These ancient creatures have changed little over the millions of years of their existence. 7 pairs of gills and movable eyelids. With the exception of the tail, sharks do not use their fins to move, only to maintain balance. Most of them give birth to live offspring after a gestation period of 6 months to 2 years. Although some species lay eggs.

There are more than a hundred species of these fish, but perhaps the most famous is the white shark. It is believed that white sharks are the most adaptable creatures on the planet. And for many years, biologists have assumed that sharks do not get cancer. But recently scientists have come to the conclusion that this is not the case. In addition to the exceptional biological characteristics as a species, the meat of these creatures is considered a real delicacy. And in medicine, shark products are one of the most effective medicines.

White shark: what is known about it

The great white shark is the most famous and most dangerous predator in the ocean. But the bloodthirsty image of the cannibal, invented by the directors of the famous film "Jaws" for this creature, in fact, does not quite correspond to reality. This large fish looks intimidating, it is strong, has exceptional speed and maneuverability, and is an excellent hunter. But in reality, representatives of this species of sharks rarely attack people, even if they swim in close proximity to the fish.

In Latin, the name of the fish sounds like Carcharodon Carcahrias. But for us it is more customary to call it a more understandable name - a white shark. And the fish got this name due to the snow-whiteness of the ventral side, although from the back it is usually gray. Sometimes there are individuals with a dark blue, brown or even black color. The color of the fish depends to a large extent on the area where the white shark is found, since the color serves as a protection and allows you to merge with the seabed. Great white sharks are torpedo-shaped, due to which they significantly increase their swimming speed compared to other inhabitants of the seas and oceans. If necessary, it picks up speed up to 24 kilometers per hour.

Ichthyologists call this majestic fish the queen of all sharks. She has incredible abilities compared to other species. Scientists never cease to wonder how heavyweight fish can be so graceful in the water.

Characteristics of the white shark:

1. Fish - "cannibal".

Great white sharks very rarely attack people, even when they swim very close. In the Mediterranean, for example, there have been only 31 attacks on humans in the last two centuries. However, in most cases, the victims survived.

Researchers suggest that perhaps the only reason sharks attack people is that the fish, seeing the silhouette of a person, thinks it is a seal. But after the first bite, she is convinced that she was mistaken and leaves. We just don't fit the shark in the form of food. Instead of our heavily boned bodies, these fish prefer the carcasses of large, fat animals like seals. If a person dies after a shark bite, then the cause, most often, is blood loss.

And further. Researchers of the behavior of white sharks advise not to panic, not to splash in the water when meeting with these giant fish. The ideal solution is to remain as calm as possible. At the same time, there is a chance that the shark will not pay attention to the person and calmly swim away. The shark itself is only afraid of orcas - killer whales.

1. Giant from the seas.

The white shark is one of the largest inhabitants of the oceans. The average size of these fish is 6.5 meters, but there are individuals over 7 meters in length. The weight of these creatures can reach 2 or even 3 tons. Interestingly, females weigh more than males.

1. Teeth.

The first thing that comes to mind when you say “great white shark” is big sharp teeth. In a shark, they are arranged in several rows, each of which can fit up to 300 pointed fangs. According to biologists, during the life of these creatures can lose up to a thousand teeth.

1. Sense of smell.

The ability to distinguish smells in sharks is developed so sharply that they can catch the smell of blood in the water 5 km away. These incredible creatures are able to smell a drop of blood diluted in 100 liters of water. But in addition, with the same incredible acuteness, they feel animals generated by electromagnetic fields. Sharks' electrical tracking receptors are able to pick up prey after every movement and even hear its heartbeats.

1. Eye protection.

Most of the animals that fall prey to white sharks don't give up, they fight for their lives. Hence the numerous scars on the body of the queen of the oceans. And in order to protect the most important organ - the eyes, during the attack, the sharks simply roll them back, thereby preventing scratches or other damage.

1. Offspring.

To date, scientists know very little about the reproduction of great white sharks. Researchers know that great white sharks are viviparous creatures. Their pregnancy lasts about 11 months, and the birth of offspring occurs in spring or summer. It is also known about the fact of cannibalism, which occurs even in the womb of the shark mother. Even before birth, the stronger sharks kill the weak ones and feed on them.

1. Habitat.

White sharks love warm coastal areas in all the world's oceans. Sometimes they go into deep water. There were cases when these creatures were found at depths of 1000 meters or more. But still, the preferred water temperature for them is from 15 to 24 degrees Celsius, that is, shallow water near the coast. Most of these fish are found off the coast of Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Mexico, and the USA.

How to choose shark meat

Choosing any meat or fish is a task that requires certain skills. But knowing some secrets, you can make a purchase more quickly and easily.

To begin with, it is important to know that shark meat is usually sold in several of the most popular and profitable forms for cooking:

• fillet (completely boned and skinned);
• pieces divided into portions;
• steaks with skin (possible option without it).

And now about how fresh white shark meat should look like. When buying a fillet of this huge fish for the first time, in order not to become a victim of scammers who will sell cheaper fish under the guise of a shark, it is important to remember a few features.

Fillet

Perhaps the easiest way to make a mistake is when buying meat completely deboned and skinned. Therefore, you need to choose your piece of shark meat by smell. In whatever form the meat of this fish is sold, a real shark always has a characteristic smell of ammonia. In fresh meat, it is very pronounced, but after a thorough washing before cooking it disappears.

Steaks

The main feature of shark meat steaks, by which, in fact, one can distinguish a real delicacy from imitation, is a large cartilage in the center of the piece and the absence of other large bones.

Pieces with skin

In this case, it is important to remember two things. The first is about the specific smell of sharks. And secondly, the rough skin of this fish does not resemble any other to the touch.

