Tuna talk

[iHuntiGather]

I'm considering doing a charter for albacore. I would love to be with a smaller group but will go with a 10 person boat. So I have a few questions....

I enjoy cutting my own fish, but due to the long day and travel do you recommend having the charter fillet them up? Tuna loin sounds fantastic, do you get 4 sections per fish? Does this leave any other meat to be desired?

How do you follow through with the canning process after arrival? Do I need to drive back out to pick up the finished product, and how much does this cost? Can I freeze the loin sections and then get them canned at a later time?

I will I'll start doing some more research on this, just asking here to get some of your opinions. Please let me know of any other tips or things I should consider to make the trip more enjoyable.

 

[Gulfstream]

Its easy to do your own canning yourself if you have a pressure cooker and some jars. It just takes a little time,but is WELL WORTH IT! You do get 4 loins per fish.Some people use half pints,I prefer pints.The cost is usually pretty steep to have a processor do it ,as they use cans.There is no need to freeze the fish prior to canning,as long as you keep the fish well chilled.[THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!] Also,try to keep the loins from soaking in water. Make sure the boat has a method to ice the fish down,or I would not go!. They have to go in ice immediately after they are landed,or the quality diminishes rapidly.The belly meat is fantastic smoked or Grilled.If you go out,try to get on a boat with a limited amount of people.It will cost a little more,but it's well worth it.Any more questions,just ask.Hope this helps! HAVE FUN!

 

[iHuntiGather]

Thanks, been doing a bunch of research today on albacore and canning does look like a very simple DYI project. I appreciate all the pointers, and I did call the charter to make sure the tuna gets iced (I heard some of the bigger boats do not). Excited to go, but the cost of a smaller boat is steep. If I caught a bunch it would be worth it, and there's always a possibility of a skunk.

Tough choices...

 

[C_Run]

First of all, I have only caught one albacore in my life but we usually buy a few every year or have friends who give it to us. We like to save some loins to barbecue and also smoke the bellies same as salmon and use it the same as salmon. For the canned we have used water or simply put a chunk of belly on top of the packed jar and canned it in its own oils.

 

[iHuntiGather]

Do you buy them when the boats pull in? How much?

 

[C_Run]

Do you buy them when the boats pull in? How much?

Several years ago we bought them at Winchester Bay and Newport for $3.00/lb whole or $4.00/ filleted but I know they have gone up since then. Probably a lot more now. We just look for signs that say "tuna" and find the boat. We have a friend who is a prolific fisher and gives us a few now.

 

[Irishrover]

They are for sale now in Newport, South Beach Marina on the White Swan A Dock. $3.00 a pound for whole fish. They will filet for $4.00 a fish. We can ours same as we do salmon 10lbs pressure for 90 minutes.

 

[plumbertom]

want to buy a stand up tuna combo?
Or tuna jigs? I even have some marlin and wahoo jigs I'll never use.

 

[iHuntiGather]

Thanks Rover and CRun, really liking the idea of my own canned tuna every year.

No thanks Tom, need an ocean worthy boat before I invest in tuna gear.

 

[JustMe]

Canning albacore - for a little variety and to spice them up a bit, try a garlic clove or a jalapeño pepper in each jar. For less hot version, half a jalapeño with seeds (most of the heat is in the seeds) removed. I especially like the jalapeño tuna when I'm using it for tuna fish sandwiches.

 

[C_Run]

Canning albacore - for a little variety and to spice them up a bit, try a garlic clove or a jalapeño pepper in each jar. For less hot version, half a jalapeño with seeds (most of the heat is in the seeds) removed. I especially like the jalapeño tuna when I'm using it for tuna fish sandwiches.

I will attest that this is a good way to do it. We got a jar that jamisonace did with a strip of jalapeno right over the top... really really good!

 

[iHuntiGather]

Sounds delicious. Going to start some searches, but does anyone recommend a certain company for pressure cooking gear?