FISH
People in some sections of the country are interested in canning
mountain trout and others live where there is an abundant supply of
either fresh-water fish or salt-water fish. Heretofore we have been
wasteful and lax about the fish supply. But as we have learned to can
vegetables and meats so we are going to learn to can fish. Fish is
really canned the same in every step after preparation as peas and
corn are canned.
In order to have a good product, fish must be fresh when canned. No
time should be lost in handling the fish after being caught.
Putrefaction starts rapidly, and the fish must be handled promptly.
The sooner it is canned after being taken from lake, stream or ocean,
the better. Never attempt to can any fish that is stale.
PREPARATION OF FISH FOR CANNING
As soon as fish are caught it is advisable to kill them with a knife
and allow the blood to run out. Scale fish. This is easily done if the
fish is dipped in boiling water. For canning, most varieties of fish
need not be skinned. If the fish is very large and coarse, the large
back fin may be cut out and the backbone removed, but with most
varieties this is unnecessary. Cut off the head and tail, being
careful to leave no more meat than necessary on the parts removed.
Remove the entrails and the dark membrane that in some fish (e.g.,
mullets) covers the abdominal cavity. Thoroughly clean the inside. The
head may be cleaned and used for fish chowder.
If you wish to be sure that all blood is drawn out before canning,
place the fish in a brine made of one ounce of salt to one quart of
water. Allow the fish to soak from 10 minutes to 1 hour according to
the thickness of the fish. Never use this brine but once. If the meat
of the fish is very soft or loose, it may be hardened by soaking in a
brine (strong enough to float an Irish potato) for from 15 minutes to
an hour, depending on the thickness of the pieces and the softness of
the flesh.
CANNING THE FISH
1. Remove the fish from the brine where it has been placed in order to
draw out all the blood and to harden the texture of the fish.
2. Drain well.
3. Cut into can lengths.
4. Place fish in a piece of cheesecloth or in a wire basket and blanch
in _boiling water_ from three to five minutes. Three minutes for the
soft flesh fish, such as suckers, crappies, whitefish. Fish with a
firmer flesh, as pike, muskalonge and sunfish require 5 minutes
blanching. The blanching removes the strong fish flavor and cleans the
outside of the fish.
5. Cold-dip the fish by plunging into cold water immediately. This
makes the flesh firm.
6. Pack in hot jars or cans to within ½ inch from top. Add 1
teaspoonful salt per quart. Put on a good rubber and partially seal
the jar, completely seal tin cans.
7. Place jars or cans in canner and process in _boiling_ water for
three hours. Three hours sterilization will insure the keeping of all
varieties of fish, providing fresh products are used and the blanching
and other work is carefully done. If canning with a steam-pressure
canner or a pressure cooker sterilize for one hour and a half under 10
to 15 lbs. pressure.
8. At the end of the sterilizing period cool the jars quickly after
sealing completely. The tin cans may be cooled by immersing them in
cold water.
9. Store for future use.
SOFTENING OF BONES IN FISH
This can be done satisfactorily under pressure. The bones of fish are
composed of large quantities of harmless lime, bound by a matrix of
collagen, which is insoluble under ordinary conditions. When subjected
to a high temperature under pressure this collagen is converted into
gelatin and dissolved, leaving the bones soft and friable and even
edible. Bony fish, such as herring and shad, which are too small to
use otherwise are greatly improved when subjected to steam under
pressure.
The bones in herring are softened in 37 minutes at a temperature of
240 degrees; shad in 1 hour; flounder 1 hour. Other fish are fully
cooked and the bones softened in times approximately proportionate to
the size of the bones.
The following table was made after many experiments and gives the time
required to soften the bones in many common species of fish.
The term "softening" means the point in cooking when the small bones,
ribs, etc., are soft, but when the large vertebrae are not yet
sufficiently soft to be consumed along with the meat. In some of the
larger fishes where the large bones could scarcely be eaten, even if
they were softened, it would appear to be a waste of time and fuel to
carry them to a point of complete cooking, and in such cases it ought
to be sufficient to soften the small bones and sterilize the contents
of the can. For such a purpose, the "softening" rather than the "soft"
point, may be used.
