Fishing part II

As Chris says, once you haul the boat out, the work begins. Stop by the launch on the Kilchis River to run the salt water out of the motor; clean the boat; clean the fish; clean the gear; put away the gear; put the boat (still hitched to truck) in the designated slot in the new pole barn; roll up the hose; clean the the cleaning area.

And finally, do something with those beautiful fillets! We took our two fish (4 big fillets) home, and got out the jars, canner, lids and the rest of the parphenalia needed to do some canning. We didn't can tuna this year, it was way expensive - so these salmon were a bonus, and canning part of the catch would make up for the tuna. We tend to use them the same way, in sandwich fillings, with salad, in noodle casseroles, and so on.

So here is step one. Everything all set to cut and stuff.

Of course for a really good job, you must have quality control. And who would know better than a cat? Mom slipped Birdie a generous bite - which, typical of a cat, who never does what you expect, she totally ignored. It was more interesting making sure that knife was being handled correctly...
Salmon skin is surprisingly tough. So the best method of getting the slabs cut into slices is to use a sharp knife to cut through the meat until reaching the skin, then use kitchen shears to cut the skin. A lot easier than sawing through with the knife...
By cutting the slices into jar-tall pieces, the fish packs neatly. We usually have canned salmon in pints, but this time we decided half-pints would work best for just the two of us.

Look how thick that fillet is! Mighty nice - this was the buck Chinook (I'm sorry, but a buck is a deer or a rabbit - I'm still not convinced it applies to FISH), which was the larger of the two.

Once the jars are packed, it's really important to make sure there is no oil or residue of any sort on the lip of the jar, where the rubber seal of the lid must sit. With a quarter teaspoon of good sea salt in each jar, they are ready for lids. NOTE: no, we did NOT get the sea salt mixed up with the epsom salt - in the back, there...someone is sure to notice that!

The canner held 13 jars. Almost ready to load...

And here's the payoff: 26 half-pints of good healthy eating! I also cut and wrapped 13 portions for the freezer, so we will enjoy our salmon in a number of ways, as the winter rains come and go. And we'll remember our perfect adventure with every bite!

The only thing that would make these jars any better is having the color of the raw fish hold through the processing. Once the salmon is canned, it does get pretty pale in comparison...but it is still totally tasty. And in case you're wondering - the skin peels right off when you take it out of the jar; the few bones that are in the fish are completely soft and edible - more calcium!

We saved some nice belly pieces out for dinner. I cooked them in a dab of olive oil, over medium heat, with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper once the fish was plated. Yum-MEE!

Truly fresh fish doesn't smell or taste "fishy"; it is almost sweet. Like eating ocean air - fresh and pure!