The next thing you should definitely pay attention to is the bones. White shark meat cannot contain costal bones, nor can individual vertebrae be seen.

Use in cooking

White shark meat can be stored for quite a long time chilled, frozen or otherwise. But being fresh, it spoils very quickly. Therefore, the carcass must be dismantled and cooked within 7 hours after the catch.

To do this, the fish is cut and quickly cleaned of the skin. Only light meat is suitable for food, dark (there is on the sides) is cut out. Then it is important to rinse the pieces thoroughly until the ammonia smell disappears, and cool in ice. In cooking, dishes are prepared from whole pieces of shark meat or ground to a state of minced meat. From the prepared raw materials, hot dishes are prepared, aspic, as well as smoked, marinated, canned or dried.

Nutritional value of shark meat

White shark meat is not only a delicious delicacy, but also a product of high nutritional value. Like other types of fish, shark meat is an easily digestible and dietary product. 100 grams contains only 130 kilocalories. For each 100-gram piece of meat, there are approximately 20 g, 50 g - and no more than 6 g. But what is not in this product is this.

In addition, sharks serve as a source of , , . Almost all of group B are contained in the meat of this marine predator, exactly like and, and.

The benefits and harms of shark products

White shark meat has many unique properties and you can talk for a long time about how this product is useful. Below is a list of the top properties of sharks for humans:

1. Source of proteins and minerals.

According to some parameters, sharkskin resembles the composition of veal meat. In particular, the proteins of both products are composed of similar amino acids. Fish fillets contain high concentrations of iodine, phosphorus, copper and calcium. In addition, the meat of a marine predator serves as a source of vitamins A and group B. Knowing this, it becomes clear why white shark food is considered an excellent source of nutrients necessary for humans.

1. Useful liver.

Did you know that nearly 24 percent of a white shark's total weight is in the liver. And it is she who is considered an exceptional source of nutrients. For centuries, shark liver has been used as a cure for many diseases. And all thanks to the unique composition. Scientists have determined that this organ contains squalene and alkylglycerol.

Biological properties of squalene resembles ampicillin to a large extent, but surpasses it in the power of action. Therefore, this substance is considered to be a natural antibiotic and is used to treat persistent infections, fungi, and inflammation. But in addition to the active effect on the body, squalene does not cause side effects and is one of the substances that are safe for humans.

Alkiglycerol belongs to the group of immunostimulants. This substance, found in white shark liver, has proven to be effective against viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells. And it is thanks to alkyglycerol that shark liver is considered a substance that normalizes the functioning of the circulatory system.

1. Useful properties of shark oil.

Among the most effective of all drugs known today for restoring immunity are substances containing shark oil. They are part of complex therapy for the treatment of allergies, asthma, cancer and HIV infection.

In addition, preparations with queen shark oil are used as a means for the prevention of atherosclerosis and as a drug that reduces blood pressure. It is believed that the fat of the great white shark reduces the risk of heart attack and diabetes. It also treats joint pain, including rheumatism and arthritis, and helps calm coughs.

1. Mercury in tissues.

For several decades, environmentalists have been sounding the alarm: the world's oceans are drowning in mud. But not all the inhabitants of the planet are aware of the magnitude of the problem. But in fact, all the toxins contained in sea water are absorbed into the bodies of fish. And the white shark is more prone to the accumulation of hazardous substances, in particular mercury, in its body than other fish. The most dangerous meat of a marine predator caught in the most polluted seas.

"Mercury" white sharks are very dangerous to humans. But they carry the highest danger for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Also, mercury compounds have an extremely dangerous effect on the development of the embryo.

Why white sharks are good for people

In addition to the valuable fat and dietary meat of white sharks, people also use the teeth of these predators. In particular, for the manufacture of various jewelry. People observing behavior and appearance white sharks have created many useful ideas. For example, the streamlined body shape of a marine predator inspired mankind to create objects of similar shapes. In addition, shark skin has been used to create swimming suits that have less friction. And in terms of world ecology, sharks play the role of ocean orderlies, which is also very significant for humanity.

The white shark is the most famous marine predator. This huge fish frightens vacationers on the coasts, but at the same time it is a favorite delicacy of many gourmets. This creature, even from the screens, inspires fear in people of all ages, but at the same time, shark fat saves humanity from many diseases. Its meat is a dietary product that supplies a complex of minerals and vitamins, but at the same time it is a source of the most dangerous substance - mercury. The white shark is an example of how important balance is in everything. Today, there are about 350 species of sharks in the world, including the great white. But the population of these creatures can be significantly reduced if humanity does not slow down the pace of their extermination for meat and fat.

Shark meat has long ceased to cause bewilderment among consumers from different countries. Previously, it was prepared and eaten only in maritime countries, where the main income is catching underwater inhabitants, but now this delicacy is popular with most peoples of the world. The demand is associated with a decrease in the number of other animal species.

Akulyatina is highly valued by top chefs, as dishes prepared from it are distinguished by their exquisite taste. In addition, meat has a whole range of nutrients that have a beneficial effect on the human body. It is used in the preparation of special diets.

shark meat

very beneficial for the human body. It contains little fat. Juicy chunks are white or pale pink. Bones are practically absent, except for the central cartilage.

The number of marine life is constantly declining due to human consumption. This makes the price of seafood more expensive. Shark fins are the most expensive, but at the same time, useful part of the body. Meat is rich in vitamins and minerals.

Beneficial features

shark meat - source of many nutrients which are necessary for the human body.

Aculatin is low in calories and cholesterol. Shark meat is often included in modern diets, as it is quickly absorbed by the body and contains a large amount of nutrients.

