how to clean/cook a shark?
Hey boys and girls!
Today for the second time in recent trips my mate brad and I caught a shark while fishing for demersals. From reading your posts, this seems a common accurance in WA. We released both of these bc we didn't know much about what to do with them and didn't want to waste them. I've got some questions that would be a big help to me and probably other people on the site.
Firstly, what are the best sharks to eat? Maybe you could rank the commonly caught sharks of WA.
What are the best eating sizes? or how big is too big to eat? Today I caught a 4.5 foot bronzie, which is the biggest shark I've ever landed btw. Too big to eat or perfect size?
How do you clean a shark? besides the obvious meaty areas, what are the bits you eat? fins?
Any and all help, including videos or other helpful sites would be greatly appreciated! Maybe this thread could turn into a handy tutorial for people who are new to this type of fishing.
cheers to the most helpful group of fishos on the web!! Pics and report of todays offshore adventures to follow in the next day or so.
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Best to bleed/fin them to
Best to bleed/fin them to get the ammonia out. Lots of methods for this, I dont know what is best.
Theres a guide here http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/articles/articlefive.htm
If you cut the flesh at an angle, you can get good shaped fillets exactly the thickness you want. Theres also some way to avoid blunting your knife on the skin but I forget what it was.
Advisable not to eat ones over 1.2m/4' due to mercury. Doesnt make it poisonous if over, but best to avoid large quantities.
As for fins, I wonder if they would work nice as shark fin soup.
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Addicted to jiggingcarnarvonite
Posts: 8667
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Cleaning sharks
The guide above is nearly spot on except cut the tail off to bleed it and when you have got rid of all the innards flush the hole in the centre of the backbone out.It runs up into the back of the gut cavity where the green/brown is along the spine.If the blood is not cleaned out it will cause your shark to go off a lot quicker.
Everyone to their own taste,but to me mako is one of the worst tasting of all sharks.The best is on the banned list but the next best IMO is the wobby/carpet shark[the bigger the better as the smaller ones are tough chewing] After that is the bronzie.
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Great white, nurse or
Great white, nurse or speartooth? (or whale shark...)
(also, theres a new max size on whalers)
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Addicted to jiggingschecky
Posts: 1645
Date Joined: 25/08/08
I noticed at the bottom of
I noticed at the bottom of that article he states that no matter what he does with hammerheads he finds they are crap?
I caught one in gero and it was absolutely beautiful and we fed the campsite and they all loved it
anyone tried hammerhead?any opinions?
formerly fishoreub
Big Kev
Posts: 441
Date Joined: 10/06/06
Best Eating Shark
Hard to beat Gummy Shark IMO, Bronzies and Black Tipped Reefs would be next.
When caught I cut off their tail hang them over the side and wait untill all the blood has stopped pumping out, then gut, defin and behead rinse off and into esky. Any shark around 4 feet or bigger I let go just what I've always done. Shark fillets left in a freezer for long periods up to 4-5 months seem to taste better, although leaving it there for long periods is hard if you like fish'n chips.
Kev
FISHING IS MY ADDICTION