This winter I had the chance to sample some home-canned whitefish and thought it was very tasty….and a novel way to preserve your catch for later use. With this in mind, plus a few well placed hints before Christmas, lo and behold, what’s this I see under the tree? Your right, my very own pressure canner!
Well now that I had the shiny device what to do next. The instruction manual had nothing constructive to say about canning fish but this is the beauty of the internet….seek and you shall find! Seems pretty simple but before I can begin someone needs to catch a fish!
Joanne’s husband, Ron was nice enough to volunteer his Eagle Lake trout to the canning process. As it turns out the whitefish ended up in a recipe involving potatoes and onions that I will detail in a later post.
The recipe is very simple…salt, vinegar and Russian salad dressing. The fish is packed in tight with a bit of space at the top. Boil the lids and close up the jars.
Once in the canner the lid is locked on and the contents brought up to a boil. In the center of the lid is the valve device that releases pressure. You can control the pressure by adding the correct control device…either 5, 10 or 15 psi. In this case I used the 15 psi control and cooked the fish for 80 minutes. To do the same job without a pressure canner you would need to boil the jars for about 6 hours!
If you like canned salmon then you will like canned lake trout, or any other canned fish for that matter. I was told that canned pike is very good, so I will be looking for my next “victim” in the near future. Thanks Ron for the trout…there is a jar of canned lake trout here with your name on it!
If you’re looking for an outstanding vacation spot for the serious fisherman or a family get away you should consider Vermillion Bay Lodge on Eagle Lake, Ontario Canada. We have stayed at many lake resorts over the years, but none offer the simple pleasures of this one. The lake is large enough and holds enough fish for the most adventuresome fisherman and yet easy for local family fishing for young children. Bring your own boat or use one of the aluminum boats (20 hp) at the lodge. Boat dockage is well protected from the wind and allows easy access to the water.
What sets this lodge apart from most others is it is always clean, well kept with lots to do including paddle boats canoes, bon fires in the evenings and a just plain friendly atmosphere.