The healthiest edible part of a shark's body is fins. They contain a high concentration of nutrients. Soup is most often cooked from this part of the body.

vitamins

Of the vitamins, the composition of aculatin includes: almost the entire group B, A, D and E. Vitamin C and carotene are contained in scanty amounts, which should be taken into account when compiling a diet.

Minerals

Like any other fish, the shark is rich phosphorus. The composition of aculatin includes: calcium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, selenium and zinc. The product contains a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids (2 g per 100 g of meat), especially in the liver, which contains a lot of fish oil.

The energy value

100 grams of the product contains:

• Squirrels - 21 g.
• Fats - 5 g.
• 130 kcal.
• Cholesterol - 51 mg.

Carbohydrates in shark meat are completely absent. There is much more protein in one serving than in other types of fish, dairy products and eggs.

Effect on the body

• Improving the functioning of the brain, circulatory and cardiovascular systems.
• Strengthening the nervous system.
• Improve performance and eliminate sluggishness.
• Improving the performance of the thyroid gland.
• Weight loss and blood cholesterol levels.

Harm

Shark meat itself does not harm the human body, but it can cause serious health problems due to several factors:

• Fish that live in polluted water bodies are carriers of toxins.
• Some species of sharks are omnivorous predators, and often in their stomachs they find waste and debris that poison the entire body of the animal, and its meat becomes unfit for food.
• Akulatina is able to accumulate mercury, and when consumed, intoxication of the body occurs.
• Long-term storage of shark meat leads to an increase in the concentration of harmful substances.
• Improper processing of raw materials provokes poisoning of the body with toxins.

If shark meat is ordered in restaurants, there is no need to worry about the safety of the dish. In professional establishments, products are carefully processed to remove toxins and unpleasant odors. In shops and markets, processing may be neglected.

Akulyatina is forbidden to use the following groups of people:

• Small children, as their immunity has not formed.
• Pregnant and lactating women.
• People who are allergic to seafood.

Before using aculatin, it is necessary consult a doctor. The first experience with an exotic dish can provoke intoxication of the body. Side effects include:

• Spasm.
• Stomach upset.
• Respiratory failure.
• Headache and dizziness.

If after taking shark meat a person feels unwell, you should immediately contact a specialist. Individual intolerance to the product is possible.

Akulatina is used in cooking in the same way as beef or pork. Shark meat can be boiled, fried, steamed, smoked, marinated, etc. There are many cooking recipes, the main thing is to carefully process the product.

There are a few tips for cooking shark meat dishes:

1. To remove the unpleasant smell of meat, it must be soaked in cold water with lemon or milk.
2. Iodized salt during salting and canning can spoil the product.
3. For salting, glazed clay dishes are better suited.
4. Before smoking, it is necessary to remove the smell, otherwise it will intensify after cooking.

Many types of sharks are suitable for food: katran, fox, mako, herring, hammerhead shark and most varieties of gray and blue sharks.

From a predator you can cook regular fish soup. Vegetables and seasonings are added according to recipes and personal preferences. Shark fin broths are prepared in different countries.

Oven-fried or deep-fried shark meat goes well with boiled rice or vegetables. Marinade and sauces add a nice flavor.

The steak soaked in the marinade is tender and fragrant. Shish kebabs are fried from shark meat, which are not inferior in quality to pork.

Herring shark is well suited for salads and cold appetizers.

Boiled shark meat or minced meat from it will fit as a filling for pies and pies.

Shark meat on the menu of elite restaurants has long ceased to amaze people. This delicacy can be found in many cuisines around the world. Akuljatina has a whole set useful properties. However, when eating dishes from this product, you should be aware that there is a risk of individual intolerance to the exotic.

Sharks are one of the most ancient representatives of the marine fauna. Thanks to numerous films, sharks are considered very dangerous predators for humans, but in fact there are not so many dangerous species of sharks. In general, sharks are a valuable commercial fish all over the world. Their meat is eaten, the insides are specially processed and used as fertilizers, fishmeal is made from the bones, shark skin and teeth are very often used to make various accessories. In general, we can say waste-free production. But let's look specifically at the benefits and harms of shark meat eaten.

Benefits, harms, calories and fat content of shark meat

It’s worth starting with the fact that shark meat, like the meat of any fish, is incredibly useful for the human body products, as it contains just a lot of all sorts of different elements and vitamins. The composition of shark meat includes almost all B vitamins, nicotinic acid, potassium, manganese, copper, iron, phosphorus, chromium, chlorine, zinc and selenium. This is when it comes to vitamins and minerals. But, in addition, of course, shark meat is rich in proteins, fats, ash and water. The most useful are shark fins, as well as liver. By the way, it is the liver that is the most valuable part of the shark used for food. And all because it contains a lot of fish oil, which contains the most valuable omega-3 acids, as well as vitamin A. The benefits of blue shark meat and liver for the body are simply enormous. In addition, shark meat is a dietary product with quite low level fat and calories. There are only 130 kilocalories per 100 grams of product. And the fats contained in shark meat are dietary fats, incredibly useful both for the body as a whole and for those who are struggling with.

Only shark meat that has been stored for a long time before being cooked can be harmful. This happens due to the fact that shark meat during long-term storage begins to accumulate harmful substances, among which, for example, mercury is present. The benefits of such shark meat for the body are significantly reduced, therefore, it is recommended to eat only fresh meat.

Everything you wanted to know about shark meat

Can you eat a shark?

Not every shark causes fear and horror, except for a flock of herring or young seals.

Some types of sharks are valuable table fish, and dishes from them are able to satisfy the taste of any gourmet.

The shark belongs to a species of oceanic cartilaginous fish, which means that its skeleton, like the sturgeon, consists of cartilage and has no bones.

Almost all types of sharks, and there are more than 550 species of them, are edible and differ only in the different taste of meat.

Salted, fried and smoked shark meat is amazingly delicious.

