Shark meat has been a delicacy for a long in a lot of cuisines. It is considered an excellent meat choice in certain cuisines and is also famous for its potential health benefits. As shark meat is a traditional food in a lot of cultures, it has been appearing in gourmet restaurants now. Now, you may be wondering what shark meat tastes like. Before you try it, you should know what most people say it tastes like.
On the other hand, some people think that shark meat can be dangerous for humans because of the abundance of heavy metals in the meat. It is argued that there is a huge amount of mercury present in shark meat which can be harmful when eaten in large amounts. We’ll explore this idea in this article. Nonetheless, still, a lot of people find it to be delicious. So, what does a shark taste like? Let’s find out.
What is shark meat?
As the name suggests, shark meat is any kind of seafood that contains the flesh/meat of sharks. A lot of species of sharks are quite common to be eaten in many cuisines. Some of the kinds of sharks that are most common in different cultures are porbeagles, thresher sharks, requiem sharks, and shortfin mako sharks.
Especially in Asian cuisines, shark meat is quite popularly used in seafood dishes. Shark meat may be eaten in Asian cuisines in various ways, such as salted, smoked, dried, or roasted. It is one of the things almost daily eaten in a lot of countries like Sri Lanka, Mexico, Scandinavia, and India. In western cultures and cuisines, shark meat is not as popular. But, it has been seeing a rise in popularity in recent times.
In addition, shark meat is a staple in Iceland and Greenland. A lot of western restaurants are now offering shark meat as well. It is often called Dogfish, Flake, or Huss in western cuisines. It is also known as skate meat and ray meat. Nowadays, you can even get shark meat in many grocery stores in the US.
What does a shark taste like?
Most people who have tried shark meat compare it to chicken and alligator. The flavor of shark meat is mild and meaty, and it is typically eaten after being properly soaked. It is a fairly inexpensive and popular choice in seafood. The taste can also be compared to other large ocean fish, all of which taste just about similar to each other.
Shark meat is firm and moist and is known to be highly digestible. This contributes to it being one of the famous choices in seafood. Moreover, shark meat is rich in urea. Urea is a chemical that is abundantly found in the majority of sea creatures. Because of the presence of urea, shark meat can be extremely delicious when prepared properly.
A lot of people prefer to eat shark raw and do not like it to be fried. Still, they make sure that it is soaked properly before eating to make sure that all the toxins are removed from the meat. Most people who have tried shark meat prefer Mako shark meat over other kinds of shark. Although all of them taste similar, the flavor and texture can still differ in different kinds of sharks.
One of the controversies with shark meat is that it contains a high level of mercury which makes it dangerous. Although it is true that shark meat is abundant in mercury, there is still not enough mercury to make you sick if you have it a few times. You would have to consume a whole lot of shark meat every day just for the mercury and other metallic toxins to affect you badly.
Still, it is prepared by removing the blood to reduce the chances of any toxins entering your body. When talking about different kinds of shark meat, Mako shark meat is chewier than other kinds and is less expensive as well. This makes it a popular choice. Even Mako shark meat is moved through a process that makes sure to rid it of any toxins.
How is shark meat prepared?
Shark meat can be prepared just like other seafood. You either put all the preferred spices in the pan before you sear the shark meat, or you rub the shark meat with salt, pepper, and other preferred spices before you cook it. Some preferred choices of sauces with shark meat are soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
Shark meat is prepared quickly after cutting because it is prone to getting spoiled quickly. When the shark meat becomes flaky instead of moist and translucent, it may start becoming spoiled. As mentioned before, it is important to soak it to get rid of the ammonia and gamey smell. Some people use milk to soak it, while others use water, lemon, and salt.
The dark meat from the sides of shark meat cuts is often discarded since it contains a lot of bloodlines and has a strongly unpleasant taste. Some delicious shark meat dishes include Grilled Thresher Shark, Shark Fin Soup, Spanish Shark with Pine Nuts and Tomatoes, Baked Shark Filets, and Broiled Shark with Pesto.
Conclusion
As we have seen above, shark meat can be extremely delicious when prepared in the right ways. The taste won’t be a lot different from the more common meats you have every day, so you can enjoy shark meat even if you don’t like to experiment. Why not check out the Top 10 Sharks Restaurants in the world!
