Fish Canned in an Autoclave
Preparing fish canned in an autoclave is much easier than using traditional home canning methods. The principles of pressure sterilization allow you to reduce the canning time by 3-4 hours. This will enable you to obtain a large volume of finished product with minimal effort.
Preparing Fish for Canning in an Autoclave
Sterilization using an autoclave. This method is typically used for processing medical instruments due to the use of moist heat under pressure. The sterilization time with this method depends on factors such as temperature, type of autoclave, and the type of microorganisms being targeted.
For most recipes, it is sufficient to place raw, cleaned fish into jars—it will cook to full readiness during the sterilization process, including softening the bones. The temperature regime will ensure the destruction of all microorganisms. Autoclaving preserves the taste and beneficial properties of fish cans. Moreover, there are many recipes available: you can prepare fish in oil or tomato sauce, make stew or pâté from it.
Small fish can be canned in an autoclave simply by gutting them—there's no need to trim the fins as they will also become tender. If the fish is being canned in pieces in oil, it is better to lightly fry them without breading—this helps retain their shape. To achieve this, you can also add a bit of sugar to each jar. To enhance the flavor, standard spices like bay leaf and pepper can be complemented with coriander or cumin.
How to Properly Can Fish in an Autoclave
Any type of fish can be used for canning in an autoclave: mackerel, bream, sprat, perch, grass carp, pike, gobies. It's best to use fresh fish, but thawed fish can be used in a pinch. The autoclaving process is straightforward: place the sealed jars in the autoclave and cover with cold water above the lids. Gradually increase the pressure and temperature, and once they reach the required levels—start the timer and begin sterilization. Finally, wait for the jars to cool and remove the finished cans.
We have prepared a convenient table of universal temperature and sterilization time values for fish cans based on the volume of jars used:
| Jar Volume, l | Sterilization Temperature, °C | Sterilization Time, min |
|---|---|---|
| 0.35 | 105 | 30 |
| 0.50 | 105 | 30 |
| 1.00 | 110 | 35 |
To heat the contents to 105-110°C. Monitor the temperature. To maintain the flavor of the product, it should not exceed 110°C. The cooking time is 30-35 minutes.
Recipe for Fish Stew in an Autoclave
Delicious fish cans in an autoclave are made as stew. For one half-liter jar, you will need the following ingredients:
- River fish, gutted - 500 g;
- Salt - 1 tsp;
- Black pepper - 5 pcs;
- Sunflower oil - 1 tbsp;
- Spices.
Cut the fish into small pieces and place the first layer at the bottom of washed jars. Add salt, oil, spices, and pepper on top. Add another layer of fish—repeat until the jar is full. Leave a bit of space before the lid, seal the jars, and place them in the autoclave. You can slightly improve the recipe by lightly frying the fish pieces (but not until fully cooked). This will enhance the flavor while ensuring the pieces do not fall apart.
There is also another recipe. For this, you will need:
- Small fish - 2 kg;
- Carrots - 2 pcs;
- Onion - 1 pc;
- Salt - 1 tbsp;
- Water - 1.5 l;
- Sunflower oil - 150 ml;
- Tomato juice or paste - 2 tbsp;
- Sugar - a pinch.
Clean the fish, cut off the heads, and wash. Peel and chop the carrots and onions. In washed jars, layer the fish, onion, and carrot, alternating until full. Separately, mix the water with oil, spices, tomato paste, and other ingredients. Pour this mixture into the jars. Remember to leave a 2 cm gap before the lids, as the liquid will expand during boiling. Seal the jars and place them in the prepared autoclave for sterilization.
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Fish in Oil in an Autoclave
You can prepare classic fish preserves in an autoclave using the following ingredients (for a 0.5-liter jar):
- fish, cleaned and headless - 500 g;
- black peppercorns - 3 pcs;
- sunflower oil - 15 g;
- salt - 5.5 g;
- bay leaf - 1 pc.
Wash jars and lids, cut the fish into small pieces (approximately 80 g each), and place pepper and bay leaves at the bottom of the jars. Mix the fish pieces with salt, place them in the jar (leaving space before the lid), and top with oil. Seal the jars and start sterilization in the autoclave.
Another recipe for fish in oil in an autoclave offers a richer flavor profile. For this, you need the following components:
- river fish - 1 kg;
- carrots - 700 g;
- onions - 700 g;
- sunflower oil - 3 tbsp per half-liter jar;
- peppercorns, salt - to taste.