True, fresh shark meat has an unpleasant odor, as it contains a lot of urea. But this can be eliminated by soaking it for several hours in cold water with the addition of vinegar or milk.

Shark meat is more tender and spoils faster than the meat of other fish. However, knowing how to cook it, this can be avoided.

The low popularity of shark meat in the diet of most people is mainly due to the fact that the shark is considered a cannibal.

One can cite a similar prejudice of the population of our country regarding burbots, which allegedly feed on carrion and even human corpses, therefore, some part of the Russian population is squeamish about eating burbots.

However, it should be noted that most fish, and indeed many animals that people eat, can also eat corpses (for example, pigs), but they are eaten without disgust.

Of course, these are ridiculous superstitions, but they often do not let shark meat on the dinner table.

For example, in a 1977 pamphlet issued by the University of Hawaii as part of the Oceanographic Advisory Program, sharks are characterized not as a "sailors' nightmare" but as a "chef's dream":

Due to the delicate flavor, their meat will be to the taste of most people, especially when using sauces, spices and seasonings. Shark fillet after heat treatment acquires a wonderful white color, and the fish itself is cooked quickly and easily.

The popularity of shark meat

Today, shark meat is eaten in South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, less frequently in the United States and Canada, although consumption is growing rapidly there as well, with the popularity of pan-fried and grilled fish and declining supplies of tuna and swordfish. .

The most popular varieties that have high palatability are the herring, soup shark, mako (blue-gray shark), blacktip, blue, katran, as well as the fox shark.

The people of Korea, China and Japan have been eating shark meat since time immemorial. Perhaps nowhere else in the world are sharks consumed in such quantities as in China and Japan - the annual catch of sharks there is estimated in the millions of tons, which has put them at risk of extinction.

Lower quality shark meat is used in Japan to make a fish snack called kamaboko.

In addition, shark meat is sold fresh and canned. One of the most common canned foods is smoked shark meat in soy sauce.

And of course, shark meat dishes are frequent guests on the tables of the peoples inhabiting Oceania, where shark meat is treated with much less prejudice than we have on the continents.

For example, many generations of Australians hated sharks in connection with.

However, when it was discovered that some types of sharks had tasty and nutritious meat, Australians began to eat them.

Australian mothers have found another advantage of shark meat: it is boneless and safe to feed to young children.

In Russia, shark meat has long moved from the category of unseen and very expensive curiosities to the category of quite affordable food that can be bought in most large supermarkets.

The prejudice that shark meat is inedible has long and irrevocably become obsolete. There are hundreds of recipes on the Internet from ordinary Russian housewives telling how to cook a shark along with the usual seasonings and ingredients.

Nutritional value of shark meat and its benefits

Shark meat is a storehouse of minerals, vitamins and amino acids useful for humans. Like other fish, it is just as well and easily absorbed by the human body. Valued for its high nutritional value, low calorie content and very low cholesterol content.

An excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, 100 g fillets contain approximately 2 g of these vital fats.

This makes shark meat an excellent dietary product, which experts actively include in some modern diets.

The composition of shark meat contains an almost complete complex of B vitamins, potassium, calcium, a large amount of phosphorus, zinc, iron and even selenium, copper and manganese.

But vitamin C and carotene in shark meat are practically absent, which must be taken into account when compiling therapeutic diets using this product.

The maximum concentrations of nutrients are concentrated in the meat, which is located in the fins. That is why dishes made from shark fins have advantages over other seafood delicacies.

Energy value of shark meat per 100 g

Cheating with sharks

In the US and Europe, pieces of herring shark, hammerhead shark and soup shark are often presented as butchered swordfish, tuna or sea sturgeon, since buyers have a biased attitude towards these formidable predators.

Passing off a shark as another fish is an old commercial scam.

Turkish fish traders have long been selling shark balyks from katran in Russia, passing them off as sturgeons.

Soup shark steaks treated with dyes can be sold as salmon fish meat, and fox sharks can be sold under the guise of croaker or halibut meat.

Fish sticks are also made from shark meat, and with the help of food dyes they turn shark meat into salmon, they call shark meat “gray fish”, “sea eel”, “Falkestone beef”.

Knowing about the prejudiced attitude of Russian buyers to shark meat, steaks can be disguised under the names "stone fish", "sea sturgeon", "white fish", etc.

However, recently there is no particular need for such a deception: shark meat dishes are becoming increasingly popular among our compatriots and it is possible that in the near future the assortment of fish stores will be replenished with various varieties of sharks.

In supermarkets, you can find packaged steaks called "shark meat" or "shark steaks" - despite the fact that there are more than 550 species of sharks, in this case we are talking about.

Usually, sharks are sold in portions, both round steaks with or without skin, and completely cleaned fillets.

It is quite difficult to distinguish shark meat from other commercial fish, you need to navigate by the absence of bones and large cartilage in the middle.

If the meat is chilled, the specific smell of ammonia will help to "identify" the shark.

Never buy red shark meat, which is found on the sidewalls of fish - it does not taste particularly pleasant.

Meat processing rules

The meat of many shark species is quite tasty and tender, but when raw it has an unpleasant smell of ammonia and a bitter-sour taste, so it requires special preliminary preparation - soaking in cold water with acidifiers (vinegar, citric acid).

You can soak shark meat in milk.

However, fillets of such species as mako, herring, soup, katran, etc. do not need special pre-treatment.

Shark meat spoils faster than other fish meat. To make it tasty and fragrant, it is very important to properly process this fish.

Caught sharks are immediately gutted (no later than 7 hours after being caught), skinned, removing dark meat along the lateral lines, washed and immediately chilled in ice.

When salting and canning, iodized salt should not be used, since as a result of the high content of trace elements in shark meat, it will either turn black or quickly deteriorate.

