Eating Rotten Shark Meat

[Rickg]

These Icelandics must have a stonger stomach than me.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1117_051117_sharkmeat_video.html

Rickg

 

[jiveturkey]

I've heard the Inuit have to boil those sharks several times before they can feed it to their dogs! Still though, when he cut into the meat at the end, it looked pretty white. I'd probably try it if the smell wasn't too bad.

 

[captndale]

A few years back, for a time, we were getting shark steaks at the local Jewel. I don't know what species they were or from what location they came. I found that the meat was not at all bad if it was very fresh. However, in only a day or two it became inedible. It spoiled very quickly and tasted strongly of ammonia.

 

[archman]

Thanks for posting that link. I found the video highly entertaining. I wished they'd gone into a lot more detail though. Those Greenland sharks are huge.

There was one flaw. The narrator didn't explain the presence of high urea concentrations very well. The primary purpose for sharks having it is to make their body tissues isosmotic with seawater, not to act as "antifreeze".

 

[elmer fudd]

I sometimes eat dogfish and it's not bad if you cook it right. I've been told repeatedly that the urea will make the meat taste like piss and that you need to soak it in lemon water or buttermilk for a day before eating, but I've found that to be more myth than reality. I find it tastes best though if you seriously overcook it. The flavor of the fish is pretty good, but the texture is too soft and mushy for my tastes. By cooking it about 3 times as long as normal I find the fish becomes more firm.