The time periods are measured from the point when the given pressure
and temperature are reached (at the top of the cooker) to the time
when the heat is shut off. The heating-up and cooling-off period of
time are therefore not included. The fish were salted, but no water
was added.
Samples of fish canned during the course of these experiments were
kept six weeks at room temperature (about 68° F.) and were then
incubated at 98° F. for 48 hrs. All were sterile.
TIME REQUIRED TO SOFTEN THE BONES OF
VARIOUS SPECIES OF FISH IN QUART JARS
OR NO. 3 TIN CANS, 10 LBS. PRESSURE,
240° F.
|WEIGHT |SOFTENING|SOFT
|(LBS.) |(MINUTES)|(MINUTES)
| | |
BLACK BASS | | |
| | |
Large | 5-6 | 100 | 120
Small | ¾ to 1 | 100 | 110
| | |
BLUEFISH | | |
| | |
Large | 6-9 | 90 | 100
Small | 1-2 | 80 | 90
| | |
BUTTERFISH | | |
| | |
Average | ¼-½ | 60 | 80
| | |
CATFISH | | |
| | |
Large | 1½-2 | 70 | 80
Small | ¾ | 60 | 70
| | |
CERO | | |
| | |
Average | 10-13 | 80 | 90
| | |
COD | | |
| | |
Large | 6-16 | 80 | 90
Small | 1-2 | 50 | 60
| | |
FLOUNDER | | |
| | |
Large | 1-1¾ | 70 | 80
Small | ½-1 | 50 | 60
| | |
HADDOCK | | |
| | |
Large | 3-5 | 60 | 70
Small | 1-2 | 50 | 60
| | |
HALIBUT | | |
| | |
Average | 50-90 | 70 | 80
| | |
HICKORY SHAD | | |
| | |
Average |1½-2 | 60 | 70
| | |
KINGFISH | | |
| | |
Average | ½-1 | 60 | 70
| | |
LEMON SOLE | | |
| | |
Large | 2½-3½ | 80 | 90
Small | ¾-2 | 60 | 70
| | |
MACKEREL | | |
| | |
Average | ¾-1½ | 60 | 70
| | |
MACKEREL, SPANISH | | |
| | |
Average | 1½-2½ | 100 | 110
| | |
PERCH, WHITE | | |
| | |
Average | ¼-¾ | 100 | 110
| | |
PERCH, YELLOW | | |
| | |
Average | ¼-¾ | 90 | 100
| | |
POLLACK | | |
| | |
Average | 5-7½ | 60 | 70
| | |
SALMON | | |
| | |
Average | 13-19 | 90 | 100
| | |
SEA BASS | | |
| | |
Average | 1-1½ | 60 | 70
| | |
SQUETEAGUE | | |
| | |
Large | 2½-4 | 80 | 90
Small | ¾-2 | 50 | 60
| | |
SMELTS | | |
| | |
Large, per lb. | 5-7 | 60 | 70
Small, per lb. | 15-20 | 50 | 60
| | |
SNAPPER, RED | | |
| | |
Large | 10-15 | 110 | 120
Small | 5-6 | 90 | 100
| | |
SUCKER | | |
| | |
Average | ½-1½ | 80 | 90
| | |
TILEFISH | | |
| | |
Average | 6-12 | 90 | 100
| | |
WHITING | | |
| | |
Average | ½-1 | 50 | 60
FRIED FISH
1. Clean the fish and remove entrails. Split along the back and remove
backbone.
2. Place in brine strong enough to float an Irish potato. Allow fish
to remain in this brine from 10 minutes to 1 hour according to the
thickness of the flesh. This draws out the blood and hardens the meat.
3. Draw, wipe dry.
4. Cut in pieces that can go through jar or can openings.
5. Roll in cornmeal or other flour, dip into beaten egg and roll in
flour again.
6. Then put into frying basket and fry in deep fat until nicely
browned, or it can be sautéd in bacon or other fat until well browned.
7. Drain well by placing pieces on coarse paper to absorb excessive
fat.