Pottery for salting must be glazed, otherwise the process of leaching of ceramics will begin and the meat will disappear.

You should also be aware that smoking will not help preserve shark meat, but will only enhance the specific smell.

Sharks are rarely sold whole - most shark meat products come processed and frozen. More often these are large round pieces with cartilage in the middle.

A shark can be identified even in a piece by the absence of costal ossicles and visible individual vertebrae in the cartilaginous spine.

The younger the shark, the more tender and tastier its meat.

Video - Removing the skin and cooking the shark fillet for frying:

Shark in cooking - what dishes are prepared from sharks?

The fashion for the exotic is pushing an increasing number of housewives to reconsider the traditional menu, and shark meat is increasingly taking its place among high-calorie and affordable foods.

You don't have to be rich or look for rare spices to make a shark dish. There is a dish that is financially accessible to almost every Russian, and the ingredients for it can be bought not only in the supermarket, but also in many large markets, because the basis is the katran shark, of which there are many.

In the skillful hands of chefs, many types of sharks become culinary masterpieces. In the East, mako shark dishes can compete with red tuna in price and popularity, and Italians cook herring shark.

In the US, especially on the Atlantic coast, grilled fillets are served as often as steaks.

The Japanese gave pride of place on their table to the blue shark, which is fried in batter and made on the basis of fillet broths.

Shark meat is not only good for steaks, although they turn out amazing. In the kitchen, you can dispose of it in the same way as with pork or beef, that is, if you have a certain amount of imagination, you can cook almost any meat dish without any hassle.

In France, stories about edible and non-edible sharks circulated in the 18th century, and in the Pacific Islands even more distant times.

On Saipan, for example, there is a taboo on the blacktip shark, and on Guam, where there is no such taboo, it is eaten. Meat in California is used as food, and in Germany it is used as a laxative.

Ancient tribes living on some Pacific islands believed that whoever eats a shark shares a meal with the devil.

Attitude towards sharks in America

One can smile condescendingly at these absurd superstitions, but the prejudices that keep shark meat out of the dinner table, for example, Americans, are no more reasonable.

All attempts to force Americans to eat shark meat have failed. Such a campaign, under the slogan "Sharks are good for you," began to prepare the US Fisheries Administration in 1916.

And just then there were known to the whole world. Is it any wonder that after four people were killed by sharks and one seriously injured, no one wanted to include a shark in their menu.

When America entered World War I, a new campaign was launched. At the request of the Food and Fisheries Ministries, Gorton's famous fish cannery in Gloucester began to produce canned katran.

The canned product tasted and looked quite good quality, but when the jars were opened, the fish emitted a pungent smell of ammonia. Therefore, everything that we sent came back to us. Naturally, we stopped the production of canned sharks, - said F.M. Bundy, president of the firm.

US President Theodore Roosevelt believed that shark meat tasted great and publicly stated this to encourage people to eat sharks.

During the First World War, Roosevelt turned to his friend Russell Coles for support, who had also been studying in the Caroline Islands for many years. Coles boasted that he tried at least 10 different types sharks

At the request of Roosevelt, to the question "What does a shark taste like?" Coles gave the following enthusiastic response:

It has a quite decent taste, although its meat is somewhat tougher than that of other species; smooth - one of the most delicious fish in the world; the meat has a rather strong smell, but if cooked as it should be, it is quite suitable for food; - decoration of any dinner; the brown shark leaves nothing to be desired.

But the combined efforts of Coles and Roosevelt - and even the patriotism of the Americans - could not force them to eat sharks.

It took something as grand as a war to get Americans to even think about it.

During the Second World War, the Marine Fisheries Authority again appealed to the public to make up for the lack of meat, which was on the market in limited quantities, by eating more fish, including sharks.

Here is what Captain Young had to say:

I received orders to send half a ton of fresh shark meat to a New York fish wholesaler. I went to the Gulf of Mexico, to Bilohi, where there are dusky and black-and-white sharks, and I caught them on spinning from the side of shrimp boats.

When the fishermen inspect the nets, they choose only shrimp, and throw small fish back into the sea. So there were more than enough sharks.

When I caught a shark, I immediately cut off its tail and bled it out. From this, her meat became whiter.

As soon as we got ashore, I sent the sharks to New York in boxes of dry ice. They arrived in excellent condition and, as I was told afterwards, most buyers had no complaints.

Knowing that people were prejudiced against the word "shark", the company decided to market it under the name "greyfish". But the government offered to sell the sharks under their own name, and that was the end of the business...

This trick - disguising a shark as another fish - was used, and is still used in many countries.

Sharks on English tables

The English have been eating sharks for centuries, often under an assumed name. An unknown poet of the Elizabethan era, who captured in his poems the fish that was eaten at that time, in addition to herring, cod, halibut and whiting, also mentions the fox shark.

Shakespeare also mentions sharks, but in such a context that it is hardly a good recommendation for them: in the potion that the three witches brew in Macbeth, among other ingredients, there is a shark's mouth.

During the Elizabethan era, shark meat was very popular, and when the export of fish to the Continent drove up prices in the English fish market, fish lovers in England were very unhappy.

In 1578 they drew up a petition in which this situation was disapprovingly analyzed.

The cooking methods of some sharks in the British Isles in the old days would have horrified the modern gourmet. In the Shetland Islands, for example, fish were buried in the ground for preservation, and it was believed that this gave them a special flavor.

The skin was removed from the katran so that it could not be recognized as a shark, then gutted, dried, in the sun and sold for salmon.

Perhaps it was because of these manipulations and fake salmon that sharks gradually fell out of favor in England.

