Lemon Shark

[ned]

Last week I was stymied by a large shark. With smelly meat. We butchered it on the dock, and I took a five pound piece home. I made serving sizes, cutting out all the tough tissue. Then I brined it for a few hours with lime, allspice and a little rum.

I seared the 1/2 inch thick medallions in oil and then basted with thyme and brown butter. The fish looked good, I think my technique was good. . . But the fish wasn't. At least not to me. Maybe the idea of eating shark freaks me out. Maybe the chewiness of the meat was too much like the scary bastard was coming back to life. Probably should have rested the meat for a couple of days I know.

In any case, this is a solicitation of any and all that have had experience with sharks from ocean to table. Thanks in advance.

[DTBarton]

I have never been a big fan of shark meat except for Mako. The difference is that the Mako is a blue water shark that feeds on live fish. It's the only kind of shark I've ever caught offshore trolling.

This live fish diet contributes to high quality meat for eating. Other sharks tend to be scavengers and they can't seem to process the junk they eat like crabs do. I find the meat to be lacking in both texture and flavor. I let 'em all go.

[ned]

I'm pretty sure this guy was a blue water feeder as he took the hook in 1200 ft of water. Very unusual. It was right before Ernesto blew through. In his stomach there was a 10 lb hunk of wahoo that was so fresh we considered cooking it.

[budrichard]

I assume that the shark was bled properly after boating and gutted promptly and the kept on ice until butchering? Anything less, will result in deterioration of the meat as for any animal.

The part of the shark that you took could also account for the toughness?

Lastly, I don't think its a good idea to brine a fish you are not going to smoke. -I like shark but like any other animal it depends on upon many factors to make it palatable.-Dick

[DTBarton]

Interesting. How were you fishing? Trolling, drifting? Friends of mine used to catch sharks while they were night drift fishing in deep water for swordfish. I don't have any experience with Lemon shark, though. Too bad if it's not good when you've got a lot!

Right before Ernesto? You must be in the eastern Caribbean somewhere!

I'm pretty sure this guy was a blue water feeder as he took the hook in 1200 ft of water.  Very unusual.  It was right before Ernesto blew through.  In his stomach there was a 10 lb hunk of wahoo that was so fresh we considered cooking it.

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[ned]

We were in Jamaica, about ten miles off the northeast coast. We were trolling for marlin, wahoo, yellowfin etc. Thought it was a yellowfin as it never surfaced and kept diving.

We took good care of the fish, short of cleaning it on the deck of the boat. It was stinking the moment it hit the deck. I've heard since from an experienced shark fisherman that the accepted method is to sever the tail above the anus while the fish is still alive. He said all the contents of the digestive system pump out and that's where the stink comes from. Best to do it while the fish is in the water still. I don't know about going after a live shark that way.

In Port Antonio the fish will be eaten. About that I have no worries. And I'm safe and sound in NYC. Whew.

[ned]

Lastly, I don't think its a good idea to brine a fish you are not going to smoke. -I like shark but like any other animal it depends on upon many factors to make it palatable.-Dick

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I mostly agree with you except in the case of the muscle-bound warm water predators like wahoo and marlin. In my experience both these fish benefit from a little brining. It's not necessary but sometimes it's nice. In the case of the shark, my intention was to overcome the smell. . . it was a success but I think the smell lingered on in my mind.

[maher]

my experience with shark is that it needs to have the digestive system removed as quickly as possible after it is caught, and preferably without breaking the stomach lining on the inside so that the digestive juices dont contaminate the meat. the bile is extremely acidic and leaves a bitter flavor to the meat if this is not done asap.

i do this quickly when i catch shark and then i segment off the filets with a clean knife and get them on ice within 20 mins or so.

if the meat texture is tough to you soaking in milk overnight in the fridge will give you a much softer texture, just be sure you dont do it too long or you end up with mush.

i dont have any experience with lemon shark but i have used this technique with several shark catches with no problems.

good luck, id hate to see you throw out fresh fish.

[ned]

my experience with shark is that it needs to have the digestive system removed as quickly as possible after it is caught, and preferably without breaking the stomach lining on the inside so that the digestive juices dont contaminate the meat. the bile is extremely acidic and leaves a bitter flavor to the meat if this is not done asap.

i do this quickly when i catch shark and then i segment off the filets with a clean knife and get them on ice within 20 mins or so.

if the meat texture is tough to you soaking in milk overnight in the fridge will give you a much softer texture, just be sure you dont do it too long or you end up with mush.

i dont have any experience with lemon shark but i have used this technique  with several shark catches with no problems.

good luck, id hate to see you throw out fresh fish.

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This all jibes with the info that;s been trickling in. A fishing buddy said something about the soaking in milk and I didn't believe it. Bile in the stomach sounds right. Alas we were a little late on that count.

No worries about fish getting thrown. Word from Port Antonio is that it's all gone.

Edited September 1, 2006 by ned (log)

[lennyk]

sharks supposedly have a slightly different kidney system,

they keep urine in their blood, hence the strong smell

especially in the big ones

[Sam Salmon]

A 24 hour soak in low fat milk-as mentioned-is the key change the milk after 12 hours or so or as soon as it starts to smell like piss.

Never ever brined any pelagic I've eaten and I've eaten 'em all over the place.

It's true that Shark generally 'meaty' with the exception of a few-Blue comes to mind-that are mushy.

Cook 'em hot 'n fast inna spicy jerk stylee!

[ned]

sharks supposedly have a slightly different kidney system,

they keep urine in their blood, hence the strong smell

especially in the big ones

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THANK YOU!!!

I love egullet. Always somebody there with the information.

So it must be a matter of bleeding them asap as well as emptying the digestive system.

Never ever brined any pelagic I've eaten and I've eaten 'em all over the place.

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As my grandma used to say (In an irritating and beseeching way, but with love) "Try it you'll like it"

[lennyk]

well here in Trinidad, shark is very popular as well as the rest of the Caribbean. But it is normally fried or cooked in small slices/pieces

this way the seasoning and frying covers up any funky smells

[ned]

I shouldn't be surprised you're in Trinidad. Everybody I talked to in Port Antonio said we should ask a Trinidadian about how to handle shark.