# Are sharks good eating or not?



## Gridley (Mar 11, 2015)

Just wondering. And is it legal to keep them?

Thanks


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## g0nef1sshn (Mar 11, 2015)

Ive only kept 2 or 3 long time ago, around 3 ft long. Taste awesome, one thing I remember is you dont want them dead too long before cleaning. Something about they urinate through the skin and taints the meat? I dont know, like I said its been several years. 

I always steaked them out and marinated and grilled them. 

Now im getting hungry.


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## TrailBlazer999 (Mar 12, 2015)

In my experience, they only taste like what you marinate them in. I've eaten shark at a place in Savannah and I've made them at home. Other than that, they're flavorless to me. So soak them in whatever you like best but maybe keep one unmarinated to see if you like it.


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## blakely (Mar 12, 2015)

I've eaten a few small ones. They do stink like ammonia when they're being cleaned and are aggravating to skin. The meat is good, but I'll stick to snapper, grouper, and several other types of fish. I'd just as soon not fool with a shark.


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## 660griz (Mar 12, 2015)

Just limit your shark intake. Mercury levels are pretty high as you get up in the food chain. Mercury can be off the charts in some sharks.


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## Silver Bullet (Mar 12, 2015)

You better be able to identify your catch as well.  There are several different size restrictions depending on species and there are a bunch of species you can't keep.


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## Sharkfighter (Mar 12, 2015)

To clean the Shark I cut the head off and slice down the belly  carefully to remove the innards.  I leave the skin intact.   I cut the Shark Meat about 2 inches think 

 I then marinate in Italian Salad Dressing for 12-24 hours covered in the fridge.

 It is really great on grill or in a thick cast iron pan.  Any  good  Seafood marinade will also work.  


They are legal depending on size and type.  A bonnethead or Atlantic Sharpnose in the 3  or 4 ft size is good.  I think it is 30 inch Fork Length to keep them  although I mostly Catch Photo and Release so check regs.


people eat the bigger sharks that are legal (mako fetches a good price in stores , I have never caught one) but I wouldn't keep a big shark just enjoy the catch.

Also some folks drain the blood before putting them on ice, but if you marinate this is not necessary


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## pstrahin (Mar 12, 2015)

Caught some black tip in the Gulf that was fantastic.


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## Scrapy (Mar 12, 2015)

Stab the knife point in and cut from the inside. Nothing dulls a knife quicker than sharkskin.


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## Bama B (Mar 12, 2015)

Some of the best table fair there is off the grill. Like already stated make sure its a legal catch. The only problem is shark will not keep very long. And still have good flavor. Black tip is one of the best.


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## Flaustin1 (Mar 12, 2015)

Shark is my favorite.  Good meaty taste.


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## twtabb (Mar 12, 2015)

Kept one last summer. Cleaned it quick and put on ice. When cleaning something on the shark stained my knife blade. Took it back to the maker and he cleaned it up. I soaked the shark steaks in Lime Margarita mix for a couple of hours then some Old bay then on the grill. 
Turned out good. Not my favorite but it was all eaten.


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## Southernhoundhunter (Mar 12, 2015)

Not as long as there's trout, reds, flounder, drum, bsb, and the like that are easy to catch


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## Gridley (Mar 12, 2015)

I'm thinking about the incidental catch, and the choice to release or keep. They can be a nuisance and take a while to get in. I'm sort of thinking that for some, but perhaps not all, if it ate my bait, maybe I should eat it.


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## hunterofopportunity (Mar 12, 2015)

butter, minced garlic and lemon juice,then grill brush often ,turn and repeat


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## Steve762us (Mar 12, 2015)

Southernhoundhunter said:


> Not as long as there's trout, reds, flounder, drum, bsb, and the like that are easy to catch



True dat!

But if you decide to try one, gut & rinse/dunk it ASAP--as in, as soon as it's on board.  Shark doesn't care for it much, and you'll get a nice bloody deck for your efforts, but the meat will be a lot better.

I've liked it better deep-fried than grilled, but everything seems good, deep-fried.

Edit: get the regs to know what's legal!

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/site...pdfs/regulations/Fishing_Regulations_2015.pdf


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## Flaustin1 (Mar 12, 2015)

Funny how peoples tastes differ. Id take shark over anything in the ocean except seared tuna.


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## ghost8026 (Mar 12, 2015)

I love it


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## PappyHoel (Mar 12, 2015)

Used to eat it a lot growing up.  We would marinate it overnight in Italian dressing.  It was good but not my favorite.  I always liked the king macs we caught.


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## The Longhunter (Mar 12, 2015)

Flaustin1 said:


> Funny how peoples tastes differ. Id take shark over anything in the ocean except seared tuna.



I can't tell the difference between shark and swordfish or marlin.

Grilled shark steaks from a small shark with some Italian dressing is fine with me.

You can't compare white fleshed fish with a dark fleshed fish -- like comparing chicken and steak.


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## sea trout (Mar 12, 2015)

Try carribbean jerk marinade too y'all, for shark steaks on the grill!!!!

I've eaten some atlantic sharpnose and some black tip. Very good!
Like others stated above !!!! Be sure you can identify the legal species and its length limits!!!
When you catch a shark and identify it and know its legal to keep and when you make that decision to bring it home and eat it, at that point I kill it immediately be cutting its throat, cutting and/or sawing under the throat to the spine and on both sides of the spine then I gut it immediately.
Some may cut the head off, but !!! You better make sure the game warden can identify it as a legal species and legal length limit before its landed in your possession or at home or however that works.
I have first hand witnessed tickets issued at tybee main pier to guys cutting the heads off legal sharks and the wardens put the tape measure on the sharks that were now not legal length due to missing heads. I wasn't close enough to hear specifics but I witnessed it sho nuff!


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## robinsonfam1 (Mar 12, 2015)

trick for filleting sharks is to leave all the red on the skin. meaning leave your blade almost 1/4" above the skin. dont try to remove every pc of fillet like you normally would when skinning.

meat will taste much better this way!


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## FishingAddict (Mar 13, 2015)

As long as you gut the shark as soon as you catch it, it is great eating. 

I tried an atlantic sharpnose while camping last year. Gutted it immediately. I was a little worried because it smelled horrible while I was cleaning it, but it was fantastic. I coated it with bread crumbs and fried it in coconut oil.


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## dieselengine9 (Mar 13, 2015)

I love shark but I agree people's tastes are different.


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## The Captain (Mar 13, 2015)

Good eats.


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## Redbow (Mar 14, 2015)

robinsonfam1 said:


> trick for filleting sharks is to leave all the red on the skin. meaning leave your blade almost 1/4" above the skin. dont try to remove every pc of fillet like you normally would when skinning.
> 
> meat will taste much better this way!



This man has it right, Sharks are good eating IMO but some species cannot be kept its unlawful to possess them.


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