Pressure Cooking Fish?

AlittleSalt · December 22, 2015

30 years ago, I re-met this amazing girl who really liked/s me. She and I did everything together - including fishing. She is still with me 30 years later.

Now the story and question: We were fishing with rods and reels out at the local lake while sitting on a piece of plywood supported by an old washing machine in about 3' of water. Suddenly a fishing pole got a bite and we caught it just before it was lost to the lake. We fought that fish for a long time. We finally got it close enough so that I could get in the water with a net to gather the fish.

It turned out to be a 23 pound Drum (Fresh water). Drum have a lot of tiny bones.

We took it to my grandfather and asked him what to do with it? He told us that he would take care of it. A day or two later, he told us that he took it to a friend who pressure cooked it. My grandfather was good about making you unsure if he was telling the truth. (Nice way of putting it.) No matter how they prepared it - it was the best tasting fish I have ever eaten.

Do you pressure cook large boney fish?

Langley Ranch · December 23, 2015

I don't know, but I just had to say that was a great story! Thanks for sharing that!
Now I'm thinking about the soft little bones in canned salmon, so my bet is he was telling you right.

**coronabarb** · December 23, 2015

I would give it a try! Here are directions for canning fish. Tuna has its own instructions at the site. You can also can smoked fish.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/fish.html

amideutch · December 23, 2015

I have cooked trout in a pressure cooker and they were great. The fish retains all of its nutrients and only takes 5-8 minutes for a whole fish. You can also cook frozen fish as well and the cooking time remains the same. The other plus is there is very little smell when fish are cooked this way.

Ami

Worth1 · December 23, 2015

Pressure cook or pressure can we have done both.

The drum or Gaspergoo as we call them sucker fish and carp.
We would catch them by the truck load bring them home and cut their tails off to bleed out.
The carp would get the dark meat cut out skinned and then the fish would be chopped up and pressure canned.
We would then make fish patties like you would a salmon patty in the winter.

The national food safety sight says 100 minutes at 11 psi for a gauge canner.
we did quarts and I have no idea how long my mom did it.
Probably 160 minutes.
The bones just crumble and if you dont want the larger bones you can just cut the spine out.
I have ate more canned carp and drum than most people in the US.

It wasn't uncommon for us to butcher 500 pounds or more of fish a year like this.
Worth

**coronabarb** · December 23, 2015

Worth, the Univ of Alaska Extension just released developed/tested times for quarts since they have such a big incidence of botulism among the natives there who had been doing things unsafely. Never thought to pressure COOK fish.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/alas...ish_qtjars.pdf

Worth1 · December 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by coronabarb

Worth, the Univ of Alaska Extension just released developed/tested times for quarts since they have such a big incidence of botulism among the natives there who had been doing things unsafely. Never thought to pressure COOK fish.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/alas...ish_qtjars.pdf

Barb I found it right after I posted.
Someone gave me some canned fish up there and after talking to him about how he did it I politely took it and tossed it later.
I'm glad to know all of my friends that eat my canned and processed stuff trust me completely.

Worth

ContainerTed · December 23, 2015

Here's the University Of Alaska "How To" handout. It seems to have all the cautions and things to think about during the process. Thanks to AKgardengirl for sending me this one.

Bipetual · December 23, 2015

My dad used to have a little lecture about how how to prepare carp. Maybe you're familiar with this one? You clean it, season it, and smoke it on an oak board. Then you throw the carp away and eat the board.

**coronabarb** · December 23, 2015

Ted, that is from 1991 and is for pints. I would advise using the new recommendations from UA that came out this year.

Worth1 · December 23, 2015

100 minutes for pints and 160 minutes for quarts.

Worth

ContainerTed · December 23, 2015

As Worth notes, the only difference between the two documents is that the new one addresses time and pressure for Quarts , and the one I posted addresses time and pressure for Pints. Other than that, they are identical and the majority of the text is verbatim from one to the other.

It's a shame they didn't just add the time and pressure for pints to the new release to make one document cover both.

**coronabarb** · December 23, 2015

It looks like the pint time testing came from the USDA and the quart testing from Univ of Alaska. That's probably why there are two publications. Unless someone does as you did, that is compare the earlier doc with the most recent one, they wouldn't know that there was no update. We just routinely tell folks to look for the most recent guidelines.

