Canning your own tuna means packing cleaned, fresh-caught tuna into jars and processing them in a pressure canner long enough to make the fish shelf-stable, producing home-canned tuna that is far better than anything you can buy. Capt. Scott Walker turned me on to this, and it is one of the best things you can do with a cooler full of tuna. In this How 2 Tuesday Scott walks through how to prepare the fish, pack the jars, and use a pressure canner safely so your catch lasts for months on the shelf.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
You clean fresh tuna into chunks, pack it raw into canning jars with a little salt and optional oil, wipe the rims, seal with canning lids, and process the jars in a pressure canner at the required pressure and time for your altitude. Tuna is a low-acid food, so it must be pressure canned, not water-bath canned, to be safe. When the jars cool and seal, you have shelf-stable tuna.
Yes. Tuna is a low-acid food, and low-acid foods must be processed in a pressure canner to reach the temperature needed to make them safely shelf-stable. A boiling water bath does not get hot enough. Using a proper pressure canner and following tested times and pressures is the non-negotiable safety step in canning tuna.
Properly pressure-canned and sealed tuna stored in a cool, dark place is shelf-stable for a long time, generally a year or more for best quality, and it stays safe well beyond that as long as the seal is intact. Always check that each jar sealed, and discard any jar with a broken seal, off smell, or bulging lid.
Because home-canned tuna from fresh-caught fish is dramatically better than store-bought. You control the quality of the fish, the salt, and any oil, and the texture and flavor of properly canned fresh tuna are in a different league than canned tuna off the shelf. It is also a fantastic way to use a big catch so nothing goes to waste.
Most people add a small amount of salt for flavor, and you can add a little olive oil or leave it packed in its own juices. Keep it simple. The fish releases its own liquid as it processes. Follow a tested recipe for headspace and added ingredients so the jars seal and process correctly.
It is safe when you follow tested procedures: use a pressure canner, process for the correct time and pressure for your altitude, leave the right headspace, and confirm each jar seals. The danger with low-acid foods is improper processing, so do not improvise times or skip the pressure canner. Done by the book, canning your own tuna is safe and rewarding.
Here is how Scott Walker cans fresh tuna at home.
I walk through each of these in detail in the episode. Press play in the player above.
The first time I tried Scott Walker's home-canned tuna, I understood why he goes to the trouble. Fresh-caught tuna, canned right, is in a completely different league than anything off the store shelf. It is also the perfect way to put a big catch to use so nothing goes to waste. Scott makes the case in the episode, so press play in the player above.
This is the safety point Scott hammers home. Tuna is a low-acid food, which means a boiling water bath will not get it hot enough to be safe. It has to go in a pressure canner, processed at the right pressure and time for your altitude. There is no shortcut here, and he explains why in the episode.
Scott keeps the recipe simple: clean fish, a little salt, optional oil, the right headspace, and clean sealed lids. The fish makes its own liquid as it processes. Press play in the player above and he will walk through how he preps and packs each jar.
If you have a freezer full of tuna and a pressure canner, this is one of the most rewarding things you can do with your catch. Follow Scott's process by the book, confirm your seals, and you will have restaurant-quality tuna on the shelf for months. Press play in the player above.
Capt. Scott Walker · tuna · pressure canning · canning jars · food preservation · low-acid foods · fresh-caught fish · Florida Keys · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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