In 1904, during the economic depression, shark meat was again eaten in England. Small shopkeepers, looking for fish that could be sold cheaply to the poor and still make some profit out of it, found that they could buy katran at a shilling for 30 kilos.

They called the meat of the spiny shark "mountain salmon" and sold it along with fried potatoes for one and a half pence a serving - nowhere cheaper (12 pence in a shilling).

In 1922, the British began to import the katran from Norway, although their own waters were literally teeming with these sharks. The Norwegian spiny shark, well-packaged, always perfectly fresh, was once again sold by the English fish and chips merchants.

Now in England more than 8 tons of katran are caught annually; most of this catch goes to Billingsgate Market, a huge fish market that has been supplying the English with fish for centuries.

Shark meat in Europe

For many years, Italy has brought the herring shark from the Scandinavian countries. When Benito Mussolini came to power, he banned the import of sharks, not wanting Italians to be despised for eating sharks.

Despite this ban, Norwegian and Danish sharks were smuggled into Italy.

Now Italy is again importing sharks from Scandinavia, although at least 60 species of sharks live in Italian waters. A huge share of the herring shark catch in Norway and Denmark - about 500 tons per year - is frozen and sent to Italy.

Norway, which has solved the problem of preserving fresh shark meat, has a huge number of buyers and sells millions of kilograms of shark meat.

For example, for six months - from January to June 1961 - Norwegian fish exports included about 2 million kilograms of prickly shark meat exported to England and Northern Ireland, and about 1 million kilograms of meat going to Sweden, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, France , Italy and West Germany.

In the same countries, plus East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, another 2.5 million kilograms of frozen prickly shark meat were sold over the same period.

In Norway, a unique method for keeping shark meat fresh for a long time has been developed for this.

The sharks are gutted, the calf is cut off, then placed in boxes of jelly and placed in refrigeration units at a temperature of minus 15 degrees for a period of 24 to 36 hours.

The fish freezes firmly, but there is no jelly; it forms a protective layer under which the fish is stored, in fact, forever. When selling fish, one by one is taken out of the package.

US shark meat scam

Compared to other fish, sharks are not very popular with American mistresses. For example, in 1959, about 3 million kilograms of shark meat were sold at the United States fish market, worth $162,000.

This figure immediately ceases to be impressive if we compare it with, say, the profits from the sale of cod. In the same 1959, about 30 million kilograms of cod were sold, worth more than 4 million dollars.

Many sharks eaten in the US appear on plates under false names. When offered to a fishmonger, he may be tempted to present his customers with a shark in disguise.

To do this, you only need to cut off her head, fins and tail, and cut her into pieces. In this form, its meat will pass for the meat of a more expensive swordfish, and few people will feel the difference.

In some fish markets in America, it is sold under the name "greyfish". and some other shark species are marketed under the label "swordfish".

One day in the summer of 1944, a diner at a restaurant in Long Beach, California, looked disapprovingly at fish served as white sea bass, California halibut, barracuda, and salmon.

The salmon looked especially suspicious, but the visitor knew that the rest of the fish was nothing but sliced. This visitor was William Ellis Ripley of the California Marine Fisheries Authority.

The owner of the establishment was forced to admit that the meat of the fish, which he passed off as salmon, was subjected to special processing to give it a pink color.

And in many other cities in the state, shark meat is sold under a false name. Even in a fishing port like Santa Barbara, sea fox and soup shark passed for halibut, cod, and the like.

For years, the shark meat trade in the United States was driven solely by Italian and Chinese immigrants and their descendants.

Each year, New York's Fulton Fish Market, the largest wholesale fish market on the US Atlantic coast, sells between 30,000 and 40,000 kilograms of katran and almost all of the buyers are Italian Americans.

On both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, Chinese people provide demand for shark fins for their favorite soup.

Shark Meat Culinary Reviews

When searching for information about shark meat and its use in the kitchen on the Internet, you can find a lot of conflicting reviews.

However, the most important thing to consider when deciding whether to cook a shark meat dish is the availability of a quality source product and the type of shark (should be indicated on the package).

Otherwise, no culinary secrets and tricks will help correct the spoiled taste of the finished dish.

Here are some of the most interesting reviews:

1. To taste the taste, I decided not to take recipes with a bunch of spices or adding vegetables, but simply fried steaks in a pan. I liked the taste of shark meat, tender, lean, and no bones.

I read that some compare its taste with chicken, but I have similarities with chicken meat I did not notice.

2. Cooked the shark fillet. Defrost quickly in cold water. As indicated in the recipe, she cut off the skin and cartilage, a lot of water leaves, the meat is dense. Wringed out the water several times.

Marinated in lemon juice as usual, squeezed out a large slice, did not lay down pieces. Marinated for 1 hour (2 hours in the recipe). I did not add salt at all. Fried in batter. It turned out delicious, it doesn't look like any fish.

3. Once upon a time I saw a shark for sale, a Black Sea one, a katran is called, there was an impulse of the soul to buy and cook, but before doing this, I went home and googled it.

As it turned out, shark meat must be soaked before cooking, because it stinks of urine. This prompted me to abandon the purchase.

So this question gnaws at me - maybe in vain I refused the opportunity to take a shark?

4. Cool fish, I took it in the METRO. Weak specific smell, then disappears. Just fried in batter, slightly marinated in soy sauce. Tasty meat!

5. I didn't like it. The guests were delighted. But the taste and color...

For me, the meat is a little dry, not as fragrant as, for example, salmon or even herring with capelin (I like food to have a pronounced taste).

6. ...Well, there were no ammonia smells there! It just smelled like fish and the sea!

7. In the comments to the recipes, I read that many cook shark meat without soaking, and there is no smell. Since last time I didn’t notice any unusual smells, I decided to try not to bother with soaking, but to fry it right away. Moreover, I again did not find any unpleasant odors in raw steaks.

