Can Fresh Caught Albacore Tuna at Home

By Lisa Shell

It’s lunchtime. I open up the canned goods pantry and notice the vast amount of empty, clean jars stacked one on top of the other. The jars used to be packed with tuna. We have tuna sandwiches for lunch about once a week. The dwindling supply triggers me to ask my husband a question. “Are you going tuna fishing this year?”

Albacore tuna is a cherished food that is a staple at many tables around the harbor. It’s marketed for it’s prized white meat and flavor. Here are a few tips on how to bring it fresh to your table at home.

Booking the Trip
Finding your favorite captain and boat is made a bit easier by using the Westport Charter Boat Association‘s list of current members.  There are various charters available out of Westport and it’s easy to use the associations booking service to find an open spot on a boat. Tuna trips often fill up a year in advance so make your reservation as soon as possible.

An adrenaline filled day awaits anglers that decide to gear up for what some call “the fishing adventure of a lifetime.”  Get your rubber boots, rain gear, rain pants, sweatshirt (with a hoodie), sunglasses, hat and enough food and beverages for an entire day. You want to be fully protected from the weather, the tuna blood and smell because it doesn’t come out of your clothes easily. Don’t wear your best outdoor clothes. Pack a sleeping bag and pillow so you can rest up for what’s sure to be a challenging physical event. All trips are different, but if you leave at night, you will arrive at the fishing grounds at daylight and will fish hard all day.

Buy Your Fish
If you decide to buy fresh tuna, make sure it’s bled. There are several local retail outlets that sell fresh or frozen tuna like Merino’s Seafood, Seafood Connection, Nelson Crab and Brady’s Oysters. You can also head down to the marina in Westport during “Albacore Season” and find signs at the top of the docks that will lead you to fish for sale fresh off a commercial fishing boat.

Once you have got your fish – cold and packed on ice – bring it home and get ready to can your tuna.

Canning Your Albacore Tuna
We are not professional canners, by any means. Always follow the directions included with your home canner and use a recipe from a well respected guide like the Ball “Blue Book, The Guide to Home Canning and Freezing.”

Most people can inside. If weather permits and space is available we can tuna in a well-ventilated garage. You don’t have to, but at our house we find it’s the best way to eliminate the smell of pungent oils. We clean our fish outdoors too. Set-up the gas burner, or borrow one if you have to. It will make the whole process much more enjoyable.

Starting from scratch, you will need to invest in new jars, rings and lids. In the Pacific Northwest it’s easy to find canning supplies at most grocery or sporting good stores. We prefer the 10-ounce oyster jar. They can be purchased locally at Brady’s Oysters Company.

• Gather your jars, rings, and seals. Wash your jars and rings. Place your lids in steaming water.
• Store jars upright on a newspaper lined table for easy stuffing.
• Grab your canning funnel (or not, it’s just messier if you don’t use a funnel).
• Cut tuna loins into chunks about the size of the jar. Trim the bloody red off it’s too strong tasting. Stuff the chunks into the jar. Try to be as clean as possible when stuffing jars because it will take less time to wipe the lids down before you screw the seals down.
• Leave about an inch of headroom in each jar. Do not overstuff the jars. Overstuffing jars can cause seals to fail and jar breakage.
• Check the recipe you’re using and add the suggested amount of salt now. We add a teaspoon to a half pint jar and a little less with a 10-ounce jar.
• We don’t add additional oil, but if you’re going to, now’s the time. Check your recipe, or add just enough to cover the fish. Press the fish down to get rid of as much air space as possible. You want the oil to fill the air pockets. Wipe each rim clean, ensuring there are no pieces of tuna or oil on the rim. Dab white vinegar on a cloth or cotton swab to clean the rims.
• Pull the lids (seals) one by one out of the hot water and place onto the jars. Take the rings and screw each lid down, not as tight as you can, but tight.
• Place your jars on a rack in the canner. You can place the second row of jars carefully on top of the first, being careful to make sure the sides of the glass are not touching.
• Check the water level after and follow directions on your canner to make sure everything in correct.
• If the pressure regulator is removable, remove it from the vent.

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  Lock down the lid the canner, make sure all the gadgets are screwed down to close, don’t forget one. Check one more time and then move on to heat the canner and contents over high heat.

• Wait for the vented hot air to reach full steam. Let it vent for at least 10 minutes. Once you’ve reached full steam, place the regulator back on the vent.
• Watch the pressure rise. When the pressure reaches 10 pounds, lower the heat a bit so it stays at 10 pounds. This takes a bit of time sometimes, but just lower or raise the temperature a little bit at a time.
• The goal is to keep the pressure at 10 pounds during the cooking period. It’s okay if the pressure is a bit over here and there, but the tuna must be cooked at 10 pounds of pressure for 100 minutes.
• Once the tuna has cooked for 100 minutes, turn off the heat. Allow the canner pressure gauge to reach zero. The canner will be warm after the pressure naturally reaches zero. Try not to have any cold draft, and close doors and windows if you need to.
• Open the top of the canner away from you because there will be hot, steamy air inside. Using jar tongs, carefully take each jar out and place it on a newspaper lined counter. Let the jars of the fresh, canned tuna rest.
• Listen for the sounds of popping (the lids are sealing tight). It’s a wondrous sound after a long day of canning – it’s the best part.
• After the jars cool, wash them with hot, soapy water and pack away for future use.

We started canning our own tuna after watching my mother-in-law can her own  for many years. She inspired us to do it on our own.  “Don’t overfill the jars.” That’s one of the best pieces of advice.

If you do everything perfect, you might still have broken jars, or a few jars that don’t seal. If you do follow the directions, you can be assured it’s safe and delicious, ready to be stored in the pantry for future use on a delicious tuna fish sandwich for lunch.