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How to Fillet a Shark

Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Related Tags: cut | spine | fins | cutting | skin
 

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

  • Shark
  • Cutting board
  • Sharp fillet knife
  • Lemon juice
  • Step 1:
    Cut through the spine near the gills as soon as possible after catching the shark. This lets the blood drain quicker.
  • Step 2:
    Make a cut along the bottom of the tail. Do not cut the tail off unless in a private residence. Because some states consider finning sharks illegal and the game warden could fine an angler.
  • Step 3:
    Gut the captured shark on wash until the blood flow slows from the wounds. It is best to wash the shark in the ocean it came from. Then slice the shark into manageable sections and put it on ice. Slice the shark just by the pectoral fins and cut all the way through. In addition, the head can be removed if needed.
  • Step 4:
    Place the shark on the cutting board and remove the anal fins from the shark.
  • Step 5:
    Remove the shark's spine. Make a cut down the middle on the sharks back. Make sure to leave room around the dorsal fin when cutting the shark. Two pieces of shark should remain.
  • Step 6:
    Take the piece of shark with the fin and spine. Cut above and below the shark's spine. The fins are not edible so make a wide cut around them. After the spine and fins are gone, this piece is ready to fillet like the other piece.
  • Step 7:
    Slice and separate the shark fillets into meal-sized portions. Make the portions small enough to fit on a plate.
  • Step 8:
    Put the shark meat with skin facing down to the cutting board. Cut the skin away from the shark. Make sure not to cut too close to the skin side, because the shark contains a lot of muscles and blood near the skin. If this is cut it, cause the blood to seep in the fillet and affect the taste of the shark.

How to Fillet a Shark Provided by eHow.com
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