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Preserving sardines at home is one of the things I love because it is suitable for many occasions. I can take home canned sardines when camping or use them as an appetizer at parties.
It is really suitable and tastes very wonderful, in addition to that it is full of omega and many healthy fats
I preserve sardines at home using canning because in canning I do not need to use traditional methods, such as adding a lot of salt or a lot of oil, because sardines already contain a lot of fat, and also using salt a lot is harmful.
For this, I will share with you my method for preserving sardines in canning using a little oil and salt.
Now let’s start.
How do you preserve sardines at home?
As a general rule, sardines can be preserved at home using the Preacher Canner, provided that you set the dial gauge to 12-pound for about an hour and a half.
After we answered the question directly, let’s get into the details of canning sardines.
How to prepare Sardines for preservation?
In order to prepare the sardines, they must be cleaned well and then soaked in brine for 5 hours. The purpose of soaking here is to get rid of any blood or remnants of entrails.
After soaking the sardines in the solution, you can put them in cold water for an hour to get rid of any salts that may be stuck to them.
The last step before preparing sardines is to cut off the head and make sure that the sardines are completely clean.
Sardine Seasoning for Canning
Seasoning the sardines is up to you to add spices and oil that you like, but I personally prefer to put half a spoon of salt, a tablespoon of olive oil, and also a tablespoon of lemon.
There are some people who like to add paprika or dry red pepper, but I personally do not like it because I want to get the basic taste of sardines so that it is easy for me to use it in any other recipe.
After you put the sardines in the jar and put the spices on it, it is preferable to add a small amount of water so that about an inch and a half of the jar is empty
Using the wand to empty the air bubbles, remove the air completely from the jar.
Wipe the jar well with a clean towel before placing the LED, then close the jar
Now let’s take the last step.
Tips for canning Sardine.
- Put about a liter of hot water in the breacher canner
- Put the jar inside the canner and close it
- Turn the stove on to the highest temperature
- Leave it for ten minutes until you see steam coming out regularly from the pan
- After ten minutes, the pressure regulator can be placed
- When the pressure reaches 8 pounds, you can reduce the temperature of the cooker by about half
- Follow the canner until it reaches a pressure of 12 pounds
- You must be close to the canner because the pressure may exceed the required limit, and here you must reduce the temperature in order to maintain the pressure between 11 and 12 pounds
- Leave the pan for an hour and a half, then turn off the heat
- Leave the canner to cool completely, then take out the jars
How long does home-canned sardine last?
As a general rule, home-canned sardines can keep for up to three years. This is if the packaging process was done correctly and it was not opened.
Why do canned sardines last so long?
The life of canned sardines is long because during the canning process all bacteria are killed as a result of pressure.
And empty the air completely, and as it is known, the fish are generally low in acidity, so the use of pressure and heat kills the bacteria accompanying the fish, which increases the life of the sardine’s usable.
What is the best way to store sardines once the can is open?
When you open a jar of sardines, it will appear in your mind the logical question, which is how can I store sardines after opening
Here, there are two ways, depending on the period you want to save.
If you want to keep sardines for a short period, such as 4 or 5 days, you can put them in a glass jar and put them in the refrigerator with the jar closed well.
But if you want to keep the open can of sardines for a long period, such as two or three months, you can put it in a zip-lock bag and empty the air from it, then put it in the freezer.
Useful Resources
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