying the eggs normally anyway. The location near to me had a bad year so they are giving away only a couple fish each. But by driving half way across the state...(well, I'm riding with someone and maybe not 'half way'...LOL) ...I can get 20 or perhaps a second bag of 20 if they have more left over.

 

 

SOOOOOOoooooooooo what do I do with 20 - 40 salmon? DH is home that evening and the fillet knife is sharp. But I don't want to freeze all that many. I have a (non-electric) smoker. I've never used it and don't know how. I'm looking up stuff on the Net. But does any one have personal experience with smoking or canning salmon in particular? I'm open to both types of preserving. Or anything else? Anyone have a homemade brine recipe that works well for fatty fish like salmon?

 

I'm reading this document by Oregon State Extension office that was posted earlier. Anything to add?

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw238.pdf

 

thanks

 

fishing at the drive-through window

 

 

MtRider feedme

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WOW, am I *JEALOUS*!!! frown Lucky you! clap

 

 

This is the best smoking meats forum I've found... friendly guys and helpful (ladies, too! wink ) ---> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/

 

 

Here's one thread on smoking salmon for meals:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/sh...read.php?t=9596

 

 

I'm sure the last responder could help you find a way to do what you want!

 

bighug

 

 

(When should I come for dinner????? happy02 )

 

 

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If you smoke 'em...(NO comments, please wink ) then ya still gotta refrigerate or freeze them.

 

Get Sherman out and can those babies up! grin Use it for anything you'd use store bought canned salmon.

 

Bake some in some lemon and butter with a bit of dill weed. yumyum YUM, YUM, GOOD!

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Mt. R...

 

I agree w/Necie. Canning is best. Freezing next & then smoking.

 

It actually depends on how 'ripe' the fish are. If they are already crimson color, they will be soft. Canning is the only decent way to work with them.

 

The hens have to be a certain degree of 'spawning readyness' before they harvest the eggs, and milt from the bucks. So you are not getting the prime fish. Still very useable, however.

 

The amount of 'hook' in the jaw will also tell you how ripe they are.

 

Smoke those that still have a majority of silver color..enjoy.

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ThankyouThankyouThankyou!!! bow

 

Cat...I copy/pasted and printed a bunch of stuff from that site. Thanks!

 

I'm getting the idea that to smoke/cook on a BBQ grill would be a tasty thing to do with some of them but then we'd eat them or freeze them. Probably give that a try with a few. We have a cast iron thingie to put into the gas grill to "smoke" the grilling meat. ....I've never used it...but from reading that site, I think I understand what it's for now. woohoo Would need to buy a different kind of wood. Pine is our only option 'round here. That's not good for taste..turpentine? sick

 

The cold smoking method involves many hours of maintaining my non-electric smoker.... DarleneSwoon I don't think I'm physically up for that right now.

 

Canning: Yep, this is what I wanted Sherman for. Meat and meat dishes. So I looked that up in the Blue Ball and the All Am. books: Can fish in pints or half pints only. Yikes, gotta get some of those quick. [i'm still mecry cuz a lady I know threw out her parents huge stash of canning jars just a few wks before she realized I was wanting lots of them...] Anyway, the directions for canning fish sound simple. Have you guys done this? Do you brine first and drain or just pack the fish? Any special instructions from the Wise Ones of canning fish?????

 

Being new at canning, I'm going directly from canning turnips to canning salmon, y'know. [eeeeek....anxious to do this one right!!]

 

 

Yep, Skagitgal, these will be spawning mamas and papas. Hens and Bucks? Glad to hear advice from Washington state. Mine will be kokane (sp) salmon. Don't figure that makes much difference, does it? Smaller than your river to ocean to river runners tho. Still going to be a BIG job. .......I gotta be nuts but how can I turn down an opportunity like this???

 

 

MtRider [Priority #1: get over sore throat & yuk. Priority #2: Get ready for salmon.] DarleneSwoon

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Do you have a hungry and able friend who might help can and/or smoke for a good helping of salmon??

 

Might be a good way to get it done... wink

 

 

(Wish I lived closer. frown )

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I can salmon just like the BBB says, except I skin mine.

 

I also can some like it says for hot pack tuna. I bake it first, like I mentioned above, then follow the instructions in the BBB for tuna. Makes yummy salmon patties or salmon spread.

 

My dad fished for king salmon for years on Lake Michigan. Like Skagit said-THOSE are prime salmon...poach, grill, bake, smoke. My boys river fish for salmon in the fall-those are spent salmon-they need some *help*...bake, can, mix with other ingredients.

 

I baked and froze a bunch earlier this fall. Gonna can them up today. Wish I was there, too...we could do them together. grin

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Oh good, Darlene. Qts would be a lot faster. I'm still feeling sick so I'm not even sure if I'll get to go fetch them tomorrow. Have to be there in person; can't just send my fishing license. But it's hours away and I don't travel well in the best of conditions.

 

Yesssssss, c'mon over Cat and Necie. Canning party. As for Cat's suggestion of anyone else to help here.... Nope, everyone I know 'round here is not physically well this 'season' of life. Great survival lot we'll all make, huh? Wonder if the gal I'll ride with would mind if I slept the whole way there instead of keeping her company? I don't know her well. shrug I'm gonna try to do this if at all possible!

 

Considering all that, I may have to just throw them in the freezer and can them later. Will that make them too mushy? Considering they are 'spent' already? Initial freezing would buy me some time. But I'm trying to use non-electric methods of preserving if I am able. Necie, do you brine yours before canning? The raw ones, I mean.

 

 

I was going to say that I could probably get one canner load going as dh cleans them tomorrow. (He's got a temporary schedule change and will be coming home on Fri nite......I'll have the fillet knife ready.) But I was just indisputably informed by my friend who knows my limits, that I'm being extremely unrealistic....and that's not how she worded it! LOL Please tell me I can freeze first and deal with canning later????

 

I'll just have to see how my 'ole body does.

 

MtRider rollingeyes

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mecrymecrymecry

 

I just talked to the lady I was going to ride with to get the salmon. She'd forgotten about a doctor's appointment tomorrow and

 

WE CAN'T GO.......... mecry

 

 

 

I still need to know about this stuff cuz once in a while, I catch fish or dh catches fish. Our dear friends are good at fishing but too busy and too sick this year to go much. But one never knows what will happen next in my pinpoint on the map. So no learning is in vain.

 

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. NEXT YEAR.....

 

 

MtRider

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Hmmmmm....doctor's appt--usually not a fun thing and costs money OR...FREE salmon??? I think *I'd* reschedule the appt. grin

 

Anywho...for future reference...

 

Yes, I brine (soak in salt water) ALL fish when I clean them.

 

Yes, you can throw them in the freezer and can them later. I canned 6 pts today of baked salmon that I had in the freezer. You can also boil it and freeze it or freeze it raw.

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  • 12 years later...
  • 1 month later...

This is an old post. I have been trying to find salmon at a cheaper price around here. I am thinking about canning it. We make salmon cakes with the store bought canned salmon.

When DH used to go deep sea fishing, he would bring the fish home and fillet them. We packed them in container of water and freeze. They always tasted like they were just caught.  How I miss those deep sea fishing days.  Canned tuna cannot hold a candle to fresh caught tuna. 

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