14 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015
A
n offshore trip is
pricey, but when
you get into a
bunch of blackfin
the payoff is a lot of great
eating.
The problem is that blackfin
isn’t yellowfin, which means it
doesn’t freeze as well. At least
that’s what I’m told. Being a
redneck (and I say that with
pride), I’ve never paid much
attention to those “rules”
about fish like blackfin and
white trout not freezing well.
But that’s another story.
Let’s just go with the oft-
repeated mantra that blackfin
doesn’t freeze well.
So, assuming that’s correct,
what is one to do with all that
blackfin after you’ve eaten a
couple of meals of grilled tuna
steaks?
Veteran offshore guide Capt.
Peace Marvel said he simply cans it. Yep, just like veggies from
the garden.
The process is pretty simple, and it allows the fish to be sea-
soned so it’s ready to go when opened.
“It stays good indefinitely and tastes way better than the stuff
from the store,” Marvel said. “A 16-pound blackfin made 35
well-trimmed 32-ounce jars.
“Yum!”
The list of the what’s needed to properly can that big catch is
pretty basic:- Pressure cooker
- A couple of gallons of olive oil
- Jalapeños
- Fresh garlic
- Kosher salt
Of course, you can add or subtract from the list of flavoring
ingredients to suit your tastes.
“If you want, you can add peppers, garlic, soy, a shoe lace if
you want — whatever flavoring you like,” Marvel said.
And canning are equally as simple.
1) Cut tuna steaks into 1-inch-by-4-inch strips.
2) Fill a mason jar with the raw strips and your choice of sea-
sonings, using a wooden spoon to pack it in fairly tightly. Leave
about 2 inches of empty space at the top of the tuna.
3) Pour olive oil into the jars, using the spoon to help it soak
down through the tuna.
“You usually have to let it sit a few minutes to let it soak in,
and then pour some more in,” Marvel said.
4) Put a dash of kosher salt in, and close the jars and put them
in the cooker. Bring the pressure up to 11 to 14 and cook for 100
minutes.
5) Turn off heat and allow to cool.
6) Store jars until needed.
7) Take the jars out and eat up! ■Perfect solution for leftover
blackfin tuna
By Andy CrawfordCanning offers indefinite storage, seasoning opportunities
field notes
Instead of freezing blackfin tuna, can it
to make it last longer and add flavoring.