OK, I bought shark for the first time ever. The shark was about a foot long (baby shark, or a species which is small, I don't know). I got it skinned, cleaned, and cut up into steaks. It smelled of ammonia, is that normal?Anyway, I froze it, and now, 2+ months later, I took it out of the freezer and defrosted it. Man, the stench of ammonia was unbearable, especially in the pieces which had more blood in them.Now, it is in a pan with olive oil on the stove on low heat. And again, the ammonia smell is unbelievable.IS THIS NORMAL???I DON'T WANT ME, MY WIFE, OR MY FETUS TO DIE!!!
12/10/2008 12:56:57 PM
yeah I probably wouldnt eat that
12/10/2008 12:57:34 PM
who the fuck on TWW has cooked shark frequently enough to help you?[Edited on December 10, 2008 at 12:59 PM. Reason : HELP MY TIME MACHINE HAS A BUSTED PARIWIZZER, IS IT SUPPOSED TO SMELL LIKE GRAPES?]
12/10/2008 12:58:08 PM
I have cooked shark. I can't recall any type of ammonia smell. Also, I have never met anyone who likes shark.
12/10/2008 12:58:43 PM
I do a lot of fishing and I cook a lot of fish. Ive cooked shark and never had this problem. I would toss it.
12/10/2008 12:58:55 PM
^^^ How the fuck would I know? TWW is not my friend circle, and if I knew, wouldn't I direct it to them?WTF???[Edited on December 10, 2008 at 1:00 PM. Reason : ]
12/10/2008 12:59:24 PM
Had some one time but they didn't tell me that was what it was. twas pretty tasty.[Edited on December 10, 2008 at 1:00 PM. Reason : ]
12/10/2008 12:59:35 PM
id toss it on principle just for hurting my nostrils
12/10/2008 12:59:40 PM
Considering you're carrying a fetus, I'd be carefulBut I think the only time anyone really eats shark is in fish sticks, and those taste like shit anyways
12/10/2008 1:00:15 PM
http://www.letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=shark+smell+ammonia
12/10/2008 1:01:14 PM
sorry to hear this, it probably wasnt cheapi wouldnt eat it tho, just consider it a loss... better than food poisoning/death/severe disfigurement
12/10/2008 1:01:48 PM
http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/1930009/ (go down to the buying/storing tips)also, regardless of whether this shark is not good to eat or not, i don't think you are supposed to eat shark when pregnant anyway. it is one of those fish that has like mercury in it or something. like swordfish.http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advice/[Edited on December 10, 2008 at 1:04 PM. Reason : .]
12/10/2008 1:02:29 PM
Sharks must be bled and iced immediately upon capture. The shark's blood contains urea, a compound that helps maintain the animal's body fluids. After the shark dies, bacteria break the urea down to ammonia, which can impart an off-taste to the meat. Do not use shark meat that smells strongly of ammonia.First link on the world wide webs
12/10/2008 1:02:36 PM
what type of shark ? Never heard of buying a baby shark (and shark meat has the texture of rubber) but if its Mako its ok. I dont eat frozen seafood but if you didnt freeze it with a lil bit of water in a bag, most likely its no good, especially if it has freezer burn
12/10/2008 1:02:54 PM
It wasn't bled/prepared properly, throw it out.
12/10/2008 1:03:40 PM
Google.http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/295849Here is a generic fish reply:
12/10/2008 1:03:47 PM
mmm, shark piss marinade
12/10/2008 1:04:26 PM
A slight ammonia smell can be eliminated by soaking the fish in an acidic solution of water and lemon juice or vinegar. Cover the fish with cold water and add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or one tablespoon of vinegar for each pound of shark you are soaking. Allow the shark to soak in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. When the ammonia smell is strong, it is an indication that the shark was not properly handle when first caught, has not been properly stored, or that it is no longer fresh. Soaking the shark at this point will not eliminate the ammonia smell or taste.- Google
12/10/2008 1:05:04 PM
also do not eat if you are pregnant- epa
12/10/2008 1:05:25 PM
12/10/2008 1:06:13 PM
12/10/2008 1:08:03 PM
i didn't read all this thread, but i've fished with people who eat small sharks we catch and they always bleed them out immediately when they're caught. just the fact that there were pieces that had noticeable blood at all would turn me off.also, piss smells like ammonia. piss is carried away by blood.i would throw it away. even if it doesn't hurt you, it'll probably taste like shit.[Edited on December 10, 2008 at 1:25 PM. Reason : .]
