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A method has been developed for the determination of ethanol in canned salmon using automated headspace sampling in conjunction with analysis by gas chromatography. The thermal process for the commercial sterilization of canned salmon is shown to provide an effective extraction of the ethanol so that the fluid removed from the can may be used as the analytical sample with minimal preparation prior to analysis. Ethanol content is measured directly, without the need for an internal standard, by either GC/MS or GC/FID. The headspace autoanalyzer allows for a rapid determination of ethanol with greater reproducibility than could be obtained with manual injection systems. The GC/MS technique can also provide an advantage in that simultaneous single ion monitoring of the two major ethanol ions provides additional protection from interferences. To assess the applicability of this technique to other substrates, Atlantic sea scallop meats were also successfully analyzed by this technique.