8. Pack into hot jars or enameled tin cans.
9. Add 1 teaspoonful salt per quart. Add no liquid.
10. Partially seal glass jars. Completely seal tin cans.
11. Process 3 hours in hot water bath outfit. Process 1½ hours in
steam pressure (10 to 15 lbs. pressure).
12. Remove from canner. Seal glass jars. Cool quickly as possible.
BAKED FISH
Prepare and bake fish same as for table use until half done. Pack in
hot jars, add salt and sterilize three hours in hot-water-bath outfit
or 1½ hours in steam pressure or pressure cooker, 10 to 15 lbs.
pressure.
ANOTHER FORMULA FOR MISCELLANEOUS FISH
Rub the fish inside and out with a mixture made as follows: to 50
pounds fish, mix 2½ pounds salt, 2½ pounds brown sugar and 2½ ounces
saltpeter. Let the fish stand in a cool place for 48 to 60 hours with
the mixture on, then wash and drain. Fill into glass jars or enamel
lined tin cans and add the following sauce until cans are nearly
filled: ¼ pound whole black pepper, 1½ pounds salt, 1 pound of onions
chopped fine, ½ ounce bay leaves, ¼ pound whole cloves, 2 quarts cider
vinegar and 25 quarts of water. Soak the pepper, cloves and bay leaves
for 48 hours in the vinegar. Put the water, salt and onions in a
kettle. Bring to a boil and cook 30 minutes, then add the vinegar and
spices. Let boil for one minute. Strain and it is ready for use.
Sterilize for 3 hours in hot-water-bath outfit.
Sterilize for 1½ hours in steam pressure or pressure cooker (10 to 15
lbs. pressure).
CANNED FISH IN OIL
Rub fish with salt, brown sugar and saltpeter as above directed. Wash
and dry thoroughly in the sun. Spread on wire screens and dip in oil
heated to a temperature of 300 degrees. Use a strap handle plunge
thermometer to determine heat of oil. Cottonseed oil may be used for
this purpose, although olive oil is best. As soon as the fish are
cool enough to handle, pack tightly in cans, filling up with the hot
oil.
Sterilize 3 hours in hot-water-bath-outfit; 1½ hours in steam pressure
or pressure cooker (10 to 15 lbs.).
CANNED FISH IN TOMATO SAUCE
Handle same as specified under "Another Formula for Miscellaneous
Fish," except pour in the following sauce instead of pepper, cloves,
onions, etc.: Ten gallons of tomato pulp (mashed tomatoes and juice
with cores, seeds and skins removed); 1 gallon cider vinegar, 1 pint
Worcestershire sauce; 2½ pounds red sweet peppers; 2½ pounds sugar, 2
cups salt, 2 pounds onions (chopped fine); 1 pound West India peppers
and 1 ounce Saigon cinnamon. The fish are processed same as "Fish in
Oil." Enamel lined cans or glass jars must be used.
FISH CHOWDER
The cleaned heads of any fish, the backbones cut out of large fish
with what meat adheres to them and all other fish scraps may be used
for fish chowder. Put all these parts in cold water (to cover) and
cook until all the meat can be easily removed from the bones. Pick all
the meat from the bones, strain the fish liquor and return it with the
picked fish meat to the kettle. Add the following ingredients: To
every two pounds of fish picked from bones and the liquor in which
fish was cooked add 6 onions, diced or sliced thin; 6 potatoes, diced
or sliced thin; 2 tablespoonfuls fat; 1 teaspoonful paprika; 2
teaspoonfuls salt or salt to taste.
Cook vegetables, fat and seasonings until vegetables are half done.
Pack hot in cans and sterilize same as all other fish. When the
chowder is opened, heat and add milk according to taste.
FISH ROE
For canning be sure to use roe of freshly caught fish and only such
roe as is known to be good to eat. The roe of some fishes, such as the
garfish, is not eaten.
Clean the roe by removing the shreds and strings adhering to it and
wash well in cold water, being careful not to break the roe. Soak for
2 hours in a brine made of 6 quarts of water and 6 ounces of salt.
Drain and pack in hot glass jars or enameled tin cans. Can for the
same length of time as other fish.