Dripping the fish in flour, I put it in a frying pan. And literally after a couple of minutes of frying, the shark showed itself in all its glory. A rather strong ammonia smell began to come from the steaks.

8. Blue shark steak is considered by the inhabitants of the Asia-Pacific region to be the most powerful aphrodisiac. And they regularly eat this shark dish. However, shark meat is constantly criticized, perhaps not without reason.

9. Most sharks smell like ammonia (urine). This has been tested in practice when preparing freshly caught herring sharks in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

The blue shark is supplied from Malaysia and most likely from Turkey, where they breed it. Therefore, a cultured shark has a less pronounced smell, especially after a long freezing of a shark steak in freezers of supermarkets.

Therefore, even frozen pork and beef do not smell like meat.

10. We squeezed a lot of water out of the blue shark steak. She soaks it up like a blotter. There is a suspicion that commercial intermediaries deliberately pump the shark with water to increase the weight, and, accordingly, the cost of such steaks.

15. Tried shark fin at a Chinese restaurant. The meat is really very tender, but the taste was no different from a good fat carp.

16. Having read about the specific smell, I sniffed the steaks, but did not notice any unusual smells.

17. Foolishly bought shark steaks once. Despite all the soaking, the stench remained. Neither lemon, nor herbs, nor spices helped. The family refused to eat, had to throw it away.

18. They don’t eat only very old sharks and some types of large ones - they don’t have a very good taste. And they don't sell steaks either. And so if the steaks are not large, you can first, as it were, stew and then fry like an ordinary fish in a pan.

The shark is very tasty, although fried it tastes completely ordinary, like carp chtoli (for my taste), but the ear from the shark is yes (the head and fins are involved).

19. I just honestly don't understand why spend money on shark steaks if they taste "like ordinary fish."

20. We also recently tried grilled shark meat. I don’t know how to cook it correctly, but I think it is in itself, no. It was prepared for us by the natives of that area, in the same place where they were caught.

I think they knew what they were doing. There were a lot of spices and seasonings, it turned out very tasty. But a fish is a fish, and, in my opinion, rather dry.

At the same time, I think you need to try everything, so that later you can casually say: "Yes, I ate your shark. Bullshit-I ..."

So don't be discouraged that you didn't taste anything unique. Here, one name of meat is worth something to envy you.

21. Very satisfying and tasty, it is especially interesting that the raw skin is very tough, and the fried skin is tender and, as it were, sticky, and the bones all become like cartilage, only the vertebra itself is hard. In terms of taste, I would compare it with pangassius, probably, or with saithe, in any case, much tastier than sole.

22. Either I just don’t understand something about this product, or it’s completely nondescript, some kind of watery taste or something ...

The only thing of interest is the skin of the shark. It is not cut by anything - neither with a knife, nor with scissors. It was possible to cut a little bit with her razor, and then - with difficulty. But it's hardly worth spending that kind of money for a funny toy.

23. I wanted to feel the taste of the fish itself, so for the first time I decided to just fry it in flour and eggs. But I'll tell you right away - nothing great. I will not buy this fish again. Maybe with sauce it was necessary to do either with vegetables or with mushrooms. But then the taste of the fish was not felt. In short, expectations did not justify themselves. I like trout better.

24. Yesterday my husband bought this meat in a magnet. The shark is not expensive, although I used to think the opposite. One kg of meat costs 200 rubles. We had almost a kg in the package.

When I opened the package, it became simply unbearable to stink of urine in the kitchen, please forgive me. It is, of course, complete horror. But I was ready for this, as the Internet immediately warns about this.

Then, in general, you need to wash it, cut off the skin, because it is like sand, like sandpaper. I marinated it with lemon, it marinated for two hours. Then marinated in soy sauce for two hours.

Then fry for 5 minutes each side. No one liked the taste of the fish. It certainly didn't smell bad. But the taste is very unique. The meat is soft. I didn't like it at all.

They threw everything out. And by the way, as a result, from one kg it turned out 500 grams of probably finished meat.

25. At sea, the fishermen treated to fresh shark meat, They told how to cook, soak inappropriately, no breading, fry on both sides and then stew in soy sauce. Well, it didn't smell like anything.

26. Yes, you must be lucky with the shark! But when I cooked it, there was a decent persistent smell of ammonia. Despite soaking and further removal of the bone and skin. And so it continued to smell. The garlic-cream sauce saved the situation a little.

27. When frying steaks, soaking meat to soften in milk is not at all necessary, especially if you are going to fry them in breadcrumbs. In this case, when frying, the breading cannot be preserved on the steaks.

28. Reminds me of mushrooms growing in Kazakhstan. Which need to be soaked in salt water for a week, then boil for three days constantly draining the water, and only then you can marinate. Thus, I think the old shoe can be made edible. What for?!

In general, I do not recommend. Especially if you have fresh river fish nearby.

29. I personally used one shark on the island of Hainan: first they bring it alive in a bucket and show, they say, will you be like that? About 15 minutes later they brought it to me fried. There was no bad smell. The consistency resembled a sterlet (without bones!), but less fragrant.

30. As a result, the shark meat was still a bit bitter - this spoiled the whole pleasant impression of the shark, since it is quite convenient to eat it - it is not bony at all.

Then I found information that the shark should be soaked for 10 hours in acidified water, then this unpleasant taste will completely disappear. But the shark did not cause delight in me, and I will no longer buy it and do something with it.

Another unpleasant moment is the terrible shark skin, it is not only super fat, but also like sand. After tasting the skin, I started to spit. In general, I do not recommend it, as it is too confused and ambiguous fish.

Yes, it is really tougher than, for example, halibut or pollock, but it's still a shark. Several bundles of strong muscles run along her body, and between them there is absolutely no fat - only protein.

