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Cook the Book: Canned Tuna

Posted by Caroline Russock, May 19, 2009 at 1:15 PM

I love a good tuna sandwich, and I make them at home all of the time. I always buy the fanciest imported Italian tuna packed in olive oil, usually the one that comes in the best looking can. Some mayo, chopped capers, and olives and it's done and delicious. I never spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the process in which the tuna gets from the ocean and into a can.

Truthfully, I never really thought that canned tuna was something that you could make at home. Eugenia Bone, home-canner extraordinaire, and author of Well-Preserved cans her own tuna and uses it to make great warm-weather dishes, such as pasta salads and Vitello Tonnato. The canned tuna needs to rest for 3 to 6 months in order for its flavor to mellow. After this period of rest, your tuna takes on a delicate flavor that has not the slightest fishiness.

If you're going do a lot of preserving at home, it's a good idea to invest in a pressure canner, which will bring your preserves up to a temperature high enough to kill off any bacteria that might have snuck in to your cans.

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Canned Tuna

- makes 6 half-pint jars -

Adapted from by Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone.

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds very fresh tuna, with skin, bones, and any stringy blood vessels removed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Italian olive oil (not extra virgin)

Procedure

1. Have ready 6 scalded half-pint jars and their bands. (to scald, simply dip the jars in boiling water. You don't need to sterilize the jars, as you will process them for over 10 minutes.) Simmer new lids in a small pan of hot water to soften the rubberized flange.

2. Cut the tuna into chunks as close to the size of the jars as you can manage. Stuff the chunks of tuna into the jar and fill the gaps in the jars with small bits of tuna, still leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top. Do not overfill the jars or your seals will fail.

3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the top of each jar and pour enough olive oil to cover the fish, leaving 3/4 inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Using a butter knife, press the tuna away from the sides of the jar so the oil can fill any air pockets between the chunks of tuna.

4. Wipe the rims, set on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight. (If you put a dab of white vinegar on the cloth you use to wipe the rims, the oil will clean off better.)

5. Place the rack in the bottom of your pressure canner. Place 2 to 3 inches of boiling water in the bottom of your pressure canner. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar if you like: it will keep your jars sparkling clean. Place the jars on the rack. Align the cover handles so they are locked into position as per the instructions for your pressure canner. Remove the pressure regulator from the steam vent. Heat the canner over high heat. Allow steam to be released from the vent for 7 to 10 minutes and then put the pressure regulator over the steam vent. Watch the pressure regulator. When it is about to reach 10 pounds of pressure, lower the heat slightly so that once it reaches 10 pounds it stays there. Check periodically to ensure the pressure stays at 10 pounds. Usually, once you've got the heat right, the pressure will become stable. If you are a little over, it's okay. Just don't go under 10 pounds. (If the pressure dips under 10 pounds, you can't count those minutes against the time you must process the fish. Stop timing, bring the canner back up to pressure by increasing the heat, and then continue timing.) Process the jars at 10 pounds of pressure for 100 minutes.

6. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to drop naturally. When the canner is depressurized (the pressure regulator will read 0), remove the gauge, then the top. Open the top of the pressure canner away from you, as there still may be some hot air inside. Remove the jars and allow them to rest for at least 6 hours. If you didn't use vinegar inside the pressure canner, the jars may be greasy. It's okay - just wipe them down with a rag doused in white vinegar. Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place. Tuna needs to be aged for 3 to 6 months to mellow the flavor. Refrigerate after opening.

Note: If little crystals form on the inside of your jars, don't worry; it's safe to eat. This is magnesium ammonium phosphate, a naturally occurring mineral in fish that crystalizes under certain conditions. It usually dissolves when heated. You may also see little bits of creamy white matter in the jars. Lucky you! This is fat, and fat is good.

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Tags: canning, Cook the Book, curing, Eugenia Bone, fish, how-tos. seafood, preserving, tuna, Well-Preserved