Tuna preserved in olive oil is the pride of the Calabrian pantry. Most Calabrians that live near the Tyrrhenian coast preserve their own. My parents did not, since they lived inland, but were fortunate to be able to buy good tuna. At the end of every summer vacation we would spend in Calabria my son would have me pack as many jars as would fit in my suitcase.
Tuna from Calabria used to be hard to find here in California. It is available now, but unfortunately you do pay a steep price for it. So, after visiting the Callipo processing plant and watching them do the canning, as well as talking to people that canned tuna at home in Calabria, I decided I would start making it myself. It was so good, and so easy to make, that I’ve made it every year for the past five years.
Tuna canned at home is rich and creamy. I always have it on hand and can put together a quick pasta dish with it, mix it with some cannellini beans with red onions for a salad, toss it in a tomato salad during the summer, top a pizza with it (see page 135 in my book for the recipe) or add it as part of an antipasto platter.
The detailed recipe is in my cookbook on page 288, and the pictures below will clearly show you the steps involved.
I cut the tuna in big chunks, about 2 inches thick, although you can use 1½ inch-thick steaks if you can’t find a big piece of tuna.
Put the pieces in boiling water with salt. For 2 pounds of tuna I add 2/3 cup of kosher salt to 3 quarts of water. Return the water to a boil and turn the heat to low to maintain a simmer.
Cook it for two hours at a low simmer. Check that the internal temperature reads at least 165 degrees F with an instant thermometer.
This is what the tuna looks like after cooking:
Remove the tuna from the water, let it drain and place it in a sealed container. Refrigerate it overnight to firm and dry the meat.
The following day, cut the meat into pieces that will fit into pint jars.
Fill the clean jars with the tuna pieces and top it with olive oil.
Cover the jars with new lids and rings and then cook them in a pressure cooker following the manufacturer’s directions, usually 100 minutes at 10 psi.
The tuna can be eaten after a month but it only gets better with age. In fact the experts at Callipo told me that it is best after 6 months. It usually doesn’t last that long in our home, but we have kept it as long as a year.
Once you taste good tuna preserved this way you will never eat canned tuna from the supermarket again!
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Does this have to be done with a pressure cooker or can I do this with boiling the jarsin a canner method? Just got your book. The recipes are stellar and your photos are stunning!
THANK YOU so much for this post! I’ve been wanting to make my own for a long while now and here I have very clear instructions. With pictures!
Rosetta:
This looks easier than it sounds!! I may have to try it! I was wondering if you could tell me how to clean the whole, salt packed anchovies that can be bought at the Italian deli. I usually use the jarred anchovies that come in strips. When I asked one of the deli owners how to clean the salt packed anchovies that are sitting in a large can next to their cash register, they pointed to the jarred variety on the shelf, and said, buy one of those, it’s much easier!! Yet, I have heard that the whole, salt packed anchovies have a much better taste. This could be information for another news letter!!! Thanks, in advance! Diane P. Cedar Lake, Indiana
That’s a great idea! I thought that 100 minutes was a long time, until I read my pressure cooker instructions…. 90 minutes at 15 lbs psi. Still a long time
Better safe than sorry though. I think that I am going to try this, and somehow convince my wife that it’s safe.
ooooh! This is brilliant! In North Queensland, we don’t have tuna usually, I wonder if we could use another fish?
I have never tried canning other types of fish, but people do can halibut and salmon.
Bob,
When I decided to include this recipe in my book I checked the USDA guidelines and I decided to adopt their guidelines of 100 minutes.
Diane,
I will write a post about cleaning salted anchovies. The anchovies under salt are the best ones to use, they are meatier and have a better taste.
Liliane,
When I decided to include this recipe in the book I checked the USDA guidelines for canning tuna and I decided to adopt their guidelines but most of the people that can their tuna at home in Calabria use the standard boiling water method.
I remember how delicious it was when my uncle made it in Positano. Thank you for the recipe. I will now try it myself !
Love this idea. First discovered this amazing product when I studied in Italy; haven’t been able to eat the water-packed version since. Never thought of canning it myself, though…hmmmm…
I love the idea of preserving tuna at home. The cost of good tuna in olive oil is sky high! Like Liliane, I would like to use the boiling water method…but how long do you feel it should boil? Would it still be 100 minutes?
I received your book as a Christmas present and am enjoying not only the recipes but the stories and photos. Thank you!
@ Liliane – you need a pressure canner for this. Canning anything in oil is a recipe for disaster, read botulism poisoning, which can kill, if not done properly.
Susan,
I have never canned it using boiling water method but in Calabria people can it and boil the jars for about 2 hours.
I’m going to ask my fishmonger to let me know when he can get good fresh tuna. I can’t wait to do this! Thanks so much for the excellent pictures.
You might have taken the opportunity to note that some tuna’s are more or less endangered pe. bluefin and also some imported line caught ones.
Edwin,
Good point that you brought that up. I used wild albacore for canning. I would not recommend using blue fin or any other tuna that is listed as endangered.
Rosetta’
Does the pressure cook the tuna more and if so could you put the tuna in raw and let it cook as it’s being pressurized.
Jeff,
In Calabria they cook the tuna and then process it. I have found that many people in this country put in the tuna raw and then process it in the pressure cooker. I haven’t tried that method but I am sure you can find recipes online with that method.
Hot water bath method is safe becuase the tuna is cooked first in a brine which Clostridium botulinum spores don’t like. If not using brine (or vinegar etc) then you must use pressure cooker method for safety sake. I preserve a mix of homegrown eggplant, green tomato, garlic and onions in oil using the hot water bath method safely by first cooking the veggies in a vinegar solution. Works a treat.
My husband went charter fishing in mexico and brought back a huge bunch of tuna but it was frozen. Can i still can this tuna? and is it necessary to defrost and and then boil it? Can I defrost and pressure cook it raw, won’t the cooker cook it? A customer of my husbands gave us tuna they had canned and it was incredible! No doubt the best i ever had. Cant wait to try it canning it myself. Thanks for your site.