OYSTERS
Be sure all oysters that are to be canned are absolutely fresh, have
not "soured" and contain no spoiled oysters. Oysters are opened by
hand. All oysters should be rejected that have partly open shells, as
this is a sign that the oyster is dead and consequently not fit to
eat.
Rinse the oysters to prevent any pieces of shell or grit from getting
into the cans. Blanch 5 minutes. Cold-dip. If the canned oysters are
to be sold it is required by law to mark on each can the net weight of
solids or meat exclusive of liquids.
There have been a number of standard grades of oysters recognized on
the Baltimore market. They are given as follows: "Standard Oysters"
(four kinds).
No. 1 cans, containing respectively 1½, 3, 4 and 5 ounces of meat,
after being processed in the cans.
No. 2 cans, containing respectively 3, 6, 8 and 10 ounces of meat.
"Select" and "Extra Select" Oysters contain respectively 6 ounces and
12 ounces for No. 1 and No. 2 cans. The above are the net weights of
meats only that have been drained over a strainer with a wire bottom
of ½ inch mesh. These are the only grades that have so far been
recognized by the trade. An even balance scale, with one platform for
graduated weights and another for articles to be weighed, is used to
weigh oysters or clams. It is suggested that those who are going to
can clams or oysters find out from their prospective customers just
what requirements are as to weights and then make their pack meet the
occasion. Under no circumstances is it advisable to make any
misstatements or misbrand in any respect.
After oysters have been packed in the can, fill with boiling brine
made of 5 quarts of water to ¼ lb. salt to within ½ inch from top of
can. Sterilize as other fish.
CLAMS
If clams are received in a muddy condition, it is advisable, though
not necessary to wash them before opening. After opening, discard
broken or discolored clams. Do not can any clams unless absolutely
fresh. Blanch. Cold-dip. Weigh out the amount of solid meat, after
draining, that is to go into each can. Weigh and label just as oysters
are weighed and labeled.
Fill can to within ½ inch from the top with boiling brine made of 5
gallons of water and 1 pound of salt. Sterilize.
CLAM BROTH AND CHOWDER
Place the clams, after being opened, in a kettle with enough cold
water to cover. Add a few stalks of celery. Boil for 10 minutes.
Season with salt, and pepper to taste and add 1 tablespoon butter to
every 50 or 60 large clams. Can. Clam chowder can be made according to
any recipe and then canned.
SHRIMPS
Shrimps when first caught are a grayish white color. They are very
delicate and spoil quickly if allowed to stand for any length of time
in a warm place. There are two general methods of canning shrimp--the
"dry pack" and "wet pack." Nearly all the trade now calls for "wet
pack" because the other always has a rather offensive odor and the
meat is never so fresh and sweet of flavor as the "wet pack." Canned
shrimp is very pleasing to the taste and is preferred by many to
lobster for salads and stews.
Wet Pack. Medium sizes are preferable as very large shrimps are apt
to be too tough and too dry. Put the shrimps into a wire scalding
basket and lower into a boiling hot salt water solution made by mixing
one pound of salt to each gallon of water. Allow the shrimps to remain
in this bath for about five minutes, then remove and drain thoroughly.
Peel and remove viscera (entrails). The boiling and the salt will
harden the meat and make the peeling comparatively easy. Pack into
enameled tin cans or glass jars. Nos. 1 and 1½ cans are used almost
exclusively. These sizes should contain 4½ oz and 9 ounces of meat
respectively. It is unsafe to put in more meat than above directed,
for it might cake and become solid when processed.
Add a very mild brine to within ½ inch from top of can. For the brine
use 1 teaspoonful salt to 1 quart of boiling water. Sterilize.
Dry Pack. Handle same as above, except do not pour into the cans any
brine. The fish is packed in the cans and processed as follows without
the addition of any liquor.
Drying of Shrimps. After shrimps are boiled and peeled they may be
dried. Spread on a drier of any kind and dry at a temperature of from
110°F. to 150°F. When thoroughly dry pack in dry clean glass jars or
in parchment-paper lined boxes.