Worth1 · December 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by coronabarb

Worth, the Univ of Alaska Extension just released developed/tested times for quarts since they have such a big incidence of botulism among the natives there who had been doing things unsafely. Never thought to pressure COOK fish.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/alas...ish_qtjars.pdf

Quote:

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

As Worth notes, the only difference between the two documents is that the new one addresses time and pressure for Quarts , and the one I posted addresses time and pressure for Pints. Other than that, they are identical and the majority of the text is verbatim from one to the other.

It's a shame they didn't just add the time and pressure for pints to the new release to make one document cover both.

I'm going to address both of you guys at once.

Ted you are right I had to look in two different places it is ridiculous.

Barb there is more than meets the eye with some of the native Alaskans, they eat rotten food on a large scale I dont know what else to say.
I mean nasty rotten no one in their right mind would eat.

Worth

**coronabarb** · December 23, 2015

I heard a few stories at the MFP course, Worth. Like some of the stuff they bury in the ground and then come back later to eat. I think it was an attempt to preserve either meat or animal blubber? I think for every case of food botulism in the states, they have 5 in Alaska...sad.

December 22, 2015	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Pressure Cooking Fish? 30 years ago, I re-met this amazing girl who really liked/s me. She and I did everything together - including fishing. She is still with me 30 years later. Now the story and question: We were fishing with rods and reels out at the local lake while sitting on a piece of plywood supported by an old washing machine in about 3' of water. Suddenly a fishing pole got a bite and we caught it just before it was lost to the lake. We fought that fish for a long time. We finally got it close enough so that I could get in the water with a net to gather the fish. It turned out to be a 23 pound Drum (Fresh water). Drum have a lot of tiny bones. We took it to my grandfather and asked him what to do with it? He told us that he would take care of it. A day or two later, he told us that he took it to a friend who pressure cooked it. My grandfather was good about making you unsure if he was telling the truth. (Nice way of putting it.) No matter how they prepared it - it was the best tasting fish I have ever eaten. Do you pressure cook large boney fish?

December 23, 2015	#3
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	I would give it a try! Here are directions for canning fish. Tuna has its own instructions at the site. You can also can smoked fish. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/fish.html __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

December 23, 2015	#4
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	I have cooked trout in a pressure cooker and they were great. The fish retains all of its nutrients and only takes 5-8 minutes for a whole fish. You can also cook frozen fish as well and the cooking time remains the same. The other plus is there is very little smell when fish are cooked this way. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

December 23, 2015	#6
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	Worth, the Univ of Alaska Extension just released developed/tested times for quarts since they have such a big incidence of botulism among the natives there who had been doing things unsafely. Never thought to pressure COOK fish. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/alas...ish_qtjars.pdf __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

December 23, 2015	#10
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	Ted, that is from 1991 and is for pints. I would advise using the new recommendations from UA that came out this year. __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

December 23, 2015	#2
Langley Ranch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Z8a TX Hill Country Posts: 99	I don't know, but I just had to say that was a great story! Thanks for sharing that! Now I'm thinking about the soft little bones in canned salmon, so my bet is he was telling you right.

December 23, 2015	#5
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Pressure cook or pressure can we have done both. The drum or Gaspergoo as we call them sucker fish and carp. We would catch them by the truck load bring them home and cut their tails off to bleed out. The carp would get the dark meat cut out skinned and then the fish would be chopped up and pressure canned. We would then make fish patties like you would a salmon patty in the winter. The national food safety sight says 100 minutes at 11 psi for a gauge canner. we did quarts and I have no idea how long my mom did it. Probably 160 minutes. The bones just crumble and if you dont want the larger bones you can just cut the spine out. I have ate more canned carp and drum than most people in the US. It wasn't uncommon for us to butcher 500 pounds or more of fish a year like this. Worth

December 23, 2015	#9
Bipetual Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Illinois, zone 5a Posts: 579	My dad used to have a little lecture about how how to prepare carp. Maybe you're familiar with this one? You clean it, season it, and smoke it on an oak board. Then you throw the carp away and eat the board.

December 23, 2015	#12
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	As Worth notes, the only difference between the two documents is that the new one addresses time and pressure for Quarts , and the one I posted addresses time and pressure for Pints. Other than that, they are identical and the majority of the text is verbatim from one to the other. It's a shame they didn't just add the time and pressure for pints to the new release to make one document cover both. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch