Important: Safety Warning
This page describes home-canning methods from before the causes of botulism were understood. Canning low-acid foods without a pressure canner, as described here, can allow the growth of Clostridium botulinum, whose toxin is among the deadliest known. Follow current USDA home-canning guidelines instead.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Pickled Salmon
A ten pound salmon I small red pepper 2 quarts of good cider vinegar 12 pepper-corns 4 blades of mace 12 whole cloves I small onion 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoonfuls of whole mustard 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar 1½ pint of boiling water Clean the salmon and wash it well in cold water. Put it into a kettle, cover it with boiling water, add a tablespoonful of salt and boil fifteen minutes to every pound. If you have to cut your fish, boil only ten minutes to every pound. When done, drain, wipe dry and stand in a cold place over night. In the morning take off the skin and cut the flesh into nice convenient pieces. Put the vinegar and all the other ingredients into a porcelain kettle and bring them to a boil. Now drop the salmon carefully into this and let all boil up once. Rinse six or seven air-tight glass jars with hot water, carefully take the salmon from the kettle with a spoon, drop it rapidly into a jar, until it will hold no more; now fill with the boiling liquor to the very brim, screw on the top and stand to one side. Proceed in this manner until all the jars are filled. Then wipe them off; see that they are all screwed up well. Stand in a cool, dark, dry place and it will keep good for a year.