shark meat anyone?

[mo-manack]

anyone eat shark meat? how does it taste?
i know a guy who loves it,eats the fin soup n alles.

[Timothy Scriven]

First and foremost, for the sake of not getting into a debate on how the  you ended up with the back half of a shark on your boat and to question where the teeth & head part is, I am going to just surmise that it is a photo you downloaded off the internet.

In Australia, the Gummy Shark is very sought after as a meal and there are shops that cook and sell them.
Shark meat apparently has to be cooked in milk first before eating.

The smell of a shark is enough to put me off though and can not imagine eating one.   

[travelmember]

Yep, a mako is awesome - normally take one 80-100lb fish a year. Probably release about 20.

[REEFMAN]

Rumour has it - I think Marthin will back me up here - is that much of our "hake" and fish fingers is actually shark meat... ??

[benniejordaan]

Eaten shark fin soup. It was delicious, however it was done in a rich sauce and I think the flavour was in the gravy not the meat. The Chinese way is to dry the fin out like biltong. Then cook it till it falls apart. What you are left with resembles spaghetti.

If you choose to eat the meat, you need to soak it in milk for at least 5 hours before cooking. Cut it into small cubes and fry with a curry sauce. Only eat small animals upto about 10kg.

Not really my thing though! Happy eating!

[benniejordaan]

Rumour has it - I think Marthin will back me up here - is that much of our "hake" and fish fingers is actually shark meat... ??

Hake is hake. But yes fish fingers is made up of a large amount of shark. The rest is all the left overs from any and all sorts of fish.

[PH]

Rumour has it - I think Marthin will back me up here - is that much of our "hake" and fish fingers is actually shark meat... ??

Heard the same. In fact a Dbn fishmonger sells "White Fish" and when I asked him what it was he
 said (softly) "Shark"

[Mad Mackerel]

Have a friend in Mtunzini that R&S and every now and then keeps a small one for a "fish" braai.  He makes it in the Cadac skottel braai in two ways - cajun style / olive oil and herbs.  Brilliant eating.  Nothing wrong with the meat or taste.  He also does not soak it in milk.  I have asked him about it and he says that is only big sharks that have that ammonia taste if you do not soak it in milk...

[Timothy Scriven]

@ mad Mac.

Is it all sharks or one particular species that he eats?

[super_daav]

I know a chap who swears by small greys! he reckons beste eating fish, firm and tender! He does not soak the meat and says there is no ammonia taste or smell...

havent tried it (yet) but there's only one way to find out...

[mo-manack]

lol,long story, but anyway it was cut in half at the warf for transport purposes, apparantly this guy eats most of it like a big fish. had a heavy smell but as bennie said ,you soak it in milk to neutralise it.

would like to taste it, heard that mako's r the best eating but do we get em around dbn? whats second best?

[Marthin]

i've had small hammerhead.  And i can say there was no soaking in milk etc involved.

It's a bit cruel, but you cut the tail off as soon as it's out the water.  Bleeding it get's rid of the amonia taste people refer to.  We skinned it, cut out the fillets and mom baked it in a batter like any other fish.  We had quite distinguished guests for the evening and they laid waste to all the fresh "kabeljou" with gusto!!!

I haven't had shark since, but i can strongly recommend it.  Also skate/ray wings are sold often in the pick&pay's in cape town, and i've had this as well.  If overcooked can be a bit dry, but with a lemon garlic butter skate wings will knock the socks off most whitefish you can have.

Shark meat fishing is a massive industry in SA, with if i'm not mistaken 300 000 tonnes being exported from SA to mostly Australia, followed by Italy and Spain.

Fish fingers and fish cakes are mostly made up of something they call white fish, which can be ANY white fish meat.  Tuna and friends from Mosselbay can attest that they have "slagters in M/Bay that actively target young bronzies and sell these illegally to some of the fish factories in M/Bay.  When i was about 11/12, you could get something like R10/kg for sharks under 20kg at I&J in Mosselbay at that stage, and the evening we kept the hammer we were seriously considering catching a few and selling them the next morning, as it was not illegal at that stage, but we had to get home for dinner.

If you are going to eat a shark i would suggest the smooth hound, it's what the aussies and brits eat as "flake".  The aussies have such a taste for it that houndshark fishing in Australasia is now illegal as they have virtually wiped the species out.

I was at a factory in Gordon's Bay where they had 3 bins of 1m X 1m X 1m full with just carcasses of young bronzies and smoothies, i'd say probably 5 in a layer, and abot 8 layers deep, and the worker said it was a slow day.  This goes on daily in false bay, so you can do the maths.

You are legally allowed your one shark a day, not per species but shark in general.  If you are not going to waste it, swim it as livebait or eat it in my opinion.  They do taste nice, certain species that is, but if i go kob fishing i just can't come home and tell my lil boy we eating shark tonight.  He firmly believes sharks need to go back.  If he oneday wants to keep one to eat i won't have an issue, but you eat what you kill.

[Marthin]

the mako just like the gw has got red muscle running down the centre, meaning you can cut red steak out the middle very much like tuna steaks.  I've also heard they are excellent to eat.

[SAfish]

I once had shark kebabs in a restaurant and it was not bad but I would not keep one and prepare it myself. Years ago I fished with commercial guys in Still Bay and we caught loads of shark. Afterwards we had to gut and clean them and it is no fun cleaning 30 - 50 sharks. I still remember the smell and would never do it again. 

[Mad Mackerel]

Hi TS,

I believe it is grey sharks, the ones they normally use for live bait for BIG sharks...

[CLS]

Nothing wrong with eating shark, the young greys and milkies are fine, cut off the head and tail soon as its out the water and let it bleed, then skin and place in the cooler box. Cook the same as any other fish, its meat is white and flaky. (I still prefer a nice rocky though)

[nico]

Shark makes for very good eating, especially the young ones or smaller species.
 
Milk sharks are so called becaused it is believed that eating them is good for breastfeeding mothers.
 
As said above, the trick is in cleaning/bleeding them. I also believe in removing the skin asap to avoid the ammonia taste, but not sure if it actually makes a difference.
 
Haven't had ammonia tasting shark myself though...