DIY Canned Sardines Fish Preservatives at Home

Canned sardines fish preservatives are need to make the fish stay longer in good condition. Sardines are one of the most popular canned fish products worldwide along with canned tuna and mackerel. Sardines are believed to be the first canned fish in the 19th century right when Napoleon and his military needed to preserve foods during their conquests. As of today, canned fish products can be found easily at food markets or groceries store and available in different forms including smoked, fried, packed in oils or waters and sauces, plus sold in a whole. They are offered as deboned and skinned filets as well.

However, when you purchase fresh or frozen sardines, they are not yet preserved and thus you need to preserve them on your own so the fish can last longer and stay fresh for several months. Learn how to do it at home below.

Canned sardines fish preservatives instruction at home

To can sardines at home, you need to prepare few ingredients and few hours to prepare them, but the result is worth it and it is easily to be done. First, prepare some ingredients and tools below:

-          Pressure cooker

-          Canning jars with tight lids/ covers

-          1 teaspoon of lemon juice

-          1 cup of water

-          6 fresh sardines fish, choose them with approximately 6 inches in length

-          1 teaspoon of canning salt

-          3 tablespoon of mustard

How to do canned sardines fish preservatives:

1.      Scale the sardines by removing their heads and get rid the internal organs (for example: the lungs, heart, and abdomens) which usually located within the chest of the sardines.

2.      After you are done cleaned the internal organs, you can rinse the fish and after that pack them into the canning jars.

3.      Mix together one cup of water with the mustard evenly and pour it into each of the canning jar till the mixture are gone.

4.      Add lemon juice and salt into each canning jar. After that fill the jars with vegetable oil about one inch space on the top.

5.      Cover the jars or place the lids on top of each jar tightly. Take your pressure canner or cooker and put the jars inside.

6.      Cook DIY canned sardines fish preservatives with the pressure canner for more than one hour or 70 minutes to be exact at fifteen pounds of pressure.

7.      Let the cooker cooling down completely before you take out the canning jars with sardines inside to prevent you harmed yourself from the hot steam comes from the pressured cooker. You can cool the cooker overnight as well.

8.      Remove the canned sardines which are now successfully to be preserved and store them in the pantry. You can enjoy the sardines for the next 6 months. But do not use the sardines more than the allowed time to get their best condition.

When you are doing canned sardines fish preservatives instructions above, the process will help to the nutritional values of the sardines such as protein, vitamins, potassium, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids, and many more.

Canned sardines in jars are the best way to make the fish stay fresh in great condition for longer time than usual. But, when you do not have time to prepare your own canned sardines preservatives, you can always buy canned sardines factory product which very easy to be found at food market. Those canned fish already got some preservation using either oils or waters. Choosing canned sardines in water is more recommended than sardines in oil because the natural nutrient of sardines like the omega 3 fats will not leach away when you drain off the can.

In addition, always limit yourself when consume canned sardines due to the mercury concern from the fish. Most of the fish like sardines, tuna, salmon, and mackerel contain mercury content which is not so good for human body. You need to take a moderate consumption when eating fish as your meals. For pregnant and nursing women as well as young children and babies, they need to stay away eating sardines because they are more sensitive to mercury content that is presence inside those fresh or canned sardines fish preservatives factory products.