12/10/2008 1:23:26 PM
12/10/2008 1:23:29 PM
god damnit [Edited on December 10, 2008 at 1:25 PM. Reason : .]
12/10/2008 1:23:56 PM
12/10/2008 1:24:42 PM
Y'all know me. Know how I earn a livin'. I'll catch this bird for you, but it ain't gonna be easy. Bad fish. Not like going down the pond chasin' bluegills and tommycods. This shark, swallow you whole. Little shakin', little tenderizin', an' down you go. And we gotta do it quick, that'll bring back your tourists, put all your businesses on a payin' basis. But it's not gonna be pleasant. I value my neck a lot more than three thousand bucks, chief. I'll find him for three, but I'll catch him, and kill him, for ten. But you've gotta make up your minds. If you want to stay alive, then ante up. If you want to play it cheap, be on welfare the whole winter. I don't want no volunteers, I don't want no mates, there's just too many captains on this island. Ten thousand dollars for me by myself. For that you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.
12/10/2008 1:42:11 PM
when did you get marriedi cant believe i have not heard of this
12/10/2008 1:46:31 PM
^^^ especially if not recommended by the epa but i guess it is only for "big sharks" (but according to the epa, sharks just absorb more mercury in general. i mean i guess the bigger ones arguably have more because they have lived longer, but whatevs)either way i would rather err on the side of caution than have a deformed mercury shark baby[Edited on December 10, 2008 at 2:13 PM. Reason : .]
12/10/2008 2:12:57 PM
I recently cooked some thresher steaksmarinated them in strong ginger beer and lime juicethey were awesome
12/10/2008 2:23:09 PM
Alright, I kept them going on low heat for maybe 30 minutes, with 15 minutes without a lid, to remove the ammonia.No luck. Ammonia smell kept coming out, albeit it was maybe 50% decreased from the beginning.I tried a bit, just one small bite. It tasted like any white fish, with a very very slight aftertaste, definitely not nearly as much as the smell would have you believe. I would have eaten it. My wife took a cough-drop sized bite, and found it fine as well.However, the damage had been done. A bad association had been created in my head due to the smell, and I couldn't get myself to eat it for my meal.So, I put it out for cats (lots of neighbours' cats roam around here). One came by and ate some. Probably more out eating it now.Oh well. As long as some creature eats it, I don't feel so bad.
12/10/2008 2:39:05 PM
yeah you can get rid of the ammonia stink a lot by soaking it in a brine and by marinating it for a long period in something powerful like ginger and citrus
12/10/2008 2:43:08 PM
where did you buy this 1 foot shark at?
12/10/2008 2:51:24 PM
well congrats on your one year anniversary
12/10/2008 2:55:41 PM
^^ At a local grocery store. I see them all the time in all the large chain grocers (smilar to HT, FL, etc) in their fresh seafood section.^ Thanks.OK, that was the vilest thing I have ever cooked at home. NEVER EVER am I buying shark again, so that was the first and last time. It was a whole shark sitting in ice, so obviously it hadn't been bled. And I always see them like that, so some people in the city of 4 million like the ammonia smell. Anyway, if I found that disgusting, I just wonder how some Icelandic people eat Hákarl:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hákarl
12/10/2008 3:15:00 PM
12/10/2008 3:44:49 PM
shark is one of those things where I would cook the motherfucker and eat the motherfucker the same day I bought the motherfucker
12/10/2008 3:49:12 PM
this is why we cant have nice things!! http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/10/pip.shark.finning/index.html
12/10/2008 3:55:14 PM
I bought some stone crabs one day that smelled just like ammonia, I didn't eat the motherfuckers.
12/10/2008 4:00:53 PM
So I go out to check, and it is all long gone, all 2 lbs of it. The cats loved it OK tomorrow, I will cook the parrot fish that I bought with the shark.Anyone tried parrot fish? Green, blue, and turquoise on the outside.
12/10/2008 4:24:39 PM
maybe just stick to the basic seafoods for a whileYou're 0 for 1 with exotic shit, and I like your odds to go 0 for 2
12/10/2008 4:26:24 PM
I love to experiment with foods. Done it all my life!
12/10/2008 4:28:24 PM
12/10/2008 4:33:51 PM