Clean, peel, and wash the fish, cut it into pieces, season with salt, and place it in an enamel container for at least 60 minutes. Grate the carrots (or process in a food processor), slice the onions into rings, and mix them with the fish. Pour oil into half-liter jars, add fish with vegetables (but do not pack tightly), leaving 1-2 cm from the lid. Seal the jars and sterilize.
Fish in Tomato Sauce in an Autoclave
Delicious fish in an autoclave at home means preserves in tomato sauce, typically made with sprats and gobies. Here are both recipes. To make sprats in tomato sauce in an autoclave, you need:
- fresh-frozen sprats - 3 kg;
- tomatoes - 5 kg;
- sweet pepper - 1 kg;
- onions - 1 kg;
- carrots - 2 kg;
- salt - 2 tbsp;
- 9% vinegar - 270 ml;
- a bit of sugar.
Process the tomatoes through a meat grinder, grate or process the carrots, slice the onions into half-rings, and cut the pepper into strips. Mix the vegetables with the tomato juice obtained. Add the sprats, salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar, and mix thoroughly. Distribute the mixture into clean jars, leaving a bit of space to the lids, and seal. Then begin the sterilization process.
Recipe for Gobies in Tomato Sauce in an Autoclave
Another tasty and popular fish preserve in an autoclave is gobies in tomato sauce. For this, you need the following components:
- gobies - 1 kg;
- tomatoes - 2 kg;
- salt - 1 tbsp;
- sunflower oil - 150 g;
- onions - 300 g;
- cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf - 4 pcs each;
- sugar - 5 tbsp;
- 9% vinegar - 3 tbsp.
Clean the fish and remove the heads, mix with salt, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Boil the tomatoes and pass them through a sieve. Add spices, sugar, sunflower oil, and vinegar to the tomato juice. Lightly fry the gobies (but not to doneness) before mixing with the tomato juice, distributing them into jars, sealing, and placing them in the autoclave.
Clean the fish and cut off the heads, mix with salt and leave for 30 minutes. Boil the tomatoes and pass them through a sieve. Add spices, sugar, sunflower oil, and vinegar to the resulting juice. It is best to lightly fry the bullheads without breading (but not until fully cooked). Mix the fish with the tomato juice, pack into jars, seal, and place in the autoclave.
In the three listed recipes, you can use either ready-made tomato juice (only high-quality) or tomato paste. However, if you are making preserves in summer, it is better to opt for fresh tomatoes – the taste will only improve.
Other Canned Fish Recipes in the Autoclave
You can prepare small fish in a delicious marinade. You will need the following ingredients:
- fish - 5 kg;
- water - 5 l;
- sugar - 3 tbsp;
- salt - 1.5 tbsp;
- peppercorns - 3 g;
- cloves - 2 g;
- coriander - 3 g;
- 6% vinegar - 100 g;
- bay leaf - 1-2 pcs.
Add the spices to the water, heat until boiling, and then immediately turn off. After that, add the cleaned fish to the marinade and leave for 4 hours. Then, pack the prepared fish into jars, add the bay leaf, and pour in the marinade. Seal the jars and place them in the autoclave for processing.
In the autoclave, you can even make "sprats in oil" – any small fish will do. The list of ingredients is as follows:
- fish - 1 kg;
- onion - 200 g;
- sunflower oil - 100 g;
- water - 150 g;
- 9% vinegar - 50 ml;
- salt and spices.
For making “Large Sprats”, use smelt that is more than 12 cm long. Other fish such as Baltic and Caspian smelt, white sea or Atlantic herring, or anchovy can also be used.
Clean the fish, remove the head and entrails, and rinse. You can leave the tails and fins. Slice the onion into rings. Place a layer of onion at the bottom of the jars, alternating with layers of fish – and continue this until the top. Add peppercorns and bay leaf, oil, vinegar, and water on top. Seal the jars and sterilize. During autoclaving, the bones will soften, the fish will soak well in oil and spices, and you'll get that distinctive, well-known “sprat” taste.
Sterilization using an autoclave. This method is usually used for processing medical instruments due to the application of moist heat under pressure. The sterilization time depends on factors such as temperature, type of autoclave, and the type of microorganisms being targeted.
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