SALMON
Scale fish, clean and wipe dry. Do not wash. If the fish are large cut
in lengths to fill the cans and in sizes to pass through can openings
easily. Salmon is usually packed in No. 1 cans or in flat cans. Fill
cans with fish after it has been blanched 5 minutes and cold dipped.
Sterilize as other fish.
Many salmon packers lacquer the outside of their cans to prevent
rusting. This is a very advisable point. The test for unsound salmon
is the nose. If the contents issue an offensive odor, it is unsound.
Freezing does not hurt canned salmon.
AMERICAN OR DOMESTIC SARDINES
The fish taught and used for packing domestic sardines belong to the
herring family and are said to be of the same species as the sardines
of France, Portugal and Spain. There are two methods generally used in
canning sardines. First, when the fish are put in a sauce such as
mustard dressing or tomato sauce, and secondly where they are packed
in oil.
CANNING SARDINES IN SAUCE
The heads are cut off, the scales taken off and the fish cleaned.
Blanch 5 minutes; cold dip; drain and pack into the cans dry. Cover
with sauce, either mustard or tomato.
SARDINES IN OIL
The fish are prepared in the same manner as above described but
instead of blanching them, they are put in wire baskets and immersed
in boiling peanut or cottonseed oil until tender. Olive oil might be
used, but is rather expensive. When cooked, they are drained, packed
into cans in order, and the cans filled with olive oil. It is often
advisable to salt the fish while fresh and before cooking as it
improves the flavor.
CRAB MEAT
Put 5 gallons of water in a large kettle. Add ¼ lb. of baking soda to
it. When boiling vigorously throw the live crabs in it and boil
quickly for 20 minutes. Remove crabs and wash them in cold water. Pick
out all meat. Wash the meat in a brine made of 1 ounce of salt
dissolved in three quarts of water. Drain and pack in enameled No. 1
flat cans. Sterilize. As soon as the time of sterilizing is up, plunge
the cans immediately into cold water, otherwise crab meat discolors.
For this reason, glass jars are not so well adapted to crab meat
canning as tin cans.
FLAKED CODFISH
The fish are first cleaned and the entrails removed, then the fins are
cut off. The fish are then soaked for about two hours in a salt brine
to remove the blood. This brine is made with about 10 lbs. of salt to
8 gallons of water. The brine is then rinsed off and the fish are
cooked, either boiled or cooked by steam. When codfish are thoroughly
cooked, the meat will drop off of the bone in pieces, and it is very
white in color and crisp in texture. These pieces are then broken in
suitable sizes and are ready to place in the cans. The cans are filled
as full as possible, because after processing the fish will shrink
some.
CRAWFISH
The best way to can crawfish is to put it up in a bouillon as follows:
Water, 2 gallons; vinegar, 1 quart; cloves, 10; carrots in slices, 6;
onions in slices, 6; cloves of garlic, 3.
To the above should be added a good quantity of pepper to suit the
taste, a little salt and bunch of parsley and a little thyme. Boil
slowly for about an hour. Throw in the crawfish after the intestines
have been extracted; to do this take the live crawfish in your hand
and tear off the wing which is in the middle of the tail; it will pull
out at the same time a little black intestine which is very bitter.
Boil one or two minutes, never longer, put in cans and process.
TIME-TABLE FOR BLANCHING AND STERILIZING FISH
[A] SCALD OR BLANCH
[B] HOT WATER BATH OUTFIT 212°F
[C] CONDENSED STEAM OUTFIT 212°F
[D] WATER-SEAL OUTFIT 214°F
[E] STEAM PRESSURE 5 TO 10 POUNDS
[F] PRESSURE COOKER 10 POUNDS
NUMBER OF MINUTES TO STERILIZE
PRODUCT | [A] | [B] | [C] | [D] | [E] | [F]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish of all kinds |3 to 5| 3 hrs.| 3 hrs.|2½ hrs.|2 hrs. |1½ hrs.
| min. | | | | |
| | | | | |
Shell fish of all |3 min.| 3 hrs.| 3 hrs.|2½ hrs.| 2 hrs.|1½ hrs.
kinds | | | | | |