35. Despite the unflattering reviews, I ventured to cook. I soaked the shark in water with lemon for 8 hours (well, it happened. Because I went to nature). Then she dried the fillet with a napkin. Rolled in flour with pepper. Fried.

There was no bad smell that was promised. It turned out delicious!

Conclusion

Today you can buy shark meat in any form - ice cream, dried, pickled, canned, smoked. Dishes using this product are very unusual and pleasant in taste.

Ambre hakarla resembles the smell that prevails in unkempt public toilets. And hakarl looks like cheese cut into cubes. But this is not even why a normal person would not want to eat hakarl. He is terrible in his origin. Hakarl is nothing more than the meat of a harmless Greenland giant shark rotten to the last muscle cell. In Iceland, this delicacy is included in the mandatory program of festivities at Christmas and New Year.

To eat rotten shark meat means to be persistent and strong, like a real Viking. After all, a true Viking has iron not only armor, but also a stomach.

Hakarl- the most specific dish from Viking cuisine. It is decomposed shark meat, which for a long time (6-8 weeks) lay in a sand-gravel mixture in a box, or even buried in the ground, to ensure the desired degree of decomposition.

Then the rotten pieces of meat are taken out of the ground, hung on hooks and left in the fresh air for another 2-4 months. In total, after six months of aging, the finished dish is decorated with steamed vegetables and served on the table for lovers of acute gastronomic sensations, most of whom gobble up this delicacy on both cheeks.

The taste of khakarl is something between sturgeon and squid, but the smell is unbearable, and the price is generally sky-high. A portion of such a treat costs no less 100 euro*.

The meaning of this ugly food is that the giant shark is a rather weighty food product, but when fresh, its meat is poisonous, contains a lot of uric acid and trimethylamine, which disappear when the product rots. Ready hakarl for shops is packaged like our squids for beer from a stall. Inexperienced eaters are advised to plug their nose at the first tasting, because the smell is much stronger than the taste. It looks like a very spicy whitefish or Jewish mackerel.

Hakarl comes in two varieties: from a rotten stomach and from rotten muscle tissue.

And here is what Alex P writes about this dish.

Here is what I read in one tourist guide about Icelandic cuisine:

Traditional Icelandic cuisine is based, not surprisingly, on fish and seafood. In traditional recipes, a lot of extremely peculiar, although not always edible for a stomach unaccustomed to such "frills", dishes that have come down to our days since the distant Middle Ages, have been preserved. The basis of the diet is fish of all kinds, especially cod, herring and salmon in all forms. The famous marinated salmon "gravlax", herring marinated with spices - "sild", a variety of fish sandwiches, fried or dried fish "hardfiskur", as well as fish "with a smell" "hakarl" or meat, which are necessarily offered to tourists as a local exotic marine mammals.

Of the drinks, coffee is the most popular. Unlike most Scandinavian countries, beer is not so widespread (mostly due to its rather high price). The traditional Icelandic drink is brennyvin (a cross between vodka and whiskey).

Of course, being on this Sevrny Island, I decided to take a sip of exotics and ordered it, namely HAKARL, since SEAL-HERRING is trite, GRAVLAX, judging by the name, seemed to me to be something like a potion for diarrhea, well, on HARDFISKUR - it was simply impossible to pronounce, and I didn’t really want an Icelandic ram.

After asking me several times if I really wanted to order hakarl, the waitress, with a sweet smile, lifted me up and led me to the end of the hall, where there were three empty tables in a small glass room.

A very prudent move, given that hakarl is DECOMPOSED SHARK MEAT. Yes, yes, they catch a shark, bury it in the sand for 3-4 months, then take it out, cook it and serve it to the table, pre-decorating it with vegetable stew. But before making me happy with such a dish, the waitress put on the table a decanter with 200 g of brennevin - local vodka, which the Icelanders themselves actually call the “black death” and do not drink under any circumstances, preferring Bourbon or banal Finnish vodka. Well, the black liquid was not black, but rather cloudy, beyond all measure. Which, in general, is not surprising, given that brennevin is driven from potatoes, and then flavored with cumin.

By that time, on the sad experience of my wallet, I had already seen how high the prices of alcohol in Iceland were, so I suggested that the girl take the “death” back.

However, she politely but insistently said that she would leave the decanter on the table for my own good.

The foresight of the waitress became clear when she, smiling slyly, brought a plate of hakarl into the room. The sweetish-sugary, with hints of sourness, the smell of rotting roasted meat spread rapidly around the room. Until the very end, I did not believe that I would have the willpower to allow the hakarl to end up in the stomach.

However, to refuse treats when the eyes of everyone in the hall are fixed on you was not in Russian.

I cut off an impressive piece of the shark (or rather, what was left of it), I put it in my mouth. Never had a worse feeling in my life. It felt like a small chemical weapons factory had exploded in his mouth. Or I took a sip from the hygienic bag that is usually left on the backs of the seats on the plane. My hand involuntarily reached for the jug, I poured 50 grams of brennevin into the glass and knocked them into my mouth. The Black Death paid off. For the first few seconds, I thought for a long time and painfully which was more disgusting - hakarl or this vodka, because the latter left behind such an oily-sweet aftertaste that made me want to climb the wall.

Indeed, after such an attack on my receptors, the taste that I had hitherto considered the most disgusting in my life - peppercorns, snacking on cake, seemed like real ambrosia. Having somehow mastered half of the hakarl (later the waitress said that this was a record for the last three years), I trudged to the exit from the glass prison with the face of a martyr.

At the door I ran into a still cheerful Japanese. The poor man, not knowing his fate himself, ordered another local delicacy - khritspungur, that is, lamb eggs marinated in sour milk and